The evening times., 1896-04-14
HUMORING THE UNFORTUNATES.
Nurses Do All in Their Power to
Tighten Their Burden

| sat where she had placed me for some
| time, looking curiously around me. And
| what saddeniDe, depressing survey Il
| was. In spite of the pleasant surround
| ings, the Checry nurses. the sunshine and
| the vast stretches OF green without the iron
| latticed windows. here were inclO>ed and
| imprisoned about twenty-fi life tragC-
! dies III this one ward. And beyond and
| around rs on all sides were hundreds more.
! dead i'm life, alive in death.
Some OF the women were walking up ana
| down talking to themselves and grinning
| idioticdlly or frOwBiDg sutnly. some oI
! them were sitting by themselves. buried in
| a melancholy rcycrc or scolding and
swearing in Il monOtCnOUS undertone. Some
| were rocking violently i'll big rockers,
| others were leaning against the wall like
| fixed statues, immoydblc for hours. And
| one girl, with Il most idict!c cOuDtenancc
| appeared to think she was n dancing girl
| and with both hands out - stretched in airy ges-
| iures executed ballet steps up and down
the hall.
NY little attendant went among n group
of silent or mutIcring patients in the big
alCove, and checrily threw herself into
a seat between two of them, on a long
bench, and began chatterng to them in a
lively and enga ging manner
Miss Josie, what are you quiet fOr?"
she said, teasingly. Bless you, you haven't
talked to me for a whole hour. Aren't you
nice little June bug. eh?''
Miss Josie began iabbering so fast about
perfect whirl OF subjects that l couldn't
possibly make out what she said: but she
had most delighted snirk on her visited
and emaCiated face. The attendant didn't
stop to hear what She said. Her evident
intention was lust to brighten them up.
You dear old baby. your she exclaimed
to an old woman on the q, her side of her
| what do you mean by having such beauti
fiji hair? I'm going to steal a curl of it, /
am sure. l have TO have it; it's lots pret
tier than mine. I'm going to snip it right
off like that and she made a n imaginary
pair OF shears with her fingers.
And thus from one to another She pa ssed
around. stirring them up with pleasant bad
image and lively chatter. They would talk
back to her in a pleased way nd pOut out
the never-cea sing story which was occupy
ing their ina gination; but as soon S she
passed on to others they would relapse into
their Cgotist ical mood.
say cgo,istical. not in a bad sense. but
in tho sense that they appeared to live with
in n wall of their own. Each one seemed
To he wrapped up in her own fancies and
found no car to listen to the story of
others. Their minds seemed to labor I'M
der mighty suggestion, and they were
monumentally and completely egotistcal.
Later. when talking to them. found it in-
DOSSiDle 10 lntcttSu ODt III lHC StOTy Vi du-
other.
A SYMPATHETIC NURSE.
As sat quietly where l had been placed.
brooding sadly over what l saw, the at
tendant came back TO me and sat down be-
side me.
Don't you like it liere?" she asked. ''You
feel a little lonely? This is nice place.
You'll like it better by and by" She patted
my hand and looked kindly at me, with
smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
That human sympathy was very sweet
Ny heart was filled to overflowing with
love for this gentle, loving little nurse,
putting her bright, happy spirit SO thor
oughly into the task of cheering those iun-
fortunate creatures around her.
At that moment one Of the women who
had been sitting at the other end of the
corridor talking vigorously to herself got
up and started up the hall on the swiftest
walk ever saw. She took most gigantic
strides and walked on her heels. As she