Kidnapped at the Altar; Or, The Romance of that Saucy Jessie BainLibbey, Laura Jean
General
Kidnapped at the Altar; Or, The Romance of that Saucy Jessie Bain
Libbey, Laura Jean
Adventure stories; Dime novels; Fiction; Love stories
Mad with delight, he clasped her in his arms and covered her face with
fervid kisses. He kissed the snowy cheeks and lips, and the
cotton-gloved hands. Then the thought suddenly occurred to him that he
was losing valuable time. Every moment was precious, her young life
might be in jeopardy while he was keeping her out there in the bitter
cold.
In a trice he tore off his warm fur coat, wrapped it about her, and
hurried over to the drug store, bearing his beautiful burden as though
she were but a child.
"This way!" he called out sharply to the clerk in attendance. "Attend
quickly to this young lady! She has been overcome with the cold! She is
dying!"
The young man behind the counter responded with alacrity, and hurriedly
resorted to the restoratives usually applied in those cases, Hubert
Varrick standing by, watching every action, his heart in his eyes, his
face pale as death.
Every effort of the young man to revive Jessie Bain seemed futile.
"I should not wonder, sir, if this was a case of heart failure," he
declared. "Generally they die instantly, though I have known them to
linger for several hours. You had better summon an ambulance, sir, and
have her taken to the hospital. There is one just around the corner.
Shall I ring for it, sir?"
"No; I will carry her there myself. You say it is just around the
corner?"
Feeing the man generously, even though he had failed to restore the poor
girl, Hubert Varrick caught her in his arms once more, again faced the
terrible storm with her, and arrived at the hospital, panting at every
step, for he had run the entire distance.
He summoned a doctor. To him he stated his mission, adding that he
feared the girl was dying, and that he would give half his fortune if
the doctor would but save her life, as it was more precious to him than
the whole world beside.
The man of medicine said it was only a question of suspended animation.
If pneumonia did not set in, there was no cause for alarm.
Jessie was quickly given in charge of one of the nurses, a gentle,
madonna-faced woman. She was quickly put to bed, and everything done for
her that skill and experience could suggest. Hubert Varrick begged
permission to sit by her couch and watch the progress of their efforts.
"Do your best," he cried, his strong voice quivering with emotion, "and
I will make it worth your while. You can name your own price."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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