MEG AND JESS.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 902, 18 April 1891, Page 3

MEG AND JESS.

T —°frf '. {Continued,) ) Jus t then she darted into the stair jeadin j down to her lodging ; but the "police nan was not far behind, and she .bad n) sooner got within 'he door, than he m s hammering atrfth."^ iranel and kernel iding ad mittanceS-^Crre weight of his be dy drove m the door, and then Meg, who had hastily stowed the parcel under} some dresses at the head of the led ii which Jess was lying, darted into the k tohen, stripping of some of her upper gl&lnetttjsri ar/Bjie ffan^gvjirjieivek with MbMti^njpV PolMaVJjnfe &«!. appearance as to make identification a I'fficdlt matter. Butscarcely had she got within tbe kitchen door when the policeman drove it open, and then poor Meg aeemfd to lose her head altogether. jSj^Bij darted to the window, threw up the losfgrj sash,, and, bef ore~ any - one could retaahjher or intervene, she leaped right !d(rtm into the yard below, a height of ;'^A wild scream followed the honified cx a cjl nations of the intimates and puraAtenfion to Jess, wno nad risen trow' jiepbsd m the next room, and was now Straggling to t leap c i after '(Mjegiaintpj thg below . Meg lay perfectly motionf&sj' and the general opinion was that sfee>as dead, When !i 'tne first wild .frenzy of /ess was exhausted, she threw pnVfldine tMtig&aHUlf&n<d«vyji ,51*^ 'te iOtQwd to pick up, the senseless girl. Slie itv'as weak and ailing no longer when Mdglwas injured, and carried the limp 'foMjup those stairs -almost- unaiaed, ;t)lfSd was flowing from Meg's mouth, ,'ah.cl hne arm" hung down, broken m two Iplftges ; but when a dash of water on her face had revived her,-aTidishb-ftßaw Jess bending over her m tears, she tried to smije bravely, and softly whispered — F Not hurt ! not hurt 1' ,"' ji ' i "■• jThat came m reply to, a wild accusation of Jess to the policeman 'df' having killed ljGr-,by,forcipg her to escape by the window. ' A doctor was brought £0 her, £n"d he found ;>I one^ ., ankle dislocated, the arm broKe*h,' and other r j- ]{Continw^',qnFqw^i\Pa : g!B.) f" i._: ._ r ~ ' '' ■ . •'.

injuries which caused! him to decide that she was unfit for removal to the Infirm *rj Even had he not so decided, Meg would not have been removed, for Jess remembered her horror of the place, and said that no trained nurses or doctors could do Meg so much good as herself. I reached the house while the doctor was there and easily found the ill-feted parcel ; for Jess no sooner saw ray face than she pointed to the heap of dresses at the head of the bed, and said simply — * 'You'll get i under th«re.' Meg was lying with her eyes closed and almost unconscious; I slowly undid the strings and opened the parcel. The bottle of wine and the otber luxuries told their own tale, and Jess's eyes brimmed over. 'They were for me,' she said. *She told me she was going out to get thtm as they were all I needed now to make me strong. If you wait till I have nursed her well again, you may take me for that job, for she's punished enough,' It seemed so, indeed, for Meg scarcely moved under the greet agony of haying her ankle pat right and her arm put up m splints. The doctor followed roe out inio the kitchen, m wbich I was - busy refawtening the parcel. ' • '- ' .<s>isters, I suppose?' he said very ' gravely, indicating with a nod the room heshad just left, •No, 1 believe not, but they ate very % touch attached to each other. There is no keeping them apart.' . 'Indeed. 1 The word came out absently, and I could see that the doctor's thoughts were already far away from my words.' ' That won,t last long,' he said m the same tones. ( 1 used to think so, too,' I answered 'but it la&ts still you see. What makes you think it will not last ? ' ' Because — because that dark girl will die,' be said, so quietly that at first I mistook the tone. of deep gravity for coolness and professional indifference. ' Good gracious ! is she really so badly hurt ?' ' She will never get well again, and never rise off that bed till she is lifted off. She may live twenty four hours, or forty-eight, or even longer, but the end is none the less certain,' was his calm and decided reply. 'Do you know where to find her friends ?' • Meg, I believe, has no friends alive,' I answered, and the other willl never speak of her f Honda, so they are practically alone m the world,' ' Then I don't know what had best be done. Tl.e other seems iot o rer strong, and it might hurt her to let her know , ""ib* true state of her companion ' r. ' I think you are right. It would be dangeroasr- ' Just th^n the door opene .l, and Jess glided into the kitchen and closed the door. Then she turned sharply upon us, tbougli speaking scarcely above a whisper. ' What are you twn conspiring about?' -she fiercely demanded. ' You're not to take Meg away, mind ! I'm determined • about that.' ' ' She is not to be taken away,' I gravely assured her, 1 You say that a* if she was to be taken,' said Jes3, eyeing me searchingly, 1 liut it doesn't matter — I'll watch her well. How long will it be,' she abruptly adiied, turning to the doctor ; ' how long will it be till Meg is well again V I saw the doctor avoid those wide- i opened, searching eyes os he quietly answered — ( ' Not very long ; I will be able to tell ( you definitely m a day or two.' , 'Humph ! I know what that raeana j from a doctor,' said Jess, roughly and scornfully. • You think that Meg Won't i get better. But I tell you she willl She must ! she shall 1' Ferfect silent followed the fierce assertion. ' You'd like her to die,' continued Jess turning fiercely upon me. 'It's your trade — what you're paid for hunting down the like of us ; and the sooner y<>u get us out of the way the bet, er , but mind ! if anything happens . to her my curse will come down on " you.' ■ ( I quietly assured her that I was curse proof ; that no living man had more of them heaped upon him, and that I had not been m the hunting down of Meg at all, all of wl.ich Jess heeded no more than a stone status With another burst of abuse and string of the wildcat threats, she flounced back to the other room, aid I took the opportunity of slipping quietly out of the house along with the doctor. ' When iVieg dies, I hope I may not be there to see Jess,' was my thought r I ascended the stair to Greenaide, g Meg could not be rerroved, we ar nt trained nurse to relieve ami helf j eS9 an<> then 'were not wanting symr who sent other help ; but tb' mgh M ' k"}*™ I*"*1 *"** I .*?™' «\d a strong spirit, she did not impr ove and th * bulletins sent by the nur se all Bepmed tQ confirm the decision of the f | octor . While Meg's life appeared to be thus slowly ebb-ng away, another strange task 1 wa put mto my i)amis> -r thmk ifc Wfl9 m th » very af'^rnoon of that mad leap ol be -s frorp tne window that a stronglybuilt and somewhat coarse-featured seaman apr, e ored at the office, and wa3 referred to me. He gave bis name as I loej> Shand, and handed me a not' iro.n jj&oMetive Fnrrol, m Glasgoi wiiicj/briefl? requested me to help t J[ boigr to find his sister, who, my trie n A iiml reason to believe, had left tbas .( \l h y«y.r or to bjsfofp fl nd land^J m £ Si* MHrgiij w "