The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-23
NURSE MORRISON.


her cases, however with IA great deal Of
nerve, and Irafford my senior, agreed
with me that she knew her work Ii
was small hospital, as hospitals go
nowadays, and Trafiord and 1, the only
resident medical officers could speculate
Oh life and humanity and yet do our
work, we thought, with credit To us
she was just Nurse Morrison Still,
when tho staff nurse told us that wild
horses wouldn't drag Nurse Morrison S
history out of her, we, tho staff, felt
sympathetic and Interested.
She doesn't wear u wedding ring
anyway, Trafford said one night. He
had just been doing his round, and she
was on night duty.
'"rhat proves nothing, except in nov
els, | said sagely. "Incver could mako
out what would bar woman from get
ting, or getting rid of, a wedding ring
any time it suited hor'
"Shos plucky, y Trafford said. stretch
ing on our sofa and staring up at tho
ceiling, but don't think much of her
constitution, don't you know. She's
rather neurotic, poor little soul.
You're right, told him. eve
noticed it myself. Sometimes, if one
speaks to her suddenly, her eyes look
quite fearful. "
At this Trafforl SIT up, took his pipe
ont of his mouth and stared Mt me.
what the devil have you TO do with
hor eyes:" he asked sharply. "Remem-
Der, once for all, I'm senior resident
here. -
who said you weren't?' asked. Il
don t SEQ what that has to do with it. "
Il do. I'm responsible for things in
my department., and I won't have any
humbugging fiirtations going on"
Better talk TO the matrcn and report
mo to the board, 1 said sulliily and
took up the book that 1 had been read
ing when he camo in. l didn't read,
though, and Trafford still smoked and
stared at the ceiling. Presently he spoke
again i'll way that showed no had
made fool of himself.
We'll, y ho said, "neuroloGy's not III
my line, and I'd like your candid opin-
ion of her. As Il psychologist, wouldn't
you say that she's running risk of
overstrain? One can see that sho takes
things too seriously"
WASH inclined to give Trafford an.
other chance Of smubbing me, but when
fellow apologies practically 1 think
one ought to be decent. Besides, the
nervous system is IA thing Two worked IA
good deal at, and Traiford doesn't know
anything about it, so I put down NY
book again and thought the thing over
carefully.
There's 10 doubt, - 1 said at last,
'but that she's inclined to be ncurotic.
That very fine, soft hair, Of that particn-
lar shade, goes with what outsiders call
highly strung nature. =
'Oh, you've noticed her hair, have
you?' Tralford asked, and said that of
course any man who was Interested in
physiology and psychology would pay
particular attention to the hair.
These women are perfect brutes to
one another" he went on. ".5nc's TOO
good to lose through Il breakdown, and
ia like ia ease her work IL hit AS son
Tor resident IN responsible for q thing
like that, but if | speak To luz Miss
Bu22Ard Is oar mairon) sho may turn
rusty
'Spcal: to the chief tomorrow MORN
ing vixen lie comes around; then he'll
look at her. "
lie does chat already, : Trarord said.
But she's so plucky, she brightons up
when hes nhont."
couldn't suggest anything more. OK
cept to KEEP an eye On her, and we agreed
TO make tho poor little things work as
light as possible.
Has she friends ncar:' Traford
asked mo when l said Good night. =
And l was able to tell him TINT
thought sho had, and that sho always
went to SEQ them when off duty.
We'll, when l thought over his "in-
terest and responsibility rs senior resi-
dent | couldn't help laughing at Traf-
ford, for knew very well that Nurse
Morrison wasn't interested i'll him, but
all the same, after keeping an eye on
her, as | had promised, began to feel
that he was quite right III saying that
She needed to be looked after. She be-
gan to develop set look about tho
mouth and Il strained appearance of tho
eyes that L didn't like at ALL She would
jump if ono spoke to her uncxpectedly.
and once. when going round ut night in
my slippers brushed against her, sho
threw up her arm with "a littlo cry MS if
expecting me to hit her
was much hurt ut this and spoke to
her, but only said vaguely that she was
always expecting something to happen
now, and of course couldn't bother hor.
Presently queer rumors got about tho
place, and ono could see quito well, by
the way that tho other nurses put their