The Russellville Democrat., 1889-03-07

a month. Could you lie quietly on your back for four weeks, Jim?"
 "Yes, or a year, so as l should be like other boys"
 ''If he's set on it, nurse, he'd better go, if you can give him a letter.
 'I will give him letter, said nurse, rising She glanced round the crowd ed little room, and longed to put in plea for more space and light; but ex- perience had taught her it was useless. The Williams were very respectable; but the husband was an enthusiastic politician and his spare time and cash were devoted to the cause of his par ticular creed. He also had legs so bowed as to be a hideous deformity, and perhaps this had helped to embit- ter the mans spirit. Poor Mrs Milan had a hard time of it often with this cantankerous husband of hers; and her speech had grown very sharp, her nature hard, through constant collision with the man she had married from love and pity. She had to work to keep the home togeth- CT; and small room though that home consisted Of. it was often difficult to pay the rent, So nurse made no com plaint of the untidy close room, but wrapped her cloak around her, and nodding goodbye to Jim, went forth into the storm-driyen streets again.
 That very afternoon she applied to the matron of the District Nursing So- cicty, and secured an out-patient's let ter for Little Bow-legs. She scarcely thought the surgeons would attempt to straighten such crooked limbs; but tho boy might become more content were he once persuaded that his burden was inevitable.
 Mrs, Milan took Jim to the hospital the next Saturday afternoon. They found many friends in the out-patients' waiting hall, and Mrs Milan enjoyed a good gossip before Jim's turn came to enter the surgeons room. At last the porter passed her in; and a nurse in white cap and apron came for ward and took the letter, and after glancing at it, stripped of Jim's shoes and stockings and set him on d chair before the surgeon. A few rapid ques- tions were asked, and several of the students examined the legs.
 My boy, do you want your legs put straight?" asked the surgeon at last
 '.Yessir
 You are quite sure you are willing to bear some pain?'
 "Yessir?"
 Give him a ticket for the children's ward, Smith. Next case. nurse. Jim's heart failed him for q moment when he found himself in the long ward with so many curious eyes fixed l on him as he walked along in his un- gainly manner. Every ore seemed very busy; and a nurse whisked a | screen round a crib and slipped Jim into bed in no time, and then dismissed his mother, telling her to come again the next afternoon. Jim pulled the clothes over his head and cried lit tie; but presently a baby girl in the next crib began growing at him, and Jim played bo-peep with her through the bars. Gradually he gathered cour- age to look around. There were such lots of pictures and toys and flowers about in this large, bright room, that Jim thought it must be like the fairy palace in the hook Nurse Grant had l lent him. Presently there came down | the ward tall woman in a dark dress, but wearing a soft white cap with long l floating strings, and a dainty apron. ] She had the most beautiful face Jim had ever seen, and she was always smiling. There were some people who l knew Sister Mona well who said that when she wasn't smiling her face was | the saddest face on earth. But Jim never saw Sister without a smile; and ] because of the love and compassion which dwelt in her eyes, he always thought she looked like the photo l graph of the Christ which hung oppo- | site his bed. The Sister stood beside 1 his crib while she read his entrance ticket; then she had look at the poor | crooked legs. She talked cheerfully to Jim all the time, but seemed to un- derstand, as no one else had done, what q grievous afiiiction is an ever- present deformity. However, the next day when Mrs. Milan came, Sister took her into her own little room and asked her seriously to consider wheth- CT she desired her son to undergo an operation before she came to final decision.
 "Bless me, Sister I brought him here for an operation. I certainly ain't a-going to take him out again. He gave mo no peace till l brought him; now here he must stop till summats | done"
 Sister turned away and went to ques- tiOn Jim; but he only reiterated his mothers statements. His one wish was to be like other boys.
 It was Tuesday afternoon when the | celebratod surgeon, Mr. Pell Taylor, came to make a thorough examination of Jim. He was followed by crowd Of students, to whom he pointed out the most remarkable features of the case. He bade them notice the absence of all signs of rickets; he commented on the strangeness of such a deiormity being inherited; and he told them that the outside world would say osteotomy was cruel operation, not to be un- dertaken merely for the cure of a ! deformity; yet it was at the express
 wish not only Of the parent, but of the small patient himself that he was about to perform that operation. And 1 in conclusion he bade the dresser of the case make a cast Of the legs as they then were, and told Sister to have Jim in the theater the next day at three