tly," I
said; "it must have broken the skull and glanced off, leaving the bone
pressing against the brain."
"Even so, nobody can't live with their skull broke," he replied.
"But they can,--they do! A broken skull may be lifted, trephined, by a
good surgeon,--many a life is saved thus nowadays."
"Haint no surgeons in this country," said Mr. Marrs; "what few
scattering doctors there is don't follow carving."
"But the new telephone!" I cried. "There is a telephone now from our
village to the railroad,--we can get word to a surgeon in the Blue Grass
in a few hours; by hard riding he can be here inside of two days. If we
can only keep the child alive until then, his life may be saved!"
Blant sprang to his feet, hope transfiguring his haggard face. "Tell me
what to do," he said.
"Saddle your best nag for Philip, and let him ride to the school and
tell the nurse to telephone for the best surgeon in the state, and that
we shall bring Nucky to the hospital to-night on a stretcher."
Philip dashed off, and the rest of us went to work to make a stretcher,
with two poles and plenty of warm blankets. I know little about these
matters, but I believed that the child could be taken easily and safely
across the mountains, by relays of men, and that if I could once get him
to the trained nurse she would manage to keep life in him.
Then Blant fed us; and about two o'clock we set forth down Trigger,
Blant, Rich and two others bearing the stretcher, and four more young
men going along to relieve them every half-hour.
As we went slowly down Trigger, we saw a crowd gathered at Israel
Cheever's home, too. "Dalt is bad wounded by the little chap's rifle,"
said one of "Uncle Billy's boys", "I wisht it had been Todd."
When the stretcher changed hands, we carefully examined Nucky for any
change in pulse or temperature. There was none.
Nearly six hours the march lasted,--the way was rough, the snow and ice
made the footing uncertain, the evening hours before the moon rose were
dark. At last we made the last turn, and came in sight of the school and
the village beyond. Rich Tarrant then laid a hand on Blant's arm.
"Right here is where you take a back track, Blant," he said, firmly;
"it haint sensible for you to walk right spang into the teeth of the
sheriff and the jail,--you can't afford to lose no time that way, your
family not being able to do without you."
"That's so," said Blant, "I plumb forgot. Seems like I can't sta
|