Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-04-04
THE CONTRARINESS OF MARY.
By Elizat eth McCracken,

once at college. Is he as nice as he
used to be?"
Mary sat, with her chin in her hands
gazing into space. Absorbed in it"
I've never even seen it. l suppose
Shall have to or, Grace will think am
heartless wretch. Perhaps | am;
but-Burney is so exasperating!"
Her third letter had fallen to the
floor. She savagely pulled it from it's
envelope. 1t was, as sha znew, from
her cousin. DR.. Burney Harriston' =
who was so exasperating.
my dear Mistress Mary (quite con-
trary)." (Burney is getting more hor-
rid every day." commented Mistress
Mary0 Wont you come down and
see my garden grow" before you go
away? l know you will see how val
liable all lives are If you will just see
and know some that are different from
yours. You judge too much in tho
light of your own theories" C"The
audacity of the boy!" exclaimed the
| theorist.) you don't realize that the
poorest, smallest human life is part
of the plan of the world, and can't be
disregarded or forgotten.
You'll come down on Thursday,
won't you? Please do. When are you
| going to California;"
Mary slowly put the letter in the en-
veloLe.
Perhaps I haven't been very nice to
| Burney. He is trying to do good, but
| he is carried away by enthusiasm.
| don't know much about slum people,
but l do know how they live. They
| are just like animals; they have no
higher natures. They don't have any
| ideals"
Mary pulled out Burneys letter and
read it for the second time.
"Pll go Thursday. l might as well;
and Grace wants to hear about it,
She went upstairs to her room and
| script she said, 81 am not yet abso-
lutely certain that shall go to Cali.
| fcrnia. If l do it will be next week" :"
| DR.. Burney Harriston's Fresh Air
| Hospital for children was merely a
| large house, very near the sea and not
far from the city, and it had room for
twenty children. Interested and gen
erous friends had provided Burney
| with funds for the work, and five or
six nurses, who expected no summer
employment had volunteered their
| services.
"Why, Burney." exclaimed Mary on
| Thursday morning, as they approach
ed the hospital. 1T looks like an or
dinary house."
1t is an ordinary house-only With
more children in it than most houses
have"
What kind of children are they
Irish?" asked Mary, mindful Of her
| friends questions.
"Some of them. There are all kinds
They aren't very ill., most of them.
They merely need little special as
sistance and good food and fresh air
Some of them would have died without
| it."
20 Burney, wouldn't it have been
better for them if they had?" asked
L.ary.
Mary, how can you ask that?" said
the young doctor reIroachfully.
ut seems better to me, Burney. But
| don't look so shocked. Show me your
| hospital. 1t is very much like hos
pital inside, except that the rooms
haven't so many beds; and there are
| so many windows that its like being
| outdoors"
That's the important part Of it,"
said Burney, eager to explain. you
see the children need principally ais
and they get lot this way; and it
| does them so much good!" Burney
| fell into Mary's habit of italicizing,
and Mary smiled at him more ap-
provingly.
"Now, Mary, have to go around and
see the patients. Will you come or
will you wander about as you lile?"
"Pll wander, thank you," said Mary.
"'t will be more interesting"
She felt out of her element with the
nurses; they evidently looked upon
her as superauous, and Mary was not
accustomed to being viewed in any
| such light.
She peeped into the dining-room,
| smiled at The queer Kitchen examined
with interest the cots on the broad
| piazza, and finally went into one of
the cool rooms, through the door of
which she saw four little white beds
| The little children in the beds were
| asleep and Mary would have left the
room had her attention not been at
tracted by a man who sat beside the
| bed in the corner, with his heavy eyes
fixed upon the small yellow head rest
ing on the Pillow. He was, to all ap-
pearances, commonplace Irish lab
orer, but something in his utter alb
sorption in the child aroused Mary's
| curiosity.
She stepped lightly across the room
and looked at the small, white face,
with its pathetic mouth and droll,
| little turned-up nose
what cunning little girl!" she
said to the man, resolving to scold
Burney for failing to tell her the chill
dren in the hospital were SO dear.
/ t..