“Fwhat do you do here?' she sez, an' her voice whit up. 'Twas like
bells tollin' before. 'Time was whin you were quick enough wid your
words,--you that talked me down to hell. Are ye dumb now?' An' Love-o'-W
omen got his tongue, an' sez simple, like a little child, 'May I come
in?' he sez.
“The house is open day an' night,' she sez, wid a laugh; an'
Love-o'-Women ducked his head an' hild up his hand as tho' he was
gyardin'. The Power was on him still--it hild him up still, for, by my
sowl, as I'll never save ut, he walked up the verandah steps that had
been a livin' corpse in hospital for a month!
“'An' now'?' she sez, lookin' at him; an' the red paint stud lone on the
white av her face like a bull's-eye on a target.
“He lifted up his eyes, slow an' very slow, an' he looked at her long
an' very long, an' he tuk his spache betune his teeth wid a wrench that
shuk him.
“'I'm dyin', Aigypt--dyin',' he sez; ay, those were his words, for I
remimber the name he called her. He was turnin' the death-colour, but
his eyes niver rowled. They were set--set on her. Widout word or warnin'
she opened her arms full stretch, an' 'Here!' she sez. (Oh, fwhat
a golden mericle av a voice ut was!) 'Die here,' she sez; an'
Love-o'-Women dhropped forward, an' she hild him up, for she was a fine
big woman.
“I had no time to turn, bekaze that minut I heard the sowl quit
him--tore out in the death-rattle--an' she laid him back in a long
chair, an' she sez to me, 'Misther soldier,' she sez, 'will ye not go in
an' talk to wan av the girls. This sun's too much for him.'
“Well I knew there was no sun he'd iver see, but I cud not spake, so
I wint away wid the empty doolie to find the docthor. He'd been
breakfastin' an' lunchin' ever since we'd come in, an' he was as full as
a tick.
“Faith ye've got dhrunk mighty soon,' he sez, whin I'd tould him, 'to
see that man walk. Barrin' a puff or two av life, he was a corpse before
we left Jumrood. I've a great mind,' he sez, 'to confine you.'
“There's a dale av liquor runnin' about, docthor,' I sez, solemn as a
hard-boiled egg. 'Maybe 'tis so, but will ye not come an' see the corpse
at the house?'
“Tis dishgraceful,' he sez, 'that I would be expected to go to a place
like that. Was she a pretty woman?'' he sez, an' at that he set off
double quick.
“I cud see that the two was in the verandah were I'd left them, an'
I knew by the hang av her head an' the noise av the crows fwhat had
happened. 'Twas the first and the last time that I'd ever known woman to
use the pistol. They dread the shot as a rule, but Di'monds-an'-Pearls
she did not--she did not.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account