And here he coughed, coughed lengthily and in a manner which caused his
aunt to look alarmed and anxious. She had heard John Capen Bangs cough
like that. That very afternoon the Bute family physician saw, questioned
and examined Galusha. The following day an eminent specialist did the
same things. And both doctors looked gravely at each other and at their
patient.
Within a week Galusha was on his way to an Arizona ranch, a place where
he was to find sunshine and dry climate. He was to be out of doors as
much as possible, he was to ride and walk much, he was to do all sorts
of distasteful things, but he promised faithfully to do them, for his
aunt's sake. As a matter of fact, he took little interest in the matter
for his own. His was a sensitive spirit, although a quiet, shy and
“queer” one, and to find that he was “no good” at any particular
employment, even though he had felt fairly certain of that fact
beforehand, hurt more than he acknowledged to others. Galusha went to
Arizona because his aunt, to whose kindness and generosity he owed so
much, wished him to do so. For himself he did not care where he went or
what became of him.
But his feelings changed a few months later, when health began to return
and the cough to diminish in frequency and violence. And then came to
the ranch where he lodged and boarded an expedition from an eastern
museum. It was an expedition sent to explore the near-by canyon for
trace of the ancient “cliff dwellers,” to find and, if need be, excavate
the villages of this strange people and to do research work among them.
The expedition was in charge of an eminent scientist. Galusha met and
talked with the scientist and liked him at once, a liking which was to
grow into adoration as the acquaintanceship between the two warmed into
friendship. The young man was invited to accompany the expedition upon
one of its exploring trips. He accepted and, although he did not then
realize it, upon that trip he discovered, not only an ancient cliff
village, but the life work of Galusha Cabot Bangs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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