The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-10
NURSE EVA

soft and pure, such as one seldom feels in
this smoky London of ours; and over all q
brilliant sun grown drowsy now, as it seeks
its rest, and sinks dangerously into the fond
arms Of evening
The stream of carriages is growing thin
ner; the princess has disappeared. Ono
young man, riding handsome chestnut in
a somewhat careless fashion, as though his
thoughts were elsewhere, quits the Row.
and turns towar Is the ugliest thing In
creation. Having reached the Albert memo
rial, he passes through the gate a little 1ur-
ther on, and finds himself presently in the
midst OF hopeless jangle composed OF CABS
hansoms, drags and so forth.
Something in the jangle disagrees with the
chestnut's temper. She starts throws up
her sleek head into the very midst of her
masters day dreams makes false step and
comes heavily to the ground, flinging her
rider, with horrible crash, right under the
wheels of a passing carriage
1t was all done in Il moment There is a
cry from the bystanders, vain attempt to
make a clear space, and then senseless
form, sniled and disfgured with dust and
blood, is raised by half a dozen rough, if
kindly hands, and conveyed to the nearest
hospital Tney pull the bell, and the door
being opened, they enter with their CHASTITY
burden and lay it down within the hall; it is
all that remains of the careless gay young
man, so full of happy life, who had left the
park only a short time ago.
The house-surgeon, passing through the
hall at this moment cast sharp glance at
the unsightly object on the bench.
"What is thisl" asked he; and, coming
nearer, bends over it. His face changes.
"Good heavensl 1t is Sir Rawion Darel" he
exclaims in Mortified tone. "Send the
matron here at once-see what has hap
pened," he says presently, as a tall, hand
some woman CONES hurried up to him His
tone, though low, is agitated.
IAN accidentP says she, STOPPING in turn
over the PROSTATE baronet.
"And e very serious one. 1t is Sir Rawdon
Dare Is there a special ward"
"One empty"
There is touch of curiosity in her glance
as she examines the death-ike features be
meath her.
Let him be taken there, IL is impossible
he can be conveyed 70 his own house in his
present state"
1T is a chance whether he will ever he
conveyed there-alive,' says the matron
turning away to give her orders.
"There is another thing" says the surgeon
OBTAINING her. "He must have careful
nurse You can recommend one from the
wards;'
Certainly" says tho matron, pausing as
II to consider There is good deal of kindly
interest i'll her compassionate, if somewhat
austere face, as she gazes at the poor
would she have looked at him had he bear
the veriest beggar that crawls our streets
"There is Nurse Eva" she says hastily; "she
can undertake the case. She is both careful
and sympathetic"
And now the wounded man, mercifully oh
ivious to his pain, is carried by experienced
tender hands to small, private ward, AM
laid upon bed. The doctors cluster rounC
him. A young woman In hospital cap ant
apron comes quietly into the room, AM
stands beside the bed. She glances earnestly
at her patient
Surely, that poor, blood-stained creatur
can have no life in him. There is a Ions
pause; then one Of the doctors, who ha(
been STOPPING over the senseless figure, lift
his head.
"He is not dead-yet," he says. There i
little or no hope in his tone
After long sleep, as it seemed to him, tn
sick man woke He lays silently gaz
ing at the four white walls of tn
room in which that strange sleep ha.
taken place, but without wonderin:
why he was there. Thinking, as yet, wa
too great task; and so he put 1t from him
The window was open, and beyond, in tn
outside distance, there was waving O
green branches, and from still farther on
there came to him the subdued roar of un
subdued populace Inside, there was som,
very curious furnituro-or, at least, so hi
thought 1t, as his languid glance Travelled
over it--a huge branch OF crimson roses ON
small table. wicker chair and girl.
The girls head was turned from hin
toward the window, her boiy was al 4
slightly bent in its direction. 1t occurred
him tnat she must be lost in thought. Tn
Idle way in which her hands lay upon NJ
lap helped him too, to this conclusion.
As he watched her, little, sooty sparrow
paGchld upon the window sill and looked a
her knowingly out of his small eye Sh
II 2, iounl sons Tread crumbs in funn
i!itl6-5upboard and returned with them +
the wi dow.
OK cour-e, whom she got here the bird wa
C"n'. She seemed in no wise disconcerte,
10y this, but sat down and fell back agai
into her former thoughtful attitude, ant
then presently not ono but three little spar
rows came and carried away soma Of her dc
nation She had not glanced at the be
when getting the crumbs, relieving he
patient to be DOING; but he, watching he
with newly opened eyes, had seen her face.
It was a revelatiOnl 1t was beauty psl
fectedl He lay quite still after he had see
it, dwelling with drowsy pleasure OH tn
remembrance of it until some minutes ha
gone by, and then a growing desire to Sc
it again took possession of him He felt sti
so weak and tired that he shrank from ri,
ing his voice sound, so, to attract her after
ton, he clutched feebly at the bedclothe.
and then made q sorry effort to tap on til
quilt
In moment she was alert and eager. Sh
came quickly to him and bent over him
"Why, this is good news" she said in
low, exquisitely soft voice, and with a smil,
"You are beginning to be yourself again. al
you notl No, do not answer; know WIN
you would say; understand you quite"
She laid her hand with q soothing touc
upon his forehead; she settled his pillow
and then, going to the door, pressed her fiji
gers on the knob in the wall outside TIL
brought the hCuse-surgeon to her in fe
minutes.
"Come," said no cheerily, nodding at Il
patient, "this is well; you are to be col
graduated, nurse. Our patient is getting c
eh2--ehp
He said "eh" a good many times in
pondering fashion, and then took the nur
aside and whispered to her in quite q col
fdential manner. As he did so, it occurre
to Sir Rawdon, in quite feeble, inco
sequent way not to be accounted for, thi
he hated the house-surgeon. Nurse, l
had called her. With that face--a nurs
OF course she wasn't lady, poor thing; bu
with those little, white, slender hands to
"A nursel And with that charming figu
and that gh-bred-"No, no, thanks, o
man, nothing more See you bye oil
bye at Lady Stanhope's Look out, Ally
those bull-terriers are often treacherous-
and so on, again falling into the old, deli
ious state, and babling ever of this Ally
whose name had been so frequently ON
lips all through his illness.
The nurse was there at his side again q
ractlv