The suburban citizen., 1900-04-14

messed or assisted at an operation. IT
seemed as If she could divest herself
OF her own personality entirely for the
purpose of saving the inert creature
on the operating table. The majority
of life seemed a poem to her at such
moments. To preserve at any cost the
fragile, divine, mystic, elusive thing
which all the science in the world
could never synthesize seemed to her
half godlike. The physicians gave
her extravagaut praise.
"But still L do not like doctors, i"
she said
Sometimes she did not like patients,
either. There was one old lady, for
example, who never could diyest her
self Of the idea that Lucy was COM
mon servant, and that whatever else
she did she must never sit down. One
day the girl had been on her feet for
hours waiting upon the patient, rub.
bing her. feeding her and caring for
her in fifty ways, and at length even
her firm, young body ached in every
bone. She dropped into a chair for
few moments of needed rest.
"Miss Armitage," said the queru-
lous voice of the old lady, "the room
appears to me to be untidy. L wish
you would pick it up"
Lucy looked over at the diseon-
tented old creature and smiled toler-
antly
miss Coudry," she said, "never
before have been asked to do so diff
fcult a thing" and sat still.
Miss Coudry had no suspicion that
her phraseology was at fault, and she
reported the nurse. The head physi-
clan interviewed her on the subject.
Lucy refrained from commenting up
on the tyranny of the poor old hypo.
chondriac, She turned the matter
with Jest.
81 was asked to pick up the room, "
she said. 'I am not the magnetic
strong girl, so 1 said 1 couldn't do
it,"
The physician tempered his re.
proof.
The month OF probation over, Lucy
was accepted, and the first severe case
committed entirely to her charge was
that Of a young doctor who had been
severely injured in a railroad accident,
and one of whose legs had undergone
amputation. The case was a bother.
some one. The young man did not
gather strength as he should have
done, considering his youth. He
sank into low fever, and drowsed
along through life, week in and week
out. Lucy stood by him Loyalty. She
endeavored III every way to inspire
him to make a fight for life, But for
a long time she could arouse no in
terest. At last she had an idea.
'I will make him fall in love with
me, !" she thought to herself. "It will
do me no harm, and it will help him
to get well, and as soon as he is strong
again he will forget all about it. The
others always have"
1t was a silly comedy to play, but
Lucy entered upon her role with en-
thusiasm She was really beautiful
girl, bnt she seldom took time to re-
member it. Now she stuck a rose in
her dark hair mornings and cap aud
apron over her gray gown assumed an
inde6nable coquetry. She took pen
sive attitudes and talked upon senti-
mental subjects.
"What precious guy L am making
of myself, she often chuckled in the
recesses of her naughty soul "Of all
the idiotic parts l ever assumed l
have most cause to be ashamed Of
this" But it proved to be the pre-
scription of which the young doctor
stood in need He watched for her
coming in the morning. He hung up
on every word, exulted in her spring
ing, firm step, was soothed into ex-
quisite peace by the touch of her cool
white hand upon his brow, and when
he felt the grasp OF her two strong
hands upon his in hours of pain, it
seemed to him that with her by he
would find strength to endure any
thing.
ut will soon be over, Lucy said
to comfort her conscience. "And if J.
am clever perhaps l can get him away
before he says anything to me.
But clever as she was she did not
succeed in her desire. One day DIR.
Halson, convalescent, turned from the
contemplation of the passersby on the
street, and said imperatively
"Miss Armitage, come here"
"Aren't your pillows right?" asked
Lucy with feigned solicitude. She
knew in her soul that the fatal hour
had come.
"My pillows are we'll. But l wish
to say to you thing you have been
preventing me from saying for days.
You are beautiful tyrant, but 1 will
not suffer tyranny, even from the beau
tiful. I find upon consulting with
my-with my physician, that / shall
require your services indefinitely. I
want them as long as life lasts. I
must take you away with me. I must
have you for my wife"
Lucy had many times prepared in
her mind the rebukes shat she would
utter in answer to these remarks. She
would bring him to an understanding
of the absurdity of the thing.