The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1896-11-01
s. LUCIEN L. PAUVRE.

The Ball no question makes of Ayes and
| Noes,
But Here and There as strikes the Player
goes;
And He that tossed you down into the
Field
He knows about it ALLIE knows-HE
It's no use, M'sieu. I admit no one
without an order-absolutely no one.
Those are the rules"
And where can an order be had?"
said 1.
AT the hospital-office of the Direc-
ton for the Admittance and Discharge
of Patients. Enter at the side from the
Place. and the office is on the right of
| the long corridor and the old man
pulled the heavy swaying gate of board
| ing together, and could hear him shut
| fling across the eXpanSe of gravel, the
miniature desert beyond which rises the
little church of S. Lucien-le-Pauvre.
| The building, from the glimpse had of
it, looked interesting. But it's interior
was that for which visited it. 1t illus
trated to perfection a certain type of
French Gothic architecture applied to
church of moderate size. l had been at
| some pains to find ii, and for the pres
ent had but one more day in Paris.
There was apparently, therefore, moth
ing to do but follow the mans sugges-
ton and go to the hospital.
l turned back. Three minutes walk
! brought me to the Place. 1t was
chilly March day-the sky an expanse
of clear dazzling white-and gusts of
wind swept the dust in little whirls
about the open square, at the southern
end Of which Saint Xavier rose, gray,
! somber and dominant. Opposite was
| the pale, bleached facade of the hospi-
| tal-hat, bare, with it's monotonous rows
Of windows, and with every detail mer-
! cilessly exposed in the garish white
light. The leafiess trees before it shiv-
cred in their green boxes. A solitary
fiacre stood in an angle of the Place,
| but on the sidewalk a few figures ad-
vaneed from either end of the hospital,
and on reaching a small door in the
center of the building entered and were
lost to sight. 1 crossed the roadway
and, following their example, entered
too.
The short passage in which 1 found
myself terminated in a long corridor,
running at right angles to it, with doors
at regular intervals on each side, de-
voted to the various offices of the house
People were coming and going from
these various rooms, a priest was talk
Ing to an old man with a crutch. and at
door some distance on a few persons
were standing in line, waiting to be ad-
mitted. Now and then this door opened
to let some one in, and simultaneously
| . ION ra
ment beyond, and passing down the
length OF the corridor went out into the
street. This was one of the patients
whose consultation was over A nurse
approached rapidly; l stopped her and
asked for the bureau to which l had be-
fore been directed. She pointed to the
room from which at that moment a man
was departing. THAT is it." said she
rather sharply. 1.-The door this way
outside of which those people are wait
ing, is the anteroom. The directing
physician Is not usually here at this
hour, but he is here to-day You must
take your turn with the rest" But when
explained that l was not patient or
the friend Of patient, but wished a
permit to see S. Lucien-le- PaCvre-a
church, very old church-her face
changed. Il shall have a message for
NJ lie Directeur," said she. "in half an
| hour If Monsieur will wait in the an
teroom. and has not by the time I re-
| turn been admitted, 1 will speak of his
errand, and NJ. lie Directeur no doubt
Will admit him at once, since 1t is an
erraho OF but moment" And she
went to her sick folk.
walked along the clean, shining,
NaXeo corridor and Joined the little
HE outside the door of the waiting
room. Three persons were ahead of me
"a man, to all appearances sound; a
"iuh ms arm In sling, and a
h'ddie-aged woman, careworn and re-
| spectacle. We waited A clock. high
on the wall OF the corridor, licked loud :
ly-the official tick-tock of the clock Of
an institution. 1t suggested a reverie
on the personality OF clocks - serious
volatile, business-like, vulgar-we know
them all - the discreet clock of the
physician, the tinkling clock of the wo-
man of fashion.
| ne door next to the one before which
L stood opened and woman came ont
the man was admitted to the ante
rcf m. Another pause, this time broken
/
two men with a stretcher on which
lay man-to my eyes-lifeless It was.
however, person under the influence
OF an anaesthetic, who had just met
| with an accident. The penetrating
| of fumes of chloroform came to me as
| passed.
he door opened-a man had gone
out beyond and the boy was admitted
The woman and myself were left alone.
no more persons joined us, and it was
evident that the doctors hours were
nearly over. / was impatient Nv few
hours of daylight in Paris were sljp-
ping away, and l wished that had not
| tried to see S. Lucien- Pauyre But
1 might as well wait, since | had al
| reaGy wasted SO much time A minute
| later the door opened a voice said
Entrez. Madame. ct volIs aussi. Mon
| sleur the woman went In and I fol-
| lowed her and we seated ourselves side
| by side in the vacant chairs left for
| us.
The little room, which held not more
tran ten or twelve persons, was full,
and wa& close and hot The naked
whitew&s.fed walls reflected the glare
without. Two or three plants in pots
| stood in the window which was partly
| screened by coarse white muslin cur
t@ins. On either side OF the room was
q row OF seats, and these were filled by
patients and convalescents, men and
We men-the usual type of the Partisan
/ Icor-young and old: some suffering.
others excited by the prospect of dis
charge from the hospital, but most OF
them apathetic. british. / studied these
faces in turn. One woman, at the end
! of the row facing me, was shockingly
| disfiGured; and after / had glanced at