The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-05-20
INTERESTING STORY.
A TRAINED NURSE,

NO hVoo VI purple tWllignJ nau JUST CLOS
ed over the setting sun of one of Augusta
sultriest days. All the earth lay silent, as if
awaiting the refreshing fall of heavens
dews,-the very night birds whispered soft
ly, one to another, instead of calling aloud,
and every window in the Southal farm.
house was opened wide to let in the fra
grant air.
Miss Southall sat at the kitchen table
making up her accounts by the light of q
kerosene lamp. A leather-covered note
book lay before her, and she was thought
fully nlbbling ut the top of stumpy lead
pencil, There was nothing of the ethereal
or ideal about Miss Southall, she was
short, stout, and fifty; and her thoughts
and reflections moved in a channel that cor
responded with her outward appearance.
Butter, six dollars and forty cents"
murmured Miss Southall, as she turned her
head this way and that "Spring chickens,
eleven. Berries and Vegetables Let
me see. We amt comin' out as well as we'd
ought to have done this year. 1t does APP.
pear to me that nothing has gone right since
Patty lost his head about the city boarder.
| used to set considerable store by Patty,
but now she amt fairly worth her salt !
guess I'll have to talk pretty serious to
Patty"
As if by the working of some magic spell
Patty herself appeared ON the scene at this
moment, a tall, slight girl, with very black
hair and eyes, and crimson color that
varied on her cheeks like futterirg flag.
She was distant cousin of Miss Southall,
whom that thrifty dame had taken to bring
up, from child, more to save the expense
OF hired help than for anything else. The
elder lady viewed her over her spectacle
glasses, as she sat YEARLY down by the win.
dow, aud clasped her hands in her lap.
Dishes all done up ?" said Miss South.
all.
Patty nodded
" Doors locked and bolted, ell ?"
Yes, Aunt Frances"
Well, there's the new pillow-cases to bt
over-and-overed, said Miss Southall. "In
he bureau-drawers. You might do quite
piece on EN-, if you bring your cheer up
here by the lamp"
" l don't feel like sewing to-nipht, Aunt
Frances said the girl, listlessly.
Miss Southall looked keelly at her.
Patty" said she, "you've got something
ON your mini5,. kad believe it's that Mr..
Sabin Do pluck up spirit, child If a
man don't care for you, why on earth should
you be such fool as to fret after him
That's what I'd like to knowl"
Patty had flushed deeply, but she answer
ed, with a certain composure:
Yes, Aunt Frances, ! have got some-
thing on my mind, but it isn't Mr.. Sabin,
or any other Mr.. 10 speak truth, am get
ting tired of this sort of life.n
g Eb ?' said Miss Southall, scarcely be-
lieving her own senses
" It's the same thing over and over again, y
said Patty. Zone learns nothing, lone ad.
yances no further in the world. I should
like, Aunt Frances, to strike out in some
)ther direction
=" Humph!" grunted Miss Southall.
Don't you get plenty to eat here ?p
I" Oh, yes, Aunt Frances"
" Hain't always furnished good clothes
to wear 9r
Much better than / deserve, Aunt
Frances"
" Then what have you got to complain
Off"
" Nothing in the world, Aunt Frances
answered Patty, except that am possess.
ed with spirit of progressiveness. want
TO get away from this still, peaceful, I'M
sventful spot, where one day is so exactly
ike another. To be candid, / have been
reading of the trained nurses in Boston.
And have made up my mind to be one."
&C. trained nurse !" repeated Miss South
all, laughing derisively. "Oh, you want to
be like old Becky Beers, who gifts her board
and seventy-ive cents day for taking care
of sick folks !"
&c You don't understand, Aunt Frances"
said Patty, gently. "These members of
trained sisterhood are not decrepit old wo-
men, who understand nothing but catnip-
.ea and mustard-plasters, and who are paid
the least possible sum that their employers
can squeeze out. They are, many of them,
educated ladies, who are literally recon-
pensed, and who feel that they have mis-
sion To-"
Feel that they have fiddlesticksr
shrilly interrupted Miss Southall. 40 never
heard such nonsense in all my life If l
want nurse, Becky Beers is quite good
enough for me, and 1 never yet had sick
ness bur that somo neighbor came in and
helped around for nothing Trained nurses,
indeed ! Trained to be lazy and shiftless,
| guess. l don't want no such folks around
me when l am sick! And if you leave the
farm for such folderol as this, you needn't
expect I'll ever do anything for you again.
For won't,-ond that's the long and TIT
short of it, Patty Southall!"
But quiet and gentle though she seemed
Patty Southall possessed resolute will Of
her own, and she persisted in having her
own way, greatly to the disgust of Aunt
Frances
And she succeeded in this dearest ambi
ton of her heart. If ever there was q di
vinely ordained guardian of the sick, Patty
Southall was one. Her footstep was lighter
than any feather, her voice as low and
soothing as the sound of flute, her pa.
tience inexhaustible, and her temper sweet
and winning Moreover, she had certain
tact and discretion that comes only as the
gift of Nature, and which no amount of dis
cipline can insure. And at the end of the
probation year of training, Patty Southall's
name was first ON the list of eager young
graduates.
The superintendent came into the little
Office one day with slip of paper in hii
hand. Patty was there, scraping lint, and
bordering as she scraped. 1t was a dark,
lowering morning in August, but there
was sort of sunshine around Patty's eyes
and mouth which had nothing to do with
the external state of the weather.
Miss Southall, said Mr.. Ives, 81 am
glad you are back from that typhoid fever
case. How would you like turn at oo,fola
now?"
don't mind what 1 do,n said Patty.