The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-04
THE LEGS OF
SISTER URSULA.

tsstd this tale and lived has long since gone
so9iais place; and there ~ no apology for
ssasse that would follow In the footsteps
Of Lawrence Sterne.
In . nameiess city Of land that shall
be nameless rich man lived alone. His
wealth had brought him . luxurious Tat
Ga the fifth floor Of red brick mansion.
whose grilIes were Of hammered iron. and
wlsoss halls were Of iniaid marble. When
be needed attendance, Goals. his letters,
r. eal. . messenger or . carriage. he pressed
ri electric button and his wants were sat-
fsfied almost as swiftly - even petulant
wealth could expect. An exceedingly
ssifs lift bore him to and from his rooms.
Gid In his rooms he had gathered about
him all that his eye desired-books in rich
sases with feltcd hinges. worries from oil
size world, rugs, lamps. cushions, couches.
engYsvings and rings with engravings
upon them, miniatures Of pretty women,
scientific toys and china from Persia. He
had friends and acquaintance a. many ~
he could befriend or know; and some said
t.sat more than one woman had given him
ker whole love. Therefore. &c coaid have
iaekcd nothing whatever.
One day . hot sickness touched him with
fits finger. and he became no moro than
sfck man alone among his possessions.
sas sport Of dreams and devils and shad-
ows, sometimes . log cnd sometimes =
ssnatiS crying in dclirium. Before his
trends forsook him altogether. a. healthy
hrutcs will forsake the wounded, they saw
that he was efficiently doctored. and tho
expensive physician who called upon him
AZ first three times . day, and later only
ss,ce. caused him to be nurscd by . nun.
Science IL good" said the physician.
'but for steady. continuous nursing. with
40 science in 1t, religion Is bctter-and
Know Sister Ursula"
So this sick man was nursed BY q nun,
ysung and fairly pretty. but. above oil.
ekillful. When he got better he would
give the convent, and not Sister Ursula. q
tsank offering which would be spent
among the poor whom Sister Ursula
saieily attended. At first the man knew
nathing Of the nuns existence--he was in
the country beyond oil creeds-but later q
white coifed face came and went across his
sSsions. and At last, spent and broken, he
wokc TO sec = very quiet young
~oman in black moving about his
room. He Was too weak to speak; too
aaak almost to cling to life any more. In
his despair he thought that IL was not
worth clinging to; but the woman was Mt
least woman and alive. The touch Of
s,sr fingers in his - she gave him the
medicine was warm. She testified to the
existence OF world full Of women also
slave--the world he was beginning to dis
asiievc in. He watched her sitting in the
Sunshine by the window. and counted the
light creeping down from bead to bead of
sac rosary at her waist. They then moved
Bio bed to the window that he might look
dawn upon the stately avenue that ran by
the Hat house, and watch the people going
~ and fro about their business. But the
change. instead OF cheering. cast him in to
deeper melancholy. Ii vas nearly loo
teei. sheer drop. to those healthy people
aa.kiug 50 fast. and the mere distance de-
:;sessed him unutterabiy. He played with
tae scores Of visiting cards that his friends
bad LETT for him. and he tried 10 play with
TIE knobs Of the desk close to the head Of
h!s bed, and he was very, very wretehei
One morning lac turned his face away
tom the sunlight aud took no interest in
snytning. while the hand turned back
upon the dial SO swiftly that i. almost
alarmed the doctor. He said to himself:
'sbored. ehg Nes. You're jus, the kind
of over-edocated oyer-retned man tina.
~ouid drop his hold on life through sheer
boredom. You've been most interestlng
ease 50 far. and | won't lose YOU" lie
said to Sister Ursula that he ~ould send
sn entirely fresh prescription hy his boy.
and that SISTER Ursula must give II 10 the.
invalid every twenty minutes without
fail. Also. II the man responded, it might
lie well 10 talk 10 him little. lie need :
cheering az. There is nothing the matter
~ith hiin now. but he won't pick up."
There can be lew points oi sympathy be.
tween man born, bred. trained and sold
ter and To tae world ana good nun made
sor the service al other things Sister
iIrsula's voice was very sweet. but the
manner ri her speech DID not interest.
The invalid lay still, looking out q. the
window upon the street all dressed In its
Sunday afternoon emptiness. Then he
shat hts eyes. The doctor, boy rang a,
the door. Sister Ursula stepped cut intn
she hail. not - disturb the sleeper. and
took the medicine from The bows hand
Then the lit shot Co@n aesia. and. even
o. she turned shs " lad 81 It's descen; yui..ei
NJ and blew shut the spging-iock door Al
the rooms with click only a little more
loud Than the leap ot her terrified heart
Sister Ursula tried the door softly. hu,
rich men with many hundred round.
worth Of hfie-a-brac hay themselves xery
well maize doors that iasten villa Singh,
larry cunning locks Thea the mfr RETURNED
vita the boy IN charge. and. So soon as hi,
Sunday and rather distracted attention
Nas tsANH - kSe state Nl aIRsrs, he =,
aeSteI that Sister Ursula should =, cnxu
so The basement and speak 10 the care
tsksr, who doubtless had duplicate Kew
To the basement, therefore. Sister trsul,
went With the medicine bottle Sls-,,ed :.
her breast. and therc, among mons AM
trooms and sinks and heating piges an,
the terrnips az al the electric commands,
items Of the many-stprsed warren. 81,
found, not the care-taker, but his s,fr
reading paper win her iees on box o
soap. The carc-takers wife " as Irish, aas
Catholic revercnciar the church IN n
its manifestations. She Was not only SYM
pathetic bc; polite. He. husband has
gone out. aud. being prudent guard Al
Of the Interests connded to him, has
locxed up al sas duplicate KEYS
An tae saints only know wh.n Mikc'r
he back az Sunday" she concluded
eheerfasly. after a history of Mikes pe
easiar.i1ss lie &c sstaer havsn' suprc,
wid friends"
The n,sssscinsf' said Sister Ursula
looking al the Inscription On the bottle
"ft must begin At swcntv minutes pas
q There are any zen minutes now. Taers
Rgss--aa taege faGss te way"
Give hsm double dose nsx. tim.
The doxAsov woa's know ;he differ
The convent IL SISTER Ursula il M,
moieies. after Irish Ideals, aaa The ,r.s
ens duty lsser~ rs nun MAS - return 10
the locked roosas With the medicine
Meantime the minutes ssew erstleiss.
and Sister tEsula's eyes were fail @
tear.
II must get to she rcaEn,' she insisted
s'Oa, surely. there - Nay. Any Way"
'.ihsv's waa way" sasa ,ae eAsrsakes'