The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-29
GREGORY'S VISITOR.

Gregory lay in his white bed at the
hospital and wondered how MS opera
ton on the morrow would turn Out;
Would it give him back health ana
strength. or would there he resolute-
" turned his thoughts into brighter
channels.
To distract his mind he looked out Of
the window near his bed and wished
himself In the busy street below AZ
was Saturday afternoon and the air was
clear and bright, the sky a VtV1d Dlue,
the well world must be enjoying itself
What was Ethel doing, he wondered.
Was she at the matinee, the golf links
or one of her club meetings.
At this moment a white capped nurse
came in and skillfully ministered to ms
wants As she went out Gregory tried
to picture Ethel in q sick room and
could not. He had never been able 70
persuade himself that there was In her
nature much of womanly sympathy
She was too reserved, too stately, ana
then she had never been i'll a. day In
her life. she had told him. Perhaps
that was why she was cold and as
averse to showing emotion as the crest
of a snow covered mountain IS IRE
sponsible to the rays Of the sun
No, she would not do In a SiclSrooTn
at all, Gregory declared to himself,
and the next instant began to wish
that there were the slightest chance OF
her coming to see him.
He decided upon considering the mat
ter that she might visit sick man
with her mother. of course. We're the
felt quite sure she would never set
aside eonventionality for one who was
merely a friend
Besides, she was too busy. She was
q success in society and always had
scores of engag ements. Well, he would
not want to see her If she brought her
mother with her and the two of them
sat in row and talked commonplace.
But If only Ethel would come alone
and slip her hand in his and say some
thing soothing to him
4 tAcd
movement that started the pain again.
He thought it would so away in a mo-
ment but ii did not. Instead 1T grew
to an intolerable ache that burned and
throbbed cruelty. It seemed to Gregory
that he could not stand 1t. He writhed
under the agony until the sweat stood
out on his forehead and tears came into
his eyes.
tie, and Gregory lay white and weak
and thought how unjust and cruel IL
was that people must suffer so. As ms
glance wandered through the door OF
his private room to the ward on the
other side of the hall. he remembered
having read somewhere that pain is
the only universal experience" He had
never realized the truth Of the words
until now Pain was universal, and
none escaped it. Each one Of the merry.
careless crowd in the outside world
must one day leave work ana pleasure
and learn to endure.
Suddenly his own pain came back,
and Gregory bore it until he hated
him self and mis- life and wished that
the surgeons knife might end it all
next day. After all, it was a good world
to be out Of. a place where suffering
was the only thing to be counted on,
where ones friends could enjoy them
selves while He turned his head
with a sigh that was half a sob and
looked out OF the window again.
The suns hine was less bright now.
and the fall air had grown so keen that
Gregory watched heecy white clouds
sail across a square of blue he be-
came aware of g. rustic OF silk and
faint odor of perfume. A second later
Ethel stood before him.
She did not speak, but as she looked
down at his thin, pain racked body
which before his accident had been
conspicuous for it's splendid strength,
and saw his tears and look OF suffering
great drops gathered in her own eyes
She sat down beside the bed and,
putting one hand in his and the other
on his hot forehead, began to repeat
softly the Twenty-third Psalm:
" The Lord is my shepherd; shall
not want"
Gregory was not religious man, but
the words Gained his discomfort as II
by magic. They seemed like cool rain
after hot. sitting day, and their beau
ty and truth sank deep into his tFou-
bled soul
He maketh me to lie down IN sreen
pastures; he leadeth me beside the still
waters =
When the psalm was ended. Gregory
did not thank her. He waited a mo-
ment and then said wonderingly, Eth
eI, you love me2"
Indeed, indeed yes" the girl whis-
pered.
t can be brave now" he declared.
Don't run away. dear" There was a
glad note in his tired voice. Please
stay a little while, and won't you say
that psalm again It's got such a
soothing swing to it."
So Ethel began the hymn, but be-
fore she had gone far her voice seemed
to die away in the distance. and Greg
DRY fell asleep.
He always declared afterward that
he did not really awake until the oper-
alton was over, and he saw her bend
ing over him, this time with joy in her
eyes instead of tears.