The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-01-11
TOUCHING HOSPITAL SKETCH

IN the hospitsl Or on the bettln field, for the
sake OF God aid humanity, will you communi
cate with mymo.her, Mrs. Charles Dodge
town-state.
This, written upon the fly leaf Of a little
black pocket Testament.
am fast getting to be an old woman but
/ never shall forget those old hospital days.
And this little book has brought back the
old memories, just as the sight of old andi-
rons and spinning-wheel will carry one
back to grandmother's time. You see, l
haven'talways had gray hairandcrow's-fee
There was u time long ago when1 thought
that life meant happiness. But when our
neighbours boy 10, wiom | had played with
Ia my childhood, came to me and asked
me to make a choice for life, ! had to putt
all away; for father and mother died that
year and left four little brothers in an eld-
er sisters care. l did the best | could for
them, but we were poor, and sometimes
the weight was well-nigh too heavy for
young shoulders.
Well! my boys grew up Ind went out into
the world; all but Jamie, poor little cripple
boy. I loved him the more because so
dependent on me. But he took sick, and
one spring day 1 laid him away in the
Westinghouse graveyard and went; back to
e lonely home. NOBODY knows how my
heart ached for something to love and work
for. Aud then the war broke out, and as l
hadn't a husband or sons to give to my
country l thought I'd go myself. Not to
night. . no; but rs a Nurse in the hospital.
And SO that's low l happened to go. / had
been there several months when the battle
of G-killed and wounded sc many of
our boys, you remember. Qlite q number
of them were brought 10 our hospital. /
saw them carried in and then went through
the wards to do what I could. AS I was
hurrying from one to another l came to
this one in the corner. l couldn't help but
notice right away how young and boyish
the face was. Somehow l thought of Jamie,
and my heart gave o great throb. He raised
up on his elbow as / came near, gave a
cheerful nod and said. Good moring,
Auntie."
wan'el to put my arms around his neck
and give him a good motherly hug, but, You
see, we had to learn to overcome our feel
inss there. So 1 oulv said &c bod n ora
ing" as quietly us ] could, and then went to
work to smooth ont the army blanket, and
replaced the haversack, doing duty as u
pillow, by a WOODEN shawl of my own. You
see, ! was thinking SO hard of j imie, it
never occurred to me that he was wounded
until he put his hand over his breast und
Sh'c IiVtic SLoIt DIedtA. la tufc
they been doing to you I asked, taking
away his hand.
Used me for a target, Auntic. Splen-
did shot, true as you live" and he smiled
just as though he was talking about some
snort.
said l.
THAT old fellow with the saw and screw
driver? Wnew! He bored till Imostthought
he Was the gimlot and I was the hole.
Guess he didn't find it,"
saw that it wanted dressing, so / set
about it. 1t didn't look very bad. l ven
tured to say 50. and you ought to have seen
his face brighten, While he asked so earn
estly: DO you think so? just what /
thought. III be all right i'll a few days.
Don't you think l wili!'
l shf ok NY head, l didn't want to disa-
gree withhim. but knew it was bet er than
to give t,lse hope. Ma; no, IN a few days.
Perhaps in a few weeks" I had dressed
the wound by this time, so he said in his
the land of nod, aud then hegan TO snore
like Il mlschievous school boy. I vent
about my other duties, but by and by came
around JUS TO see how he was; anti sure
enough, he was sleeping Just as quietly as a
baby.
Next morning | stopped the surgeon after
he had gone through the wards, for though
he was in q hurry. l wanted to know when
my boy was going to get we'll. | thought
likely as not he'd ask me again and it would
be SO much better TO say "the doctor says
So The way the surgeon frowned when |
asked him-and he answered SO sharp,
When? Shot through the lung, madam;
Just as surely dead as though his head was
cut eff.
1t WIS well that | had so many months of
discipline among the sntfering and dying,
or | could not have heard it apd been SO
calm; for. o see, this boy was taking
Jamie's rlace; 60 whenI went in with the
bowls Of poir.dga l couldn't smile back at
him, although | saw him raise up OIL his
elbow the minute l stepped inside the door.
OF course | expected he would be worse,
but he ate the porridce with a boys relish,
and declared he felt good enough to stand
on his head. While was working for the
others | heard a little tune, now softly
whistled. now SING. coming from that cor
ner. 1t WIS something about the ''pnttel
of the rain drops on the roof" When ]
calae around again he stopped his tune
long enough to ask me il | ever sung it |
told him l didn't sing, but perhaps somc-
bo5v could.
mo matter any way" he said; ''only
mother used to sing it to us when we were
little chaps at home. I thought it would
sound sort Of good here, but a MT .
anybody could sing it quite like her"
] told him I n'tbelievennybody could.
The next day, to my great surprise. he
roomed a great deal better. 1 had resolved
to hare him send q letter home that dav:
but when he began to talk about getting
well, in his cherry way, it grew harder and
harder.
Don't you suppose I'll have a 7urloneh
aun,ie, after the old hole gets filled up?"
"Yon deserve one," j couldn't help but
say. but hadn't you better write to your
mother, so not to brighten her?"
"Oh, no, 'twopld scare the little woman
ont of her wits. Besides, l want to sur
prise her. Won't she be glad enough to
burst when she sees me walking in that
side door by the lilac busiest"
And he began to get SO excited lust talk
ing about 1t that I mad to scold HIM and tel
him to &c to sleep, or he wouldn't go home
very soon.
Really, / couldn't help keeping up the
delusion. He WIS SO much better, and SO
hopeful too; l really began to think the
surgeons were mistaken about the wound.
The next day he felt SO well he wanted to
sit up; and / said no, and tried to amus
him every minute / could be spared from
the others. He said | rubbed his head al
most like his mother, and wouldn't she be
glad to see him though! When he spoke
Of his mother, / asked him
if he hadn't better write home,
and il he didn't want his mother
to come and escort him home, for he
wouldn't bo real strong for a long time.
But he seemed SO much to anticipate sur
prising her; and then he argued that it was
too far Tor the little motaerto come alone, and
he was getting well SO fast. The nextday and
the next found my boy full of hope, and
inpatient to get well and start for home.
We had such pleasant talks. He told me
about his home and his little sisters and
wido wed mother. 1 told him abont Jamie
and my lonely life. found myself laugh