The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-11-11
A BIT OF RIBBON.

Outside, the keen, sharp winds of
cold winter day, the particles OF snow
and ice cleaning like diamonds in the
bright rays Of the sun, which possessed
no power to melt them. Inside, in
the light, clean ward OF the Hos.
pital, warmth and brightness and
comfort; rows OF neat white cots on
either side, and nurses in white caps
and aprons fitting to and tro, in
constant attendance upon the suffer-
ers lying there.
At the farther extremity of the long
ward, where the sunshine fell softly
over the white-draped cot, lay little
girl OF eight years, but SO small, SO
frail and delicate, she seemed scarcely
more than half that age. An accident
on the street, several weeks before,
had seriously injured her, and as no
one seemed to claim or care for her,
she had been brought to the hospital.
The skill OF the ablest physicians
and the constant care of skilled nurses
had, however, been able to do little
more than to give temporary relief
from the severe pain she constantly
suffered, but her gentleness and pa.
thence had won the hearts of all about
her.
To-day she lay quietly upon her cot,
twisting in and out over her slender
fingers strip of bright tinsel paper,
which she now and then held in the
sunlight, turning it to and fro to
catch the lustre upon it's shining sur
face. Then, folding it softly, she tried
to fashion q tiny bow, but the stiff,
brittle paper parted in her hands, and
fell in shining bits over the white Gov.
erlet. With patient sigh, she drop
ped her hands and turned YEARLY up
on her pillow.
DR.. Jay, one of the visiting physi-
clans, was making his morning tour
of the hospital, and had stopped for
a moment to watch the child's patient
endeavors to amuse herself. The case
had been one which had interested
him deeply. Poor little Maggie! Her
patience and gentleness had won his
sympathies.
"She seems to have peculiar love
for everything bright and pretty" the
nurse said, in answer to low-toned
remark from DR.. Jay. "She will
amuse herself for hours with some bit
of paper or string"
"You should petition for supply of
dolls," was the doctors humorous re-
joiner. II think in this case they
would be more beneficial than medi-
cine" and with a smile and pleas
ant word to the child, and a few d.
rectlons to the nurse, ne passed on.
The next day in making his morning
round OF calls, he was delayed q few
moments by a passing procession.
His carriage had stopped just in front
OF the windows OF a millinery store,
and a piece of bright, brocaded ribbon
caught his eye. In an instant there
rose before him the pale face OF his
little hospital patient and her piece
of tinsel paper, and the next moment
he had put a fve-dollar bill in the
hands OF his colored coachman as he
took the reins from him.
run IN there, Jim, and buy me two
yards of that lowered ribbon" he
said; and five minutes later the pro-
cession had passed, and he was driv-
ing down the street with the package
of ribbon slowed away in his capa-
ciOUs pockets. He seemed perfectly
indifferent to the fact that Jim had
returned but two dollars of the five,
and to the apparent absurdity of pay
ing three dollars for gift to a child,
who, doubtless, could not have told
the difference between this elegant
fabric and piece of ten-cent ribbon.
But if any one had dared to hint
that he had committed a piece of fol-
ly, he would simply have shrugged his
shoulders indiferently. DR.. jays
kindnesses were never done by halves.
There, Maggie, you can make q
bow out of that to suit you, he said,
pleasantly, as, an hour later, he stood
by the little ones cot, and unrolling
the ribbon, let 1t fall in lovely SHIN
mering waves over the white cover
lid.
The child's large dark eyes opened
wide in surprise and delight; there was
quick ind-awing of the breath, a.
clasping of the thin white hands in an
extasy of rapture too deep for words.
At last she stretched out her hands,
touched lightly the shining folds, drew
them softly through her fingers, and
laid them against her cheek with low
ing tenderness, as if the ribbon had
been some animate creature.
It was indeed q lovely piece ofgoods;
a soft, lustrous background of bright,
delicate blue, over which was careless
ly strewn half-opened moss-roses and
buds, the deep pink OF the flowers and
soft shaded green of the leaves form
ing lovely contrast to the lustrous
blue of the groundwork.
Older eyes than Maggie's, and those
more accustomed to luxuries, might
have dilated in delight at sight of so
beautiful gift.
"And it is mine-for true?" she
said, at last, as if such great good for
tune could net possibly be hers:
Eyes. all your own, to do just as
you choose with"
ooh! oh!' was all the delighted
child could say, but there was such a
world Of love and gratitude in the
depths Of the soft, dark eyes, that
DR.. Jay turned away with suspicious
ly wet eye-lashes.
"You have made heaven for little
Maggie" the head nurse said, upon
his nextcall. g! never saw such pleas
ure as the child takes with that bit Of
ribbon. She has certainly made a
hundred different combinations of
bows and dolls aud all sorts of fancy
fxings out of it. Sheis queen, a fairy
princess, and every thing else by turns.
Once I offered to cut it for her, that
she might make bows more convenient
~. You should have seen her. She
Rugged it up to her, and looked at me
with such frightened, pleading eyes,
one would certainly have thought it
was some living creature I was going
to harm. There, just look at her!
isn't she . pictuse?" 8
Shecertaiplywas q most lovely pictt
ure q Re4pctor came upto the lit