Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1888)
THE WEST SHORE. Gt) can, though I haven't the slightest idea how I'm to get him to town at this time of night, in such a storm. But he's in a tight place, and I'll stand by him, if I freeze to death." I liked that kind of talk, and liked the thorough bred voice of the man whose features I could not dis cern in the gathering darkness. I turned and shook hands with him on the spot, and thus began my somewhat eventful acquaintance with Roy Mason. I informed him that my cabin was not far away, and that he and his friend were welcome to its shel ter. It is, perhaps, needless to say, that my offer was accepted with alacrity, and half an hour later the in jured man was lying on my bed, rendered as comfort able as the circumstances would admit, though still unconscious, and baffling the united surgical skill of his comrade and myself in our efforts to ascertain the extent of hi injuries. No limbs were broken, and all indications 6eemed to point to the head as the seat of the injury. In lifting the long, unkempt hair, I discovered a contusion above the left temple, which led me to fear concussion of the brain, or frac ture of the skull. " I'll go for a doctor in the morning," said Mason. " I suppose there is some sort of a doctor in Yum Yum?" he added, interrogatively. " Unfortunately, no," I replied, " there is no doc tor nearer than Marionville, twenty miles away." " Then I will go to Marionville," he said, immedi ately. All night long we kept up a roaring fire in the fireplace, and held ourselves in readiness to bestow any attention the injured man might require. But he lay silent all night, breathing irregularly, and seeming to be in an almost death-like stupor, from which it was impossible to arouse him. Apparently, he was about forty years of age, brawny and uncouth as to eiterior, and evidently be longing to the commonest type of rough mountaineer. Bat if I found nothing striking nor interesting in his appearance, I could not say the same of his compan ion. Roy Mason's face was one to stamp itself indel libly upon the memory at first sight Try as I might, I could not resist the fascination of gazing upon and striving to study those pale, clear-cut fea tures, those great, dark eyes, with a sorrowful shad ow in their depths that softened and purified the whole face when in repose. Even in those first hours of our acquaintance, while we sat there conversing in subdued tones, or gazing silently at the blazing pine knots in the fire place, I was conscious of something vaguely puzzling in the face before me an anomalous commingling of strength and weakness, as it were. The broad, nobly. rounded forehead and soulful eyes were suggestive of rare mental strength, and gave to the countenance an intellectual cast; but this was contradicted by a mouth almost effeminato in its curving beauty, softened rathor than concealed, by n silky, brown mustache, and a chin too delicato in its mould to convey any idea of strength or firmness. I think I was born something of a physiognomist, by which I mean that I can no moro help striving to read a man's character through the index of his face, than I can help judging of his education and refine mcnt by his languago and manners. Hence, when Roy Mason's face baffled me, and I found I could not read nor classify it with my accustomed rcadi ness, my interest in him was multiplied ten fold, and I found myself dwelling upon his overy word, his lightest gesture, and watching his faco for tho smilo that came at rare intervals, like a glow of Juno son light. Physically, ho was h handsome, strong, well made man, with a free, unstudied graco of movement, and that intangible something that wo all recognize as tho sign manual of cultured breeding and familiarity with lifo in varied phases. Amid tho rough sur roundings of my cabin homo ho seemed as much out of place as a glowing jewel dropped by accident into the mire of tho gutter. II o talked freely, but con fined himself to generalities with a tact I could not but admire. Several times during the long hours of that night, wo peeped out to take note of tho weather, and o.ich time found tho snow coining down thicker and faster, and piling itself in feathery whiteness deeper and deeper alwut tho doorway. Some timo after mid night tho wind began to rise, and was soon roaring down tho canyon, and shrieking in wild blasts alxmt tho cabin in a way that destroyed whatever hox) I may have entertained of getting a physician for tho injured man. I knew that by morning tho drifts would bo so nearly impassable that even should Ma son succeed in reaching tho valley, with tho aid of snow shoes, ho would find no disciple of Esculapiua willing to undergo tho samo hardships. I said noth ing to Mason, however time enough in tho morning, I thought, littlo anticipating tho sad verification my thoughts would receive with tho dawn of tho coining day. It was, indeed, timo enough in tho morning, for as tho stormy night faded into tho equally stormy dawn, tho soul of tho injared man silently took it flight from earthso silently that kiwi wo not been attentive watchers, tho solemn moment might have p'tuH'id unnoticed. As wo stood looking down upon tho set features, locked forever in tho gray pallor of death, I turned