Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1899-11-24
HONORABLE TIGER MISS.
A Specimen of the Trained Nurse I'm
Jnpnn-A Charming At
tcndnnt.

A japanese trained nursel 1t is hard
to say why the idea strikes us us odd,
for japan is provided with excellent
physicians and hospitals, and the en-
press is herself president of the Jap
anese Red Cross. Nevertheless, if we
find something surprising in the
thought, there is much that is winning
in the embodiment, if 0"Tora San, the
nurse described by Mrs. Hugh Fraser
in recent volume of "reminiscences,
may be taken as fair specimen.
"She was barely four feet high"
writes Mrs. Fraser. Her complexion
was dark, her feet were encased in
white linen socks with divided toes and
shod with dainty straw sandals with
green velvet straps.
Her figure, the shape of very soft
feather pillow, was draped in n tight
fitting white apron with n large bib.
and she was kept inside her buttonless
and stringless clothes by cruelty
tight and wide leather belt put on over
apron and all. Into this belt, holding
her breath for long time first, she
could with great effort push her fat
silver watch, her clinical thermometer,
two or three yards of Japanese letter
(Which she would read foot at n time
when she thought was asleep), her
carefully folded paper pocket handlier-
chief, and the relentless little regis
ter in which she noted down, from
right to left, cabalistic signs with
which she and the doctor conjured
every morning till they knew all the
sins my pulse and temperature had
been committing.
'Iier name was O'Tora San-Hon.
Tiger Miss-but her ways were those
of the softest pussy that ever purred on
n domestic hearth rug and oh, what
nurse she was! So gentle, SO smiling,
so delightfully."- sorry for one!
81 have often caught the tears run
ming down her little brown nose when
the poor Okusama was extra bad; and
through long nights of pain has she sat
on her heels on corner of my bed,
tanning me ceaselessly with the all
but imperceptible futter of the fans
edge-a movement only possible for
those wonderfully sensitive Japanese
fingers, but most refreshing to the
famed one.
when it was time for her meals, my
maid O'Matsu would creep into the
room, having shed her sandals at the
door, and after inquiring about my
health, would make deep and grace
full obcisance to Hon. Tiger Miss, and
inform her in respectful whisper that
her honorable dinner was ready.
THE polite little Tiger would jump
up, return the bow, ask permission
TO depart, and slip out to feed on fish,
pickles (such dreadfully strong-smell-
ing picltlcs!) and rice, washed down
with tlimblefuls of green tea or fish
soup.
after about IS minutes of solid feed
ing, she would return, come up to my
bedside, and express her gratitude for
the meal supplied her. Then she would
drop down on the cushion in the cor.
ner, and with the calm unconvention-
ality peculiar to her race, let out q
couple of holes in the leather belt"
Her ugly uniform discarded, how.
ever, and arraycd in her own dove-gray
llimono and wide sash, as her patient
afterward often saw her, the queer lit
tie lady became as charming as she was
quaint-the very demurest and dainti-
est of domesticated Tigers.-Yo outh's
COmDaniOn