The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-04-08
WHEN MARY SAW.
BY GEORGE AIDE.

lAS "dlSI S0Se IN LancO20 PARK, Cn-
cago. One end Of It Is on Stills which
ARE knee-deer in the water of Lake
Michigan. The pavilion has a roof but
no side walls. Every breeze that rip
pies the endless blue of the lake is wei
come. On a hot summer day dozens OF
hammocks are strung from post to post
In the deep shade OF the roof. The
hammocks are full Of babies.
The floor sprawis with them, Babies
eddie about, colliding with one an
other. and sometimes they fall over
on their backs and lie in contentment
SO that the nurses carrying medicine
to the sick babies in the hammocks
III step over them. White babies
and black babies and some that prattle
in German. or Polish, or Bohemian
crow together at the railing, where
q slices OF sunshine come in, and
look with large eyes at the broad lake
where n boats are dipping up and
down.
The fresh air pavilion was built by
public subscriptions. The milk which
h babies drink, h hammocks in
which they lie and the clean frocks in
AO SAASy 0IS 4oolS
under protest, are provided by the
people of Chicago. The sanitardum, as
1t is called sometimes, has a vOlun-
teer medical staff. Physicians and
take time from their duties at
thte office buildings and give their ser
vices, free of charge, to the babies.
Thus Doctor Fielding, a specialist in
disease Of the eye, roamed among the
hammocks one day. In one hammock
bio fOnr ND ATor1y To- ,a,n-lzo n,oo~ or1
ms small for her age he put out one
finger and h grouping little ham
closed around it.
"Can the baby see anything ait aIl?"
he asked.
Mrs. Uavenska, Who was sitting be
side che hammock, looked up with a
frights-Hed smile.
"YeS-a lamp" she answered., in the
doubtful of one who knows BUT
lfttle English.
Always been the same-alwtays
blind?"
ALWAYS just Gke-you see."
She was a thin sunburnt Woman
with high cheek bones, and her hair,
which was parted with care, gathered
itself i'm a tight Wisp ait the back of
her head. A ragged shawl was thrown
across ONE shoulder. Her print gown
was faded, but clean.
The baby held to the doctors fore
finger, and THE doctor, looking ait the
baby, and mt at the mother, asked
nan questions. He learned that the
LevenskaS lived in "AIleytOwn," a
region shut off from the cleanliness and
light by the Factories and warehouses
along the sluggish north branch of
the river. Mary'S father was a day
laborer. He had been out of work for
ver a month. Mary had whimpered
and cried among the stuffy fbedclothes,
and so the mother had brought her to
the lake for fresh air and sleep.
The doctor knelt beside the ham
mock and lifted the pink lids. He
nodded his head and said, JUS as I
Thought"
Mary's mother was Watching him
dumbly.
You have no money!" he asked.
You never took her to az doctor to
have him look at her eyes?" Mrs.
Levenska SHOOK h~e1,~ehead. He smiled
and said, II see."
They were poor people, and There
fore, ait his mercy. He told Mrs.
Levenska to bring the baby to his
office Thursday afternoon at 2 O'Clock.
She promised.
Doctor Fielding spoke to the ma)tron
before The went away: Il ann going to
try and do something for THAT BLIND
baby. I saw another case just like it
i'm Berlin"
Doctor Fielding, do you Think"
Il never make promises. There's a
chance, however"
The matron hurried to Mrs. Leven-
ska and TOLD her ito be sure to go to the
doctors office on Thursday. The doc
tor went home and told his wife about
the blind baby.
give wanted a chance to experiment
on a case of that kind" he said.
Mrs. Fielding was seldom interested
in her hucband's work, but this time
SHE insisted on being in the office when
Mrs. Levenska came on Thursday af-
ternOon. She took the blind baby i'm
her arms, and began to blink at Mrs.
Ievenska.
ct told you no to come i'm here" said
THE doctor. Then, for he first time,
he told Mrs. Levenska that The was go
ing to put the knife to THE baby's
eyes.
II can't promise that it with do any
good" he said. DO you understand?
Are you wtilling?"
Mrs. Levenska. looked first at the
doctor and then ait his wife, and her
bower lip trembled. Mrs. Fielding
patted her on the shoulder.
keep her away from here" said
the doctor to his wife, and Mrs. Leven-
Ska WAS Qou away. DOCUOT TSdyiINouhu
had been waiting in the inner office.
What happened in the back room is for
books Of surgery
AFTER an hour, Mrs. LevenSka was
brought back to h office. Doctor
Fielding set ON THE sofa coddling the
baby, Whose eyes were bound about
with bandages.
Its all right" he whispered.
Then you think began his wife.
IT don't think anything about that
part of it. q can't tell yet. You see
We haven't hur the baby very much,
Mrs. Levensl1a. Maybe we've lone it
some good. j hope SO. But you must
keep this baby in a dark room for ten
days. Do you understand?
Mrs. Levenska nodded eagerly. The
doctor sat beside her and told her over
and over again how the bandagas were
to be changed. H. warmed her THAT \
must not allow any strong light ITO fall
on the baby'S eyes.
I'm afraid she doesn't understand
said DIR. Raymond, nervously.
DIR. Fielding smiled at his younger
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