The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-01-25
AN EMERGENCY CASE.
ny ERNEST M,GAFFEY.


The hospital fronted on little side street o
and was a low brick building with outside t
steps leading to its front door. A gas lamp /,
hared gustily in the wind, broken pane y
gave ingress to the wandering breezes. The &
alley to the rear was one of those blank
looking city byways that smell Of dust, dirt !
and vegetables. The moon looked down
from a waste of gray clouds, and smoke
from the factory chimney near by foated
,azily skyward. A wagon ratified over the
nearest street crossing, turned into the al
ley, and halted by the back entrance to the
hospital. Two policemen stepped from the
vehicle bearing a stretcher. On the can
vas lay man with white face and closed
eyes, corpse-like object in the half-light.
The door opened swiftly and smoothly,
and girl in the uniform Of the hospital
nurses appeared and the officers hurried
in with their gruesome burden. Presently
they emerged and climbed into the ambu-
lance and drove away.
"a cool little woman that" said one OF !
them.
Zone OF the finest" said the bluecoat |
who had been addressed.
The next morning Frank Hamilton woke
with dull pain in his left side that brought
back the night before when he had been
caught between the cars in the switchyard.
He remembered the face of the night nurse,
pale face with dark eyes and framed
heavily with the duskiest of tresses. The
day nurse was little slip of blonde who
slipped around in the corridors and halls
Of the hospital as unobtrusively as mouse.
Hamilton was Of good family, but was
"down on his luck from rash speculation.
: and had accepted job in the railroad yards
, rather than write home for money. lie
e inn M
j emotional and hopeful than man able
, to stand steadily up against misfortune.
, He waited curously for the night nurse
. to make her appearance. Presently she
came, and he noted that she took no more
, interest in him than she seemed to take
Y in an old man who lay in the same room
] with. him Her attitude and demeanor
Il were strictly professional very calm and
k selfpossessed, and she looked and remind
i ed him somehow of serene and fair lily.
1 "How badly am hurt" he asked her.
il "Not seriously she replied. Its merely
!. shock and bruise, no bones broken"
GLOW long will it be before am well?'
: he returned.
J "If nothing happens she responded, in
y week or ten days"
II "What could happen?" he inquired.
& "Fever for one thing" she replied. All
that is necessary for you to do is to keep
t. quiet and not worry"
J. "That ought to be easy enough he an
- swered; "few people worry, do they!
i mot if they care to get well,
:. "Do You like this work." he ventured
- "You are very inqusitive and presume
: on your hurts" was the girls reply i
OF I didn't like it would not be here
:. "Isn't it pretty hard for woman to b
or here with, what do they call them, emer
ne gences coming in night and day.
e. 1T is hard and disagreeable Often" tn
al answer came, 'but it is hardest on tn
IL people who are hurt and those who depen'
\. on them for support
" She gave him the drops the doctor ha
= ordered, told him brusquely to 60 to sleeI
ey and presently he did so, half lulled by tn
ey stiffness which seemed TO fall over the MAJ
as row streets outside when night fell
to. the morning the little blonde nurse cam
ii. on duty, and Hamilton began his daily tas
TO- of trying to be cheerful.
ds When the long, long afternoon began
~ wane, Hamilton found himself watin
-, eagerly for the palefaced girl who ha
:. first welcomed him to Doubling Castle, q
~ he had christened the hospital. As tn
!, twilight crept in and began to darken tn
No alley he felt an uplifting OF the spirit. 4
ny the sudden flare of the street lamp, ,
is sensed her coming and when at last 81
an stepped into the dingy little room, It wa
it as ii the space had burst into blossom.
NO Lady. Disdain, he called her in h
nd thoughts after the first few nights.
al .sYou are not getting along as well as yo
Il should" she warned him on the fifth eve
e.. ing. .,. 80. . !.
az quired.
nat II don't know positively" the nurse r
in piled, "but the day girl says you a
OF fidgetty."
of II may be trihe uneasy in the daytim
of but you don't have any trouble with III
do your" he asked.
"No! You seem to be fairly reasonable
II NAV turn out to be very nnreason
bic when get well, was his answer.
ePt "Well there will be time enough to thin
ing about that when the time comes for you
60"
Ids, II am going to take you with ME VIII,
leave" he said
the Her face darkened into frown. ~,
hat mustn't Joke, Mr.. Hamilton" she sal
MOO coldly
tba "I'm not Joking" he said, earnestl
"Will you come with me when get o
Of this hole? No. | beg your pardon
finding fault, they--you have all been We
re- kind and good to me here
an "Then if we have, if have, please dol
ler- say anything like that again
"Just as you say, he answered. The da
and nights passed on, and what with fey
and complications, Frank Hamilton "
-. over six weeks in the hospital before
II was entirely well. His conversations wi
90, the night nurse had resumed the old trlef
put " tone, but he had never given up
axe resolve to make her his wife. The day
nter left he asked her to marry him, after g
AXE ing her briefly his history.
arm 1t was hard position for the girl, a
will she told him that she was sorry that
he really felt serious about it.
Mi, Il am to be married when ] gradual
,ars she told him, "and am only waiting
80. that"
rs there no possibility Of anything h
pening to change your mind." he asked,
"Nothing at ALL" was the reply, =
am sorry, Mr. Hamilton. But you y
Ject not remember it long 1t seems to be II
ural in sickness for men to fancy Il
are in love with their nurses-l don't WI
was to be cynical, but you will be happy
the way ii has turned out year from no.
eve, Hamilton went to the yards and dl
ia the money coming to him. Then he too
~ ride down to the city and made 7
QUIZ chase. Returning to the yards, he borrov
pc pen and ink and wrote a letter.
hat took the letter and dropped it into sti
ress. box, drew revolver, placed it to his brt
and fired. He fell not block away fl