Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1897-05-21
ROMANCE Of A
HOSPITAL NURSE


Touchdown, "you like your new lifeT
II am delighted with it," she said.
"Ah!' l said, Il rejoice to hear that
you haye altered your mind. A month
ago, if recollect right, your mother in
formed me that the duties you had to
perform were injuring your health to
such degree that you seriously
thought of leaving st. Matthew'S hos
pital. However, the lapse of another
month seems to have altered the COM
plexion Of matters"
"a little" murmured Miss Win1-
fred, gently stirring her coffee.
noticed that she smiled as she made
this reply.
"In my opinion" said, nursing is
the noblest of all professions legiti-
mately open to women. l cannot i'm
agine anything grander than the death
bed scene of an aged sister-the head
nurse of each ward is caller sister, is
she not?-who, drawing her last feeble
breaths. murmurs to those around her:
For fifty years l have been tendiI g the
sick, and keeping an eye on the more
giddy of the probationers when pedi-
cal students We're present. l hayedone
my work, requiescat in pace! All! what
q glorious demise is there"
If you believe me, Miss Winifred ac-
tually giggled.
II am not" said sternly "jesting to
you. am sorry that have not arols-
ed your sense of the ridiculous. You
do not appreciate such pathetic mo-
ments-you are but 49,"
Twenty, Mr.. Wormholt, please
'Well," l returned, twenty, tlen.
But" continued, Il was about toob-
serve-as touching the career which,
in opposition to the wishes of your
family, you have seen fit to adopt-hat
a hospital has endless claims upon the
sympathy of all, is worthy of our iull-
est gratitude and esteem. For think
does she not give up the world? Does
she not relegate herself to an Gtmos-
phere of suffering-to the depressing
surroundings of the sickroom? Does
she not cut herself off from oil the
pleasures-such as they are-thd a So
cial life offers to those who care b seek
them? Is not nursing life of Slide
NAL, of wearing vigils? A trying tax
I. on the patience? A sure test of cour-
age? Yea! it is all these and more.
Miss Winifred, l honor you and your
truly noble profession!
"Thank you" said Miss Winired.
1t was the after-dinner period We
,if IN, II 4
Wreford-Brown was chatting, in some
what raised tones, to her neiglbor, a
retired Anglo-Indian colonel.
Pausing in my rhetoric, Mrs Wre-
ford-Brown's words came plainl, to my
ear. She was evidently discussing her
daughter. The one by my sile--for
there were three others.
"The poor child" the good lacy was
saying, lis worked dreadfully hard.
She hardly ever gets out for even half
day. Indeed, this is the first night
she has been off duty for month"
The Anglo-Indian glared fierely in
our direction. He found me leaning
back in q cheerfully meditative mood.
Miss Winifred put down her cap and
took up volume of political cartoons
which was lying conveniently at hand.
Perhaps she overheard her mtther's
speech. Perhaps she fancied did. At
any rate she began to draw my atten-
ton to the first cartoon most tssidu-
ously.
'Do look at this, Mr.. Wormholt," she
said, laughing-in a palpably forced
way-"lsn't it funnyr'
"a drawing" 1 said, (which repre-
sents a distinguished cabinet minister
In the costume of lady of the ballet
cannot very well help g-er-funny.
But was speaking of hospitals-of the
confined and restricted life which the
nurses live, and of the unfeeling man.
| ner in which the authorities debar the
nurses from enjoying even the sim
plest pleasures-judging, that is to say,
from the representations which the la
dies themselves make to their own
families! l concluded, shooting a keen
glance at Miss Winifred's by no means
unattractive profile.
1T is comforting to know" heard
Mrs. Wreford-Brown say, that the
child is absolutely trustworthy. At
hospitals, you know, there are"
"Oh, Mr.. Wormholt, just look at
this!" exclaimed Miss Winifred.
THE undignified attitude in which
the premier is represented" 1 said,
does not amuse me in the least. l
have no objections to comic draughts-
manship," went on, but when a right
honorable gentleman is drawn In the
guise of monkey dancing on the ton
Of barrel organ, l think it is time for
censor of cartoons to be appointed. j."
For reasons of my own, however. l
had to turn my face away from Miss
Winifred's inquiring gaze. 1 remem-
bered, then. that had brought the vol
ume of cartoons to the house and ex-
! planned them to Miss Wreford- Brown