oman, "--she's taken very bad, Mr. Gowdy."

He started toward the house without a word; but before he went out of
sight he turned and looked for a moment with a sort of half-smile at the
girl. For a while we were all as still as death. Finally Doctor Bliven
remarked that lots of folks were foolish about sick people, and that
more patients were scared to death by those about them than died of
disease. The girl said that that certainly was so. Doctor Bliven then
volunteered the assertion that Mr. Gowdy seemed to be a fine fellow, and
a gentleman if he ever saw one. Just then the woman came from across the
road again and asked for "the man who was a doctor."

"I'm a doctor," said Bliven. "Somebody wants me?"

She said that Mr. Gowdy would like to have him come into the house--and
he went hurriedly, after taking a medicine-case from his democrat wagon.
I saw my yellow-haired passenger of the Dubuque ferry meet him before
the door, throw her arms about him and kiss him. He returned her
greeting, and they went through the door together into the house.

3

I turned in, and slept several hours very soundly, and then suddenly
found myself wide awake. I got up, and as I did almost every night, went
out to look after my cattle. I found all but one of them, and fetched a
compass about the barns and stables, searching until I found her. As I
passed in front of the door I heard moanings and cryings from a bench
against the side of the house, and stopped. It was dawn, and I could see
that it was either a small woman or a large child, huddled down on the
bench crying terribly, with those peculiar wrenching spasms that come
only when you have struggled long, and then quite given up to misery. I
went toward her, then stepped back, then drew closer, trying to decide
whether I should go away and leave her, or speak to her; and arguing
with myself as to what I could possibly say to her. She seemed to be
trying to choke down her weeping, burying her head in her hands, holding
back her sobs, wrestling with herself. Finally she fell forward on her
face upon the bench, her hands spread abroad and hanging down, her face
on the hard cold wood--and all her moanings ceased. It seemed to me that
she had suddenly dropped dead; for I could not hear from her a single
sigh or gasp or breath, though I stepped closer and listened--not a sign
of life did she give. So I put my arm under her and raised her up, only
to see that her face was ghastly wh