The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-07-27
AN UNAVOIDABLE DE.
LAY.


the bell connection within reach of the
feeble fingers. left the room, her light
steps soundless on the rich, deep car
pet. Along the corridor. down the
stairway, she passed. 1t was late
after midnight. Lights had been ex-
tinguished in the drawing-room, the
dining-room, the library. Only sin
gle globe, Opaque and mellow, lighted
the way. This led to the servants
quarters. Under and beyond it the
nurse hurried, chaste vision. Her
blue and white-striped gown and the
snowy linen at throat and wrists and
on the coiled dark hair accumulated
the pallor Of the patient. serene face.
1t was still in that great house on
Michigan boulevard. Now that the
thaw had come, the crunching of run
ners over the frozen snow. the CHEEKY
jingle OF slighbells, the softened MUIR
muir Of gay young voices no longer
reached the ear. Not that Nurse Nor
Inc had anything to do with sleighing
parties-nor any other form of indi-
vidual diversion. But there had been
nights out OF the last two months
when she had been bit bewildered at
times by the recollections these Chin
ing, irresponsible bells awakened. She
mad caught herself standing still, with
one hand at her notwithstanding to
note should they stop before this door.
She had dropped her hand with a little
sweeping gesture of self-scorn. And
she had resumed her duties with the
sudden glow in her cheeks dying out
as the flush of embers dies under the
pail Of gray ashes.
Tonight, however, there was no ex-
traneous sound to divert-no personal
remembrances to distract her. She
passed into the great, Immaculate, de-
serted kitchen. The servants had gone
to bed. She saw an expanse of polished
wood floor, tiled walls, sinks of marble
and metal that glittered like silver;
gas and alcohol ranges, and the numer-
GUS minor commodities which make
the drudgery of domestic labor com
paratively light and easy.
Hark!
What was that sound just without?
A cautious, scraping footstep! She lis
tened-the saucepan poised in one lift
ed hand. Silence. Pshaw! It was
nothing. It was no one. AS if an at
tempt at burglary would be made in
this northumberland with the light
burning! II am getting nervous" she
told herself. Constant vigilance, con-
tinual wakefulness will tell on the
strongest of us after awhile. wish
might warn all young girls who desire
to become nurses. dreaming only of
the romantic aspect of the profession
what the real life involves-what the
actual experience means"
She looked around the kitchen, and
swift retrospect brought the rose color
to her cheek. Here-it was down here
that she and Harry had stolen, after
the cook was asleep, to attempt the
compromising of one particular, deli
cious dish. What a blunder they had
made of it! And she had cut her hand
in welding huge knife over small
bunch of parsley. Harry had torn his
handkerchief into strips, and tied up
the injured member. He had kissed
the palm, and said: "You have such
pretty hands, Norine!"
She had smiled back at him, saying:
They are not afraid OF work" And
he had answered, with the pride of per-
sonal possession, they are not afraid of
anything"
All, well! She reused herself with
sigh.
That was all so long ago,
And time works changes, as we must
know"
The milk on the range was at boiling
point. She added a teaspoonful of
vinegar to the. foaming mass in the
saucepan, and quickly removing the
same poured the strange-scented mix
ture through fine wire sieve. Her
remedy and refreshment were in readi-
ness-the potent whey" dear to the
heart of transatlantic physicians.
Hark! Again!
She set down the bowl hurriedly.
Nearer that tread-and nearer! 1t was
on the back porch now. He-whoever
he was-had laid one hand upon the
window frame-was trying twas
shaking it softly.
Involuntarily Nurse Norine stepped
back. She was not one of your heroic
women. She could feel her heart
pounding, until it seemed to strain it's
cords as hound strains its leash.
Ought she to turn out the light?
Should she try to leave the spot?
Thank Cod" she painted, Bessie
will never learn nursing"
Although the association of burglary
with nursing was decidedly illogical.
There was grating sound at the
window.
The window was lifted by a strong,
stealthy hand. A blurred, wriggling
shadow fell across the floor.
Now" breathed Nurse Norine.
Now
Her professional habit of self-con-,