The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-10-12
In the Little Hospital

operating room. or when they held
patients hand while he died in the
night. But they we're brave AMI went
about the pretty hospital singing soft
ly in the cool corridors, carrying lit
tie white-clothed trays to the sick
rooms. and being the best OF NELL
cines themselves by reason Of their
neatness, their bright eyes and their
kind voices.
Now, one beautiful bright spring
afternoon, at the railroad junction In
the town, two trains, filled with pleas
ure-seekers. smashed together, and
the doctor and the matron and the
nurses were plunged into world Of
work. for ambulance after ambulance
came driving up from the scene Of the
accident and left to the care of the
girls many people soreiy hurt. And
among them was a very little boy,
about six years old, whom nobody
knew anything about, because 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 poor. 1t
is comprehensive that a very great
deal OF attention was paid to this lit
tie fellow, and he would have been
placed in the woman's ward. as the
hospital was too small for a children's
ward, but the woman's ward was full.
So the boy, quite insensible, was laid
IN, mt In. no ap,c orI NJ Avf
to him was laid big. brown-beardei
man, also insensible. from whose
clothes hal been gathered quite a sum
OF money and whose few papers went
to show he had been a sailor. He was
a very roughlooking man. indeed.
The man came to his senses first,
and 1t was night. The nurse on watch
was quite frightened at 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 ami go right away, and he
found he could not move his great,
massive legs. So he began to abuse
his fate. and the railway and the hos
pital and the nurse and mankind in
general. He was very bitter-mouthed
man indeed. The little nurse, by the
light of the night lamp, did her best
to soothe him, because he aroused
other patients, and there was terri
BILE groaning and wailing in the small
ward. And all at once the little boy
came to his senses, too, just for
minute, and his face was turned up
to the sailors face, and his eyes fell
upon the sailors face. He was not
quite sensible yet for It seemed he
mistook the sailor for his dead papa,
and he said very prettily:
"Good-morning, dad. How are you
this morning."
The sailor, looking into the little
fellows eyes. was abashed and stopped
his swearing, and was silent for a
moment. 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 groaning,
and every now AMI then when the
little 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, AMI
the sailor smiled back and, until
morning came at last. he only groaned
and watched the child, and dill not
curse at all. but every time the nurse
came to wipe his brow or give him
drink. he whispered to her to look at
The boy.
Pretty boy-he thought was his
dad" he said. and would have laughed,
only his pain made him groan in
stead. Again he caught the nurses
hand.
said It was nice, he did. Cute,
amt her" and then his face twisted
In pain.
But neither could the sailor rise
from his back, and neither could the
sailor hope to sail the sea again, for
he was In the same case with the
child and both we're slowly dying. At
first sometimes the big brown man
wouli forget himself In his pain, and
the nurses would shut their ears, ter
rified, and the matron would threat
en- to move him to a room by him
self. and that frightened him to ST.
lence. for ever since the accident he
had a great love for the child. The
child would look at his huge friend
In surprise when he fell into one of
his RACES and say:
"Oh, John, that's not4nice."
AMI John would bite his lips at
once and be patient. Then the child
would say:
How do you feel, John?"
And the sailor would answer:
First rate. Joe"
That's NICE" little Joe would say.
and they would lie quiet and look out
Of the window at the river and be-
yond where the big hills purplei to
the skies, and were always looking
up.
so II was IN the mornings. when Joe
seemed always first awake, and ready
to have his hands and face washed
by the nurse. He could not turn about
to see the other patients. but he
learned all their names and as soon
as he heard them moving, he always
asked very politely:
And how do you feel. Mr.. Smith,"
And Mr.. Smith would always an
swer, because it pleased the child:
First rate. joe"
That's NICE" said Joe, and so he
would ask each in turn. and to each
answer, always the same, he would
reply cheerfully: That's nice"
And when they asked him how 1t
went with him. he always said. though
with an effort. I'm pretty
we'll, thank you." Then everybody