“Aw, shut up,” sez Tank.
Janet had gone over to Promotheus, and was smoothin’ his forehead. She had a beautiful, shapely hand, and it made me feel a little wishful to watch her. The lay perfectly still, and his sensations must ’a’ been peculiar. Ty Jones didn’t even look at ’em. He kept his brows scowled down and his gaze out the south window.
Presently Janet turned and walked out to the porch. It was an unusually warm night, and she sat there alone, while the Friar came back to The. Horace had gone off by himself to get a grip on his feelin’s; but he came in about nine o’clock, and went up and took The’s hand. “Well,” sez he, “have you finally got over your nonsense? I have a lot o’ plans I want to carry out, and you know I can’t have you loafin’ much longer.”
Nothin’ suited The so well as to have a little joke put at him; but he didn’t have any come-back to this. He caught at his breath a time or two, and then said: “I can’t do it, this time, Horace. I hate to disappoint ya—I’ve been countin’ on what a good time we were goin’ to have—up there in the hills—but I can’t come back this time—I, can’t, quite, make it.”
He ended with a little gurgle and sank back on the pillow. Horace shook him a little and then flew for the doctor, who was on the porch o’ the old cabin. They were back in half a minute, Horace pushin’ the doctor before him; and we all held our breaths when he felt The’s pulse. The doctor squirted somethin’ into The’s arm, and after a bit, he opened his eyes with a long sigh, and when he saw Horace bendin’ over him, he smiled.
“I mighty near slipped away that time,” sez he. “It’s not goin’ to be hard, Horace; and I don’t want you to worry. I feel as comfortable as if I was sleepin’ on a cloud, and there isn’t one, single thing to grieve about. I’ve been like one o’ those hard little apples which take so long to ripen. I’ve hung up on a high bough and the rains beat on me, and the sun shone on me, and the winds shook me about, and the birds pecked at me until at last just the right sort o’ weather came along and I became softer and softer, and riper and riper, until now my hold on the stem begins to weaken. Purty soon a little gust’ll come along and shake me down on the green grass; but this is all right, this is perfectly natural, and I don’t want you to feel bad about it.
“I own up now, that I’ve been afraid o’ death all my life; but this has passed. I don’t suffer a bit; but I’m tired, just that pleasant weariness a feller feels when his last pipe has been smoked, and the glow o’ the camp fire begins to form those queer pictures, in which the doin’s o’ that day mingle with the doin’s of other days. I’m liable to drop off to sleep at any moment, now; and I’d like—I’d kind o’ like to shake hands with the boys before I go.”
Well, this gave Horace something to do, and he was mighty glad to do it. After we had all shaken hands with The, he marched up the prisoners, even to the Chink, and they all shook hands, too; and by this time Prometheus was purty tired; but he did look unusual contented. He glanced across at Ty; but Ty had turned his face to the wall, and The gave a little sigh, settled down into the pillow again, and closed his eyes. Horace backed around until The couldn’t see him, and shook his fist at Ty, good and earnest.
Purty soon a regular grin came to The’s face, and he opened his eyes and looked at the Friar with a twinkle in ’em. “Friar Tuck,” sez he, “I don’t know as I ever mentioned it before, but I’ll confess now that I’m right glad I didn’t lynch you for stealin’ those hosses.” He lay there smilin’ a minute, and then held out his hand. “Good-bye, Horace,” he said in a firm voice.
Horace had been doin’ uncommon well up to now; but he couldn’t stand this. He threw himself on the bed, took both o’ The’s hands and looked down into his face. “Promotheus, Prometheus,” he called to him in a shakin’ voice. “Don’t give up! You can win if you fight a while longer. Remember that day in the desert, when I wanted to lie down and end it all. You said you didn’t take any stock in such nonsense; and you picked me up and carried me over the molten copper, while queer things came out o’ the air and clutched at us. You reached the water-hole that time, Promotheus, and you can do it again, if you just use all your might.”