Wichita eagle., 1889-05-05


pecially is it so when the nurse is sister or
daughter, who In addition to the care OF the
invalid has also the general care OF the
household, and does with her own hands
the greater part Of the homework. Then the
saving Of steps becomes matter that must
be planned for and articles that are used
daily in the sick-room must, as far as is pos
sible, be kept in the room or near at hand.
1t was suggested to US that closet might
be improvised by throwing cretonne cur
tain across one corner Of the room; but to
this our invalid rather objected, having an
unconQuerable dislike to what she calls
''calico furniture" She begged for a re-
plan something that would do away with
finally planned, and what we, under her d.
rections, carried into execution:
The headboard Of the bedstead was very
high, its center reaching nearly to the top
of the room, and its lowest corners being
high enough to conceal person standing
behind it. Into q narrow strip of wood,
three-fourths of an inch thick, and as long
as the width of the bedstead, we screwed
twelve small hat hooks, and then screwed
the strip to the back of the headboard, about
then placed so that its head stood across
corner Of the room, and there was closetl
Wrapper, flannel skirt, dressing sacque, bed
shoes, ETC., were hung on the hooks-out OF
sight but within easy reach.
The bedstead being very wide, the TRAN
gular space it cut off was found to be large
enough to admit narrow table; SO table
was placed across the corner, parallel with
Al n -.
tile-one of those so prettily used as teapot
stands-and small tray hold medicine bot
ties, glasses, teaspoons and water pitcher.
On the other end are piled the extra blanket
and pillows used when the invalid is propped
up in bed. The bedstead corners are not
close to the wall; on that side of the bed
least exposed to the room space is left be-
tween wall and bed-post for doorway to
the closet.
Next we turned our attention to the con-
mode. We built narrow shelf across its
back, not too far from the top to be reached
easily, and devoted it to hair brush, tooth
brush, etc. our invalid having a notion that
such articles ought never to be shut away
from the air, in box or drawer. No amount
of care, no degree Of neatness, is sufficient
to keep them quite sweet when thus shut
away.
When the commode was rolled into posi-
ton across a corner, there was room be-
hind it for the slop-i ar-an article always
too suggestive of homely uses to be strictly
ornamental. The commode had one
drawer, and below the drawer closet per-
haps fifteen inches high. We built wide
shelf across the upper part of this closet,
and on this were soon arranged row Of
two-ounce walls containing ammonia, car
bolic acid, alcohol, spirits Of camphor, rose
water and other like articles used in sick
rooms; boxes of vaseline, borax, mustard,
etc, and last, but not least in Importance,
fiat wooden box in which 'may be found
at any time of day or night" hop bags
ready for use, large pieces of flannel, and a
good supply Of what our invalid calls
emergency rags" both linen and cotton.
To the inside Of one of the commode doors
we tackled a stout linen pocket to hold
brush-broom and busting cloth; on the
other door we hung dust-pan.
The deep drawers of an old-fas hioned
bureau hold the invalid's wearing apparel
and the sheets and pillow-cases used IN this
room; towels, handkerchiefs and wash
cloths are kept in the commode drawer, and
three table-drawers stand ready at all times
to receive or to deliver up any one Of hun
dred little things too small to claim special
place of their own.
So our invalid is living very cozily in her
room without a closet. Every thing needed
in taking care of the room has found place
in it, except broom. To-day the genius
and architect of the family suggests that
the broom be hung on the twelfth hat hook,
which suggestion we propose to carry out
tomorrow morning.-Neny Browne, in
Good Housekeeping