Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-03-12

cradles before the open fireplace, anu SOME
are Placed on top Of the stove, like a French
dish laid to stew in a Bain-Marie, and soma
have spray playing upon their faces and
down their threats; some are sleeping, some
are sucking the to.te, and some are lying
broad awake, their grave yesstaring straight
before them. as if nothing that goes on out
side the crib has the least interest for a baby.
Here and there sits a mother, her child in
her lap; but there gro not many mothers
present, and about the ward all day and all
night perpetually hovers the sister. When
one first visits this room there happens a
curious dimness 10 the eyes, with a choking
at the throat, fer thinking of the innocents
suffering for the sins of their fathers and the
ignorance of their mothers. Presently this
feeling passes away. because one perceives
that they do not suffer, and one remembers
how good it must be for them to be in such
room, with pure air, neither too hot nor too
cold, with the SISTERS careful hands to nurse
them, and for the first time in their young
lives a holy calm around them. To the elder
children, in the ward above, the quiet, the
gentle ways, the tender hands and the kindly
words are full Of lessons which they will
never forget. Why not for the infants, tool
The sister in this ward wore a gray
wooden dress with a white apron, which
covered the whole front Of her dress, a bib
apron" a white collar, and a white cap and
no cuffs, because cuffs interfere with turn
ing up the sleeves She was young, but
grave Of face, with sweet, solemn eyes, and
yet a quickly-moved mouth which looked
as if it could laugh on small provocation,
were it not that her occupation made
laughing almos5 impossible, because babies
have nj sense Of humor. Her name in the
world was Calista Cronan, and she was the
daughter Of DR.. Hyacinth Cronan, of Cam
den Town. As for her age, she was twenty
two, and as for her figure, her stature, her
beauty and her grace, that, dear reader,
matters nothing to you, because she is the
next thing to a nun, and we all know that
a uns charms must never be talked about.
1t was a Sunday morning-a morning in
early June-when outside there was a d-
vine silence, and even the noisy highway
Of the Thames wa almost quiet. The sis
ter was lettering round the cribs in her
ward, all the babies having been looked
after, washed, Iut into clean things, and
made comfortable for the morning. Two
or three mothers-but not many, because
there are household duties for the Sunday
mo%rning-were sitting with their own babies
in their laps, a thing which did not inter-
fere with Sister Calista's catholic and uni
versal maternity. Everything in the ward
was as it should be; the temperature ex-
actly right, the ventilation perfect, the cases
satisfactory. Presently the door opened and
a young man came in. As he carried no hat
and began to walk about the cribs and
cradles as if they belonged to him, and as
the sister went to meet him and talked earn
estly with him over each baby, and as he had
an air of business and duty, it is fair to sup
pose that this young gentleman was con-
nected with the medical staff. He was, in
fact, the resident medical officer, and his
name was Hugh Aquila.
Mr.. Hugh Aquila had passed through his
hospital course and taken his medical de-
grees with as much credit as is possible for
any young man Of his age. Merely to be-
long to the profession should have been
happiness enough for him, who had dreamed
all his life Of medical science as the one
thing, of all things, worthy of mans intel
lect and ambition. There are, in fact, other
things equally worthy, but as Hugh was
going to be medicine doctor it was GOOD for
him to believe, while he was Young that
there was nothing else. So the young Inner
believes that there is nothing to worship and
follow but his kind of art; and the physicist
considers himself as tho Professor of the One
Thing Noble and Necessary-alI in capitals
But the fates are unequal, and one mans
cup brims over while another's Is empty. To
this fortunate young man love had been
given as well a the profession which he
desired, and a measure of success and reuu-
tation-love, which SO often is kept by for
tune for consolation cup, and bestowed upon
those who have lost the race and been over
thrown and trampled on in the arena, and
have got neither laurels nor praise, nor anv
wreath OF victory, nor any golden apples.
Yet this young fellow had actually and
already obtained the gift Of love-though
he was as yet no more than five and twenty
in addition to his ot.er gifts, graces, AMI
prizes. Perhaps it does not seem a very
great Thing to be resident medical officer in
a child : ) hospital. But if you happen to
be a yong man wholly devoted to your
profession, and If you are already in good
repute with your seniors, and If you have
faith in yourself and a firm belief In your
OWN powers, and If, further, you see great
possibilities in the position for study and in
crease of knowledge, then you will under
stand hat to be resident medical officer in
the Childrsn's Hospital at ShadwelI may be
q very great thing indeed.
When this resident medical had comnletad
his round and finished the work which has
every day to be begun again, he stood for !
moment at window looking out into the
street below. 1t had been raining and
the p%avements were wet, but the sun was
again, and there were light clopds
across the sky. Within and without
everything was very quiet.
The eyes Of the young man, as he stood at
the window, had a far-off look.
"You look tired, Hugh" said the sister.
These two were not brother and sister
They were not even, 50 far as they knew.
Nor had they known each other
infancy. Yet they addressed each
by their Christian names. To be sure
Calista was, professionally, the universal
lister. But Hugh was certainly not the uni
brother. This si~ngularity might have
owen rise TO surmise and gossip in the ward,
nut for the fact that the babies took no more
of it than If it had never occurred at
Is a way with babies. The sister was
lain sister to all the world, and therefore
Q Hugh Aquila she was sister as well; but