Middletown transcript., 1901-01-26


All at once the sick man sat up in
bed and began to cough violently. When
the paroxysm had passed, he sank back
again to the pillow and closed his eyes
| YEARLY.
II think that was not as severe as the
last one, F" the doctor remarked; 'T can
leave you in Miss Clements hands now.
Perhaps, if ] happen to be up this way
about midnight, I may drop in again, just
to see that you are getting on all right.
In the mean time, nurse, you will see
that he takes these capsules every two
hours-he had the last at half past five.
And you will take his temperature every
hour if he is awake"
/ He said goodnight to Mr.. Swank in
the same cheering tone, and then he
went to the door. The nurse knew that
she was to follow him.
When they stood alone in the hall,
the doctor said to her. eff there is any
change in the pulse or the temperature,
send for me at once. Ring for the but
Ter, and tell him am to be sent for; he
will know what to do. Mr.. Swank has
influenza only, but his heart is weak,
and he needs careful attention. I shall
be here again the last thing tonight"
When the nurse returned to the cor
1 ner room the patient had fallen into a
heavy doze, and she took advantage of
this to prepare for the long vigil. She
arranged her own belongings ready to
her hand in the dressing groom set aside
for her use. In that room she did not
lower the shade, and she even stood at
the window for minute, trying to look
out over Central Park, hidden from her
by swaying veil of swirling snow. The
workmen had completed the canvas tun-
mel down the stoop to the edge Of the
sidewalk, and the lanterns hung inside
the framework revealed grotesquely its
striped contortions. As the nurse gazed
down on it an old man without any
overcoat sought a temporary shelter from
the storm in the mouth of the awning,
only to be ordered away almost immed-
lately by the servant in charge.
The nurse went back into the larger
room. She looked at her patient asleep
in the warm bed. She wondered why
life wasso unequal; why the one man
should spend the night in the snowy
street, while the other haG all that money
could buy-shelter, warmth, food, attend
ance. She recalled how her father used
te tte declare that The Inequalities Ell
around us are superficial only, and that
there are compensations, did we but know
them, for all deprivations, and that all
apparent advantages are to be paid for,
somehow, sooner or later. More than
ever tonight she doubted the wisdom of
her fathers saying. How could there be
anything but inequality between the old
man in the street there below and the old
man here in the bed? The thing seemed
to her impossible.
As she became accustomed to the dim
light Of the room she was able to note
that the furniture was heavy and black,
that the carpet was unusually thick, that
the walls had large paintings hanging on
them, that the ceiling was frescoed in
sombre tints On all sides of her she
saw the evidences of wealth and Of the
willingness to spend it; and yet the room
L ha 20 hor OH Ivy
uninviting and almost repellent. She
asked herself why the sick man lying
there asleep in the huge bed had not
used his money to better advantage,
and had not at least made cheerful his
own sick-room. Then she smiled at her
own foolishness. OF course the owner
Of the room had not expected to be
stricken down; of course he had no
| thought Of illness when he had furn-
ished.
She moved gently about the room and
tried to look at the pictures, but the illu-
mination was insufficient All that she
could make out clearly were the names
Of the artists carved on tiny tablets at
tached to the broad frames; and although
she knew little about painting, she had
read the newspapers enough to be aware
that pictures by these artists must have
cost great deal Of money-thousands of
dollars each, very likely. If she had
thousands to spend, she believed that she
could lay them out to better advantage
than the owner of the house had done
here. 1t struck her again as though the
sick man had more than his share of the
good things Of life. She had not yet
heard him speak, and she had not really
had good look at him; but she could
not help thinking that a man who had so
much, who was absolutely his own mas
! ter, and who could spend large fortune
just as he pleased-she could not help
thinking that he ought to be happy. 1t
was trne that he was i'll now, but the in
tiuenza wears itself out at last; and when
he was well, he had so much money that
he must be happier than other men-far
happier than poor men certainly.
When-she came to this conclusion she
was standing near the foot of the bed,
looking at the man lying there asleep. 1t
was on the stroke of half past seven, and
she had come to let him have his medi-
cine again. Then she noticed that his
eyelids were parted, and that he was
looking at her.
1T is time to take one Of these cap
sules now" she said, gently moving to
his side and offering it to him.
He took it without word, and gulped |
it down with swallow of water. Then |
he sank back on the pillow, only to raise
himself at once, as he was again shaken |
By severe fit Of coughing.
At last he lay back on the bed once
more, still breathing heavily.
A fresh young voice was heard at the
door leading to the hall, saying, MAY
come in, John?" and then a graceful |
l. L