FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   >>  
l Arran! Oh, Philip! I forgot to tell you--" She clutched his arm in her excitement, and he halted, alarmed. "Has anything happened to him?" he demanded. "He asked for you." "Is he worse?" "I fear so." "Dying?" "Phil--I am afraid so. He--he--thinks that you are his son!" "W-what are you saying!" he stammered: "What are you trying to tell me, Ailsa?" "Phil--my darling!--don't look that way!" she exclaimed, frightened. "What way?" He laughed as though crazed. "Where is he? Do you know? I want to see him. You better let me see him." "I'll go with you, Phil; I'll be close beside you. You mustn't become so terribly excited; I didn't know what I was saying; I think he is delirious----" "Where is he? I can't endure this much longer," he kept repeating in a vacant way as they forced a path among the litters and ambulances, and came out through the smoke blowing from a pile of debris that lay where the east wing of the seminary had once stood. Charred and battered, every window smashed, and the blackened rafters of the roof still smouldering, the east wing rose before them, surrounded by the wounded. A surgeon told them that Colonel Arran had been carried out of the barn, but to what place he did not know. Letty with Dr. Benton passed them by the stables, but they knew only that Colonel Arran, lying on a litter, had been placed in an ambulance which had started for Azalea Court House. This was confirmed by Dr. Connor, who came hurrying by and who halted to scowl heartily at Ailsa. "No more of _that_!" he said roughly. "When I want a nurse on the firing line I'll detail her. I've sent two hundred invalids to the landing, and I wanted you to go with them and when I looked around for you I saw you kiting for the line of battle! That's all wrong, Mrs. Paige! That's all wrong! You look sick anyway. Are you?" "No. I'll go now, if you'll let me, Dr. Connor." "How are you going to get there? I haven't another ambulance to send--not a horse or a mule----" "I--I'll walk," she said with a sob in her throat. "I am fearfully sorry--and ashamed----" "There, there," muttered Dr. Connor, "I didn't mean all I said. It was a brave thing to do--not that your pluck mitigates the offence! Be a little more considerate; think a little faster; don't take to your legs on the first impulse. Some fool told me you'd been killed--and that made--made me--most damnably angry!" he burst out with a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   >>  



Top keywords:

Connor

 

Colonel

 
halted
 

ambulance

 
Azalea
 

looked

 

started

 
roughly
 

wanted

 

kiting


landing

 

detail

 

firing

 
hundred
 

hurrying

 

confirmed

 
invalids
 

heartily

 

offence

 

mitigates


considerate
 

faster

 
damnably
 
killed
 

impulse

 
muttered
 

throat

 

fearfully

 

ashamed

 

battle


blackened

 

crazed

 

laughed

 
frightened
 

darling

 

exclaimed

 

endure

 

delirious

 

excited

 

terribly


stammered

 

excitement

 
alarmed
 

clutched

 

Philip

 

forgot

 

happened

 

afraid

 

thinks

 
demanded