Wichita daily eagle., 1884-07-13
NEVER SMILED.
The Continentl

THE Continentl
L
The nurse said it could not live long Two
Of them came and looked at IL Trim, rather
| pretty young women in striped seerruckes
dresse1 with aprons and muslin caps.
Trained nurses both Of them, and persons OF
sense and education Is beftted their high
calling. The thing wns q shadow-at least
they called it a shadow Of q child. Pinched,
thin, bloodless and miserable.
"Inanitionf'
Temperature too low"
"Wants . mother, you mean"
The nurse who said this took up the poor
bit of humanity from its crib, and held it in
her arms against her own virgin breast as IL
to warm it back to its miserable life.
Born in a hospital, and its mother gone on
her journey to the far country. Its father
unknown and unknowing Of mother or child.
1t seemed best and kindest to let it die rather
than to warm to life such q faint spark Of
vitality.
@Will it pay to saver"
"Hush!" said the other nurse, who still held
the child in her arms You never can tell.
It may inherit talent, and It were pity to
waste that. Besides, it is a child and has its
rights"
'Oh, didn't mean that was thinking
Of the tremendous difficulty of the case.
The child will be dead before three in the
| morning unless it can get warm and be
nourished"
They looked round the ward now dark and
quiet. The little lamp by the bedside seemed
to make the rows Of white beds, the bare
walls and black windows only more dull,
more dreary, and forlorn-
3Call the doctor. rdrather not take the
responsibility"
What can man dol 1t needs q mother
Besides, tho doctor has been excused, and
left that idiot in glasses in his place."
Call him then. The man is young"
"And full Of queer notions"
Good. Even notion may be of value in
this case"
The young man came, sleepily rubbing his
eyes as If just from a stolen nap. He put on
his glasses and stopped over the bed where
the mite had been laid. Then he looked at
the two women in Il queer half-amused
way. and said:
"Parents knownr
The elder nurse shook her head, aud the
younger ventured the opinion that it couii
not live long.
"All right; I'll take the responsibility. |
finished the machine this morning Bring
me gallon Of boiling water. I'll 20 for tho
apparatus at once"
With that he walked rapidly away be-
tween the rows Of beds
"A hot bathi told you he was fooln
Its your duty to obey. The chiId's life is
not In my hands Stay you here while get
the hot water for this medical lunatic
There's one consolaton-the little thing will
die clean"
In a few moments the young man re-
turned, bringing what seemed to be pack
ing-box. 1t was OF wood, two feet eight
inches long by two feet four inches wide and
deep. He placed it upon a table by the bed,
and said:
Half a minute. l must get the lamp"
The nurse had returned with the can OF
hot water, and stood staring at the box.
swell, Of all the crazy notionsl-I wonder
where the hospital is going to with such im-
beetles at the head Of the children's wardlr
Just then the young man returned with
small lamp tin funnel, and
. thermometer. lie then took off the
top OF the box, and showed two sheets Of
glass placed one over the other, and with an
air-space between them. He touched
handle at one end, and drew out what seemed
20 be drawer in the box.
Sold up a blanket and lay it in that, and
put the child upon it. That's the cradle. Now
the hot water"
While one woman prepared the drawer as
q bed Tor the child and laid it in it, the young
man put the funnel in hole in tho box, and
poured the hot water into it. The water dis.
appeared somewhere within the box, and
then he thrust the thermometer into the
opening where the drawer had been taken
out The mercury quickly rose to something
over 30, and there appeared to hesitate
"That will do. 1t is nearly warm enough.
Give me the cradle He took it, child and
all. and pushed it into the box. The ther-
mometer WAS still in the box, and both the
child and the globe could be plainly seen
through the cover of the apparatus
"What horrible idea!n said the younger
nurse aloud. Its only an incubator-au
gg-hatching machine"
'Couvreuse You Inean," said the Young
man; "French for mechanical nurse. IL the
fowls OF the air have an artificial mother,
why not the human chickeni I've patented
the notion. The box is double. and is lined
with mattresses filed with sawdust to retain
keep up a gentle circulation of the water.
The temperature must be maintained at ex-
actly So Fahr"
at will not suffocatef'
The young man smiled and tapped on the
lower part Of the box, where there appeared
to be q row Of holes.
"The air enters below the water reservoir,
and is heated before it reaches the child, and
finally escapes at the top. You can go to bed
IL you wish. III sit up and watch the case
The two women leaned over the box and
gazed thoughtfully at the human chicken,
peacefully sleeping in the embrace OF its saw.
dust mother.
at seems to sleep hotter"
"Yes; its getting warm"
perhaps it will live through the night"
The young man seemed to be panied
"Al IL wanted was . mother I knew my
mother would work. It has many great inn
provements over the French mother, all COW
cred by my patents"
II dare say it's better than a real mother,r
said the younger nurse, with Just shade Of
sarcasm.
"Yes. 1t cannot talk, and-and-well, it's
generally more amenable to the laws of
scientific nursing"
The nurse chewed the end Of her cap string
in meditative way.
at certainly looks hstter already; but
think of its feelings What is home with such
a motherf
The young man bent fondly over his pet
invention and gazed upon the child asleep in
it's new cradle.
Temperature rising too fast he solilo-
quixed. THE lamp must be turned down
triie"
ats great pity your mother cannot feed
the child
That is . defect, admit The cradle
must be withdrawn when ths child is to bs
method Of supply ing food 70 the child with
out taking il out Of the couvreuse"
@How soon will il he hatchedP
The young man felt hurt. Plainly the
women had no faith in his mother He must
watch it, or they would neglect the machine.
let the child die and say it was the fault Of
his mechanical nurse. He would heroically
sit up all night and tend the machine. fthe
child died it was important to know why. to
correct the defects in the new mother and if
II lived and thrived hh machine should have
the credit
II.
"Yes, my dear. Edward always was Q
strange child. He was brought up with the
others as one OF the family, aud yet from the
cay found him till now that he is a man
grown, he has had this persistent melancholy.
Ideclare believe the child never once laughed
in his life, and even now, like the clam cele-
braosd in the poem. he is never known to
smile
"hwas in an asylum you found himf
-Yes We don't often think Of it now. but
You ought 10 know about il.
She yaya this n little erluhasis and hearnei