THE GOING OF THE WHITE SWAN
"'No, no—this!' the priest said." (p. 54)
THE GOING OF
THE WHITE SWAN
BY
GILBERT PARKER
NEW YORK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
MCMXII
Copyright, 1912, by
GILBERT PARKER
Copyright, 1895, by Charles Scribner's Sons
Copyright, 1895, by Stone and Kimball
Copyright, 1898, by The Macmillan Company
THE GOING OF THE WHITE SWAN
CHAPTER I.
"Why don't she come back, father?"
The man shook his head, his hand fumbled with the wolfskin robe coveringthe child, and he made no reply.
"She'd come if she knew I was hurted, wouldn't she?"
The father nodded, and then turned restlessly toward the door, as thoughexpecting some one. The look was troubled, and the pipe he held was notalight, though he made a pretense of smoking.
"Suppose the wildcat had got me, she'd be sorry when she comes, wouldn'tshe?"
There was no reply yet, save by gesture, the language of primitive man;but the big body shivered a little, and the uncouth hand felt for aplace in the bed where the lad's knee made a lump under the robe. Hefelt the little heap tenderly, but the child winced.
"S-sh, but that hurts! This wolfskin's most too much on me, isn't it,father?"
The man softly, yet awkwardly, lifted the robe, folded it back, andslowly uncovered the knee. The leg was worn away almost to skin andbone, but the knee itself was swollen with inflammation. He bathed itwith some water, mixed with vinegar and h