The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-20


had to forbid their coming at al. After
few days their anxiety TO see hin,
overcame their obedience to orders, and
they conquered the difficulty by getting
passes and coming IN plain clothes.
But there was 10 Disgusting their pom
| derous walk.
After my policeman recovered and
was fitted with what he called "a
be-yew-ti-ful pair of wooden stumps,
l nursed an amcrous platelayer through
an attack of Inflammation of the lungs
When he recovered. he proposed to me,
and couldn't understand 'wot you
wants to go worlSin' like that ere for,
when you might marry decent chap
with two quid week He was greatly
detected at being refused and ing
round the hospital for weeks after his
discharge, blowing kisses up at the ma
irons window Che mistook it for mine)
with maudlin tenderness
The platelayer was succeeded by an
Irishman. never knew Irishmen toIose
their power of barney When fairly
couvalescent this one was allowed to
| get up two hours Il day every afternoon
The first day he enjoyed it very much.
| On the next day found Denis strolling
| about the ward in the early morning
and making himself generally useful,
! but watching me from the corner OF his
eye all the time. Denis, Denis, this
| won't do All, shure, miss, I had to
| get up TO look at your But you're TO be
up for two hours in the afternoon
'Shure, miss, it's always afternoon till
l see your swate face foreninst the
door" And then I hadn't the heart
to make him go to bed again. But he
wasn't really SO trying as an idiot boy,
VINO was so fond of me that he ate nv
photograph.
''Then had sailor, who called him
self Jack johnson; but l don't think
that was his real name. He had broken
his leg through an awkward fall over a
coil of rope on slippery deck. John
son was a very nice patient-clean, and
obediont to rules, and always good for
a merry tale. But when the gas was
lowered at night he often talked in
more serious fashion. I belongs to a
respectable north-country family of de-
cent, God-fearing folks, with more fear
than love about 'em altogether he told
mo- in q moment of confidence 4
couldn't stand the everlasting prayer
meetings and the risera BILE Sundays.
and used to shirl1 all 1 could. But it
didn't do. They preached at me, morn
ing, noon and night, and promised me
eternal punishment in any case. So,
thinks /, if I'm to be eternally dis
graced here, and eternally punished
hereafter, III try and deserve it all
Il was interested in spite OF myself
the lads reckless, bitter talk was SO at
variance with his honest blue eyes and
sunshiny smile-and listened to the ac-
count of his running away TO sea. He
did not know whether any attempt had
been made to track him, and had never
heard one word from home for over six
years.
when discharged from the hospital.
he insisted on leaving me some curious
shells, strung into necklace; and
when | objected, he coolly remarked:
You'd better have 'cm. You've been
wonderful patient with me; and | rock
on y0a're good woman. There's
many that isn't that, worse luck for US.
If you won't have the shells, l shall
know you think I'm past praying for,
and I'll chuck 'em into the gutter the
first minute l gets outside
Months after, he sent me misspelt,
ill-written letter from his mother, tell
ing of her thankfulncss to them as
81
postscript, in printed letters, from my
protege. saying he had not.forgotten my
advice, but had gone home. His moth
er and father were very much broken;
but, please God, he'd look after them
now. and they We're free to own they
had kept too tight hand on him. You
told me, straight, I'd acted cruel to 'em,
nurse, and you're right
''One evening, the patients tea was
cleared away, and they were chatting
cheerfully amongst themselves when
the door opened and a tall, handsome
girl was introduced to us as The New
Probationer.' The new probationer
earnestly and thoroughly applied her.
self to each days duties. In spite of
her queenly carriage she could make a
bed admirably and gave every promise
of becoming an excellent surgical
nurse. Still she puzzled me. The girl
never referred to her past or spoke of
her future, and her reserve seemed
strange in so young woman. for she
always appeared to be putting strong
restraint on her natural high spirits.
One night a girl was brought in who
was dying from the effect of railway
accident. When she opened her eyes
they remained fixed on our probationer,
who stood at a little distance from the
door. l fetched the probationer to
speak to the patient when, to my sur
prise, & shrill cry broke from the suf
ferer and our young nurse dropped on
the chair by the bedside, eXclaiming, in
an agitated voice: oh Lizzie, Lizzie,
is it really you?' The girl died that
night. A few days later happened to
be at work IN my own room when our
stately probationer entered
"'Can you spare me few moments,
sister? I'm going away Before ]
could answer she was down on her |
knees by my chair, sobbing on my |
shoulder as if her heart would break. /
4 want to tell YOU she cried, about /
Lizzie, the woman who died the other
night II was all my fault she came
by that train; she would never have left +
her home if | had not run away from
mine She was always good girl. only t
rather willfal. and vexed her father be- /
cause she wanted to make foolish /
marriage. AZ last she said no ono cared .
for her, and even !, who was her friend, .
had gone away and forgotten her. It's
such dun little village where we Iva