Page:Hard-pan; a story of bonanza fortunes (IA hardpanbonanza00bonnrich).pdf/231

Rh "Scare!" exclaimed Viola, stopping with a start. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing for you to get frightened about. It 's all over now. He had a sort of a sinking spell, that was all, when he was playing them cards with Corinne. She come out and hollered for me, and I come up and found him looking white and kind o' queerish. He said he 'd only lost his breath. I gave him some brandy, and it seemed to pull him together all right. But I did n't, some way or other, like his looks. I sorter wished you was here."

Viola looked relieved.

"Oh, he 's had that several times before. It 's his heart, the doctor said; but he did n't seem to think it was anything serious. You frightened me."

Mrs. Seymour walked down the hall to the gas-jet by the stair-head.

"You don't want to get frightened," she said over her shoulder; "but I don't think you know much about sickness, and, if I was you, I 'd get the doctor to-morrow."

"I 'll do that anyway," said Viola, as she opened the door of the colonel's room.

The picture that she entered upon was reassuring. The lamp was lighted under its opaque yellow shade, and cast its chastened light over the center of the room. Here Corinne lay on the floor, the pack of cards spread out before