Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1900-08-17
by p. Y. BLACK. =


In the little country hospital the
y.;ng nurses were very good aud at
tcative to everybody. not having been
IN the business long enough 10 have
grown callous. They were nice girls,
mostly IN their FIRST years course. aud
their lips would twitch and their faces
whiten very often In the operating
room or when they held u patients
hand while he died In the night. But
they were brave and went about the
pretty hospital singing softly In the
cool corridors. carrying little white
clothed trays 20 the sickrooms and be
ing the best OF medicines themselves
by reason OF their neatness, their
bright eyes and their kind voices.
Now, one beautiful bright spring aft
ernoon at the railroad junction In the
town two trains filled with pleasure
seekers smashed together. and the doc
tors and the matron and the nurses
were plunged into n world CT work, for
ambulance after ambulance came driv-
ing up from the scene Of the accident
and left TO the care OF the girls many
people sorely hurt. And among them
was n very little boy about 6 years old
whom nobody knew anything about be
cause his father and mother were both
killed In the collision, and there was
nothing on them to show who or what
they were except that they were very
poor. II Is comprehensive that n very
great deal of attention was paid to this
little fellow. and he would have been
placed in The women's ward. as the
hospital Was too small for n chlldren's
ward. but tho womcn's ward was full.
SO the hoy. quite lnsenslb!e. was laid
on n cot IN the mems ward, AMI nest -
him was laiI n big brown hONrdel man,
also insensihle. FROM whose clothes
had been gathered quite q sun OF mou-
ey aud whose lew papers went to show
he bad teen a sailcr. He was n very
rough looking man indeed.
The man came to his ems first, and
Il was night. The nurse on watch was
quite frightened Mt the man. He was
in pain. and great allowance must be
made for that. but never In all her life
had the little nurse TO listen to such
words as came from the big brown
bearded mans lips. He wanted to get
up and go right away. but he found nc
could not move his great massive legs,
So he began TO abuse his fate and the
railway and the hospital and the nurse
and mankind in general. He was a
very bitter mouthcd man indeed. The
little nurse by the light of the night
limp did her best to soothe him be-
cause he reused other patients, and
there was Il terrible grooming and wall
ing I'm the small ward. And all at once
the little boy came to his senses. too.
Just for n minute. and his face was
turned to the sailors face, and his eyes
fell upon the sailors eyes. lie was not
quite sensible yet. for 1t seemed he mis-
took the sailor for his dead papa. and
he said very prcttily:
GOOD morning, dad. How are you
thls morningT'
The sailor. looking into the little fell
lows eyes. was abashed and stopped
his swearing and was silent for a mo-
ment and then muttered clumsily:
I'm all right"
That's nice" said the boy and be
came unconscious again.
The sailor did not abuse anything
any more just then. but lay grooming
and every now and again when the lit
tie nurse slipped by in the shadows he
called to her softly, and the first time
he said:
Pretty little chap"
The nurse nodded and smiled, and
the sailor smiled back. and until morn
ing came Mt last lie only groaned and
watched the child and did not curse al
all, but every time the nurse came t.
wipe bis brow or give him a drink h'
whispered TO her TO look at the boy.
Pretty boyl He thought | was hii
dad" he said ami would have laughed
only his pain made him groan instead
Again he caught the nurses hand.
"said II was nice. be did. Cute. aim
her And then his face twisted II
pain.
But neither could the sailor risi
from his back, and neither could tn
sailor hope TO Eail the sea again. for h
was In the same case with the child
and both were slowly dying. At frs
sometimes the big brown mar would
forget himself in his pain. aud tbI
nurses would shut their ears, terrified
and the mitrOn would threaten Il
nov him 10 q room by himself. ant
that frightened BIN TO silence. for eve
since the accident be had a great Low
for the child. The child would look n
IBIS huge friend n surprise when h
feil into one Of his RACES and say;
"Ob. John. that's not pice!'
And John would bite his lips nt ouc
and be patient. Then the child wOuI,
say:
~How do you feel john
And the sailor wonld answer;
"Fi-st rate. joe"
THAT'S nice" little Joe wonid saJ
And Ley would lie qrt and look ou
10 the window nttbe river and beyon
where the big hills purpIed % the Dhe
ara were always looking up.
90 y vac " BE Eogci1Z3. wSSp 10