The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Going of the White Swan, by Gilbert Parker

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Title: The Going of the White Swan

Author: Gilbert Parker

Release Date: September 18, 2005 [EBook #16716]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE GOING OF THE WHITE SWAN

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration: "'No, no--this!' the priest said." (p 56)]

THE GOING OF THE WHITE SWAN

BY

GILBERT PARKER

[Illustration]

NEW YORK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
MCMXII

[Illustration]

Copyright, 1912, by

GILBERT PARKER

Copyright, 1895, by Charles Scribner's Sons
Copyright, 1895, by Stone and Kimball
Copyright, 1898, by The Macmillan Company

[Illustration]

THE GOING OF THE WHITE SWAN

[Illustration]

I

"Why don't she come back, father?"

The man shook his head, his hand fumbled with the wolfskin robe covering
the child, and he made no reply.

"She'd come if she knew I was hurted, wouldn't she?"

The father nodded, and then turned restlessly toward the door, as though
expecting some one. The look was troubled, and the pipe he held was not
alight, though he made a pretense of smoking.

"Suppose the wildcat had got me, she'd be sorry when she comes, wouldn't
she?"

There was no reply yet, save by gesture, the language of primitive man;
but the big body shivered a little, and the uncouth hand felt for a
place in the bed where the lad's knee made a lump under the robe. He
felt the little heap tenderly, but the child winced.

"S-sh, but that hurts! This wolfskin's most too much on me, isn't it,
father?"

The man softly, yet awkwardly, lifted the robe, folded it back, and
slowly uncovered the knee. The leg was worn away almost to skin and
bone, but the knee itself was swollen with inflammation. He bathed it
with some water, mixed with vinegar and herbs, then drew down the
deer-skin shirt, and did the same with the child's shoulder. Both
shoulder and knee bore the marks of teeth,--where a