The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-01-21
Told in Her Letters.
By Murray Eyre.

THE night nurse sat writing in the
angle at the far end of the male
surgical ward. A screen across the
table hid her lamp, while the rest of the
ward was but dimly lit. From the beds
came the sound of sleepers breathing
regularly, broken now and then by a
f~e,erish muttering from some restless
patient, or by the scarce repressed
proaning of the man who had that day
been operated on for cancer. Night
after night, week after week, for
months mad she kept her silent vigil
there. and she was weary of it. Some
times the grim scene surrounding her
strained her nerves until the desire for
more active work possessed her to a
degree well-nigh beyond endurance. In
such mood she often penciled letters
without restraint or consideration--to
no one in particular, the offspring of
her brain-tired fancy-whose destiny
was TO be thrust impatiently into the
fire when dawn crept grayly through
the window beside her.
Nurse Ruth was an impulsive woman,
though her great pathetic eyes misled
you into thinking differently. A wom-
an of contradictions. rs was witnessed
by her fl%ippancy of speech and her
sweet. grave amer She did her duty
bravely enough 10 her patients. and
they loved her. The younger students.
also, had ofttimes cause TO be grateful
to her for some well-timed hint that
screened their g~laring mistakes from
being discovered. She was tired of her
work. of her life, that night, and. inn
patient with herself, began to walk
cancer operation looked pitifully at her
as she passed, and. coming back, she
stopped to give him some milk, while
she afterwards took his temperature
ere she returned to her table. Present
~ she rang the house surgeons bell,
and stood waiting with the thermom-
eter in her hand until he came. She
passed ii TO him silently.
Where on earth did you get this
temperature, nurse?" he whispered.
MOT from"
She nodded. A look Of corrern APP
peared in his eyes. and. keeping her
thermometer, he went quickly TO the
bed. The man, who was at last drowsy,
sighed when the doctor unbuttoned his
shirt and laid a finger on his pulse.
The doctor looked puzzled. He counted
the beats carefully and listened to the
breathing. Taking his thermometer
from under the mans arm, he went
back TO Nurse Ruth's table. lie com
pared the two there. His registered
l0l.2 degrees. hers 100 degrees. Watch.
Ing him her face crimsoned.
Il held ii over the lamp. sir" she
said; and though she laughed. her eyes
were full of tears.
All! yes. / understand. nurse"
lie sat down for a few moments. the
two thermometers still on the table
before him. When he got up, he said
%dreamily:
Perhaps you'd better go on day duty
again. Good night. nurse!"
For an hour after he had gone she
lay across the table with her head or
her arms, and made no sound. Tim,
went by. and as the city clocks marked
~ she heard every stroke. Finally sh,
sat up, and while listening for the sol
cmn tolls she wrote an application t.
the house surgeon TO ask for a certif
cate of qualification as n nurse. II,
afterwards gave her the certificate in
formal letter; but at the same time Ii,
wrote another that was not official. He
reply gives the gist of it:
What can you mean. sir. by speaking O
letter that ! wrote as so much cheek?'
90 not understand IL. Thought II business
IKE. BY your manner this afternoon in tn
ward you seemed appalled, tina Shout,
write TO you. What and who are you. tina
! should hesitate 10 address you? can
not but rejoice that you have given 8
good a testimony OF my capabilities. II |
gratifying TO my feelings. too, that yo,
nave not perjured yourself In giving n
what Is the strong point in my characte
mat some people might like7 DO you Tx
w Why not add 1t to the testimonial?
uon't like any light to be hid under
Lushel."
Nurse" called the house g IN
afternoon after he had received it, an,
again, Nurse Ruth" he called afte
her in the corridor outside the door O