The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-11-23
AMBULANCE SURGEON.

~ times 80 Intensely thut nnhily my doctor
told mo that tho hospital was tho
proper place for mo. that there | should
BE- better cared for than I could possibly
DO ut homo. and that. in all probability.
my period OF suffering would be materially
surtailed by the treatment would receive In
the hospital no recommended. The prospect
vas not pleasant / was preJudiced against
ever being an inmate OF such III institution
To my ineXporiehccd mind the best hospital
WAS first cousin to the poorhouss. My conf
dcnce in my doctor. however. overcaule all
squcanish obIectiona and Ee promised to
pend an ambulHics for mo next morning. lie
said would suffer loss pain in an ambulance
shall never forget the fnsling experienced
whom they. carried mc-oh. how caroiuliy.--
walk and LAID me-. as gently as fond mothGr
would lay her baby. on III" foor OF the ambu-
sVanue wa, crowded. T6o r"ifco hid kept Il
ssag ps a, %rr"s ,, the Sidewalk iroG the
Is nasegd ,GTan=ii it. SSa'a l"Y saw s'' II:
.ei ,na ha"f fTw WI w - ina9T r",
scene recalled wildly TO my mind the picture
OF an, Incl tent IN Tho las. Franeo-r russian
oant,n T',1't d, b'{,rs. tho rrussiaGs. officers
was in the hmbu ance the surgeons ON their
sea-. over my feet, were b'set w.jh inluircrs.
pr"-s. with shnrp-set appetltet for facts"
49,, inrn into me next street. jim. and set into
\ II right. sir"
,,4 few m9In,s Jolt, Syii.n,y ss@nst
smother slighter jolt. Al that's better. NOW
Kins! klanG! kling A ,momon.ary halt
The avenuo was blocked. l paered over the
place. There arc classes OF conyeyarccs in
TINS CITY 'nr winch crowd: be 1t over
vay~a ire englne a mail wagon. and
an ami, anbn,aneei 10 abont iftssn minutes
the ambulance was backed IN to tho door saw
men standing on the piazza OF tho floor above
witness Tho unloading of human irois hi. 4
few minutas later | was seated on chair on
floor; was then cnrrled into an emnty ward
IN which were fifteen or twenty cots. The tenn
unponetratcd by the suns rays y9"'' '0' do
S %ure , III Iady in cray win mob cap on
in her hand. came in, George" she said to
ono Of my pllanuuin bearers. this ward is far
too e9id. Take him down into the surgical
AS she passed me by on her way out she said.
This ward has not been occupied for some
time. You'll be more comfortable down st4irs.'
Ihe sweet low tono OF her voice. md tho
which. quick as thought, she read my suffer
Ing ihrGu.h my eyes nerved ms. 1t iulied my
n T hon ri Ths 1 sdy ' was tSe
superntendenr Of the hospital. A little more
yator and was Garfield into "ns % room ss the the
teinp.rature OF which was very genial and
deposited in rocking chair in the central
AISLE at the side OF u circular steam radiator.
The ward In which found myself was sixty
or seventy feet long by eighteen or twenty
wde 1t was the second story of wing Of
the main building. shaped like II T. the wing
representing the pillar OF the letter. and tho
facing north
. wide piazza the southern side
overlooking the hospital yard. where such Of
the patients rs had the power Of locomotion
could walk about. smoke. or bask in tho sun.
I.a]ily and ls.lessy dreaming their lives away
In each side wall there were nine windows.
extending from the ceiling to within three feet
of the floor Twenty iron frame cots were be-
tween the windows. The spaces opposite tho
windows against either wall were occupied by
lockers. or oommodes. about three feet high.
Betworu The feet Of the cots which faced each
other. was al open space. SIX feet wide. eX-
tending the whole length OF tho ward. and in
steam radiators, Between the radiators we're
= few movable tables. which served at meal
times for dining tables for such as could sit at
table. 4 few rocking chairs wero also in tho
aisle. With tho exception of n few Scriptural
sides Of the room woro bare. The en- trance CO. into
the ward at the end connecting II with the hall
Ing doors, mere frames, eoyared with green oil
cloth which. when hooked open. admitted tho
door at the further end of the ward cominuni-
dated WIN The bath room. wash room. and
.Abou,. eight. or nine of the cots were occu-
2ied. Most OF their OCCUPANTS were read ing
Tho place was scrupuiously clean. The bed
spreads were white snow Those on the
occupled cots We're arranged so symmetricaIiy
70 give you the impression that the occupers
never movod tner lowor extra!nties. The i'm
NETS hanging over the foot frames OF tn. cot,
spoke as plainly Gs words Of the plaster casts
covering the fractured limbs OF the occupants
sat for some time without recognition
Tho radiator gave out hardly any heat
Some windows on both sides were open
and my left log from the hip down felt rumbed
BY the cold After sitting about two hours. the
man who had helped to bring mo in passed.
down the aisle close TO my chair. and l asked
him IL ono window through which the wind
was blowing directly on me might be- closed
He said Certainly" and proceeded TO close
the window, which happened TO be alongside
sfth ,. cot which had been allotted to mo,
The man says he can't stand it," George
80. "Wcl!. then. the man must so where he can
.".Oh but he wants to go TO bed" George said
.. All; that's another thing. All right Shut
AS hobbled. with Georges help. to my cot I
turned TO take look ut tho woman who had
mado wlar seem-d to mo harsh and un-
oharitabl DO n remurk, and one whose import was
voice don't pretend to bc able 10
Photograph hor. and / don't believe
kuriz CT SarOny could In expression her
face was as kaedoscopr ~ an April day
Prettiy shaped face. bright laughing brown
eyes. u rosei.ud OF u mouth. which when its
short UPPER lin WAS raised disclosed u row Of
perfectly matched white teeth, shell shaped
!tttlo ears. brown. glossy hair with curly
bangs rather low on the forehead ought not
all these to have made az Il very pretty face
But sho wasn't very pretty for all that. She
only missed being 81 by haifs breadth. Iier
little nose wa just little too rshuusst. md
yet her pretty p0ut was rros lstible. Ia .acns
parlancs. sho would nave been correctly ro-
ported. IN n competition for beauty. rs losing
the hist money by n short nose" II Greuze
ned "v.! srcn her he would Lavn painted an
other Dolly Vardnu" and DESTROYED his
was The inns. L.r-.t.In. Il ~ snr Il