Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-02-22
100 DON'TS FOR NURSES.


with her patient--a typhoid fever pa.
tent. muscular and raving. 1t was q
private contagious" ward; room that
was always like ships deck, stripped
| for action, with its metal bed OF white
| enamel it's metal table and its gray
green wall, decorated only with "colored
supplement" prints because these conld
be changed frequently and burned easily.
1t was a room of dim light and tenn
pered shadow-one Of those bare hosp
tal rooms where you feel that the fame
of life, though it burns low, burns with
out flicker, being protected and
watched in its feebleness with no senti-
ment of love, but with the skilled care
and the cool eye of unimpassioned SCI
ence.
The nurse sat at the bedside, her hands
folded in her lap, like nun at medita-
ton There was something nun-like IN
her face, in her placidity beside such
suffering, in the almost melancholy
sweetness of the face of woman who
had looked many times on death, alone
at midnight, and who had lived for a
long year now in the constant compan'
ionship of pain.
But, indeed, the expression belled her.
She was watching her patient for the
signs of n hemorrhage, listening intently
to his breathing, with the sub-conscious
alertness of the engineer who will SIT
IlllSinR
and an ear strained Tor the slightest
change of note in the regular swing and
cadence of the machinery. The poor fell
low in the bed tossed and muttered fret
fully She soothed him with her voice
with murmur of Yes, yes. Go TO
sleep, then. Go to sleep" as If she were
talking to a child. There was no sign
of nervousness or anxiety about her.
Only once, when she rose to take his
pulse she stood moment to smooth
down the stiff Bingham of her uniform
with a slow palm in an endeavor TO
loosen the starch in it so that 1t woull
not rustic. The patient was making
dry clucking in his mouth. She took 4
piece Of ice from n bowl among the medi.
cine bottle and glasses on the table and
put it under his tongue. He sighed a
breath of grateful weakness.
She stood looking down Mt nm. smll-
ing with a motherly pity. His eyes were
closed.
He had been as self-willed in his ILL.,
ness as n spoiled child. He had been
almost convalescent when, against all
warning the day nurse was chat
ting with the doctor outside the door
he had staggered from his bed to baS-
ket of fruit on the table and eaten two
peaches before he was seen. The result
was Il relapse into a far more critical
condition than he had been at first. Here
| he law now, struggling feebly against
death itself. She wondered whether he
| had a sister who was fond of him-or
sweetheart who had been sending
him these baskets of fruit
He was breathing regularly in ftful
doze. She returned to her chair and
| leaned forward to look at him with her
chin in her hand.
| Although she was not aware of it he
had changed for her; from being Il
case he had become human being
with claim of interest on her, and she
frowned at his muttering of pain. Poor
fellow! Life must have been so full for
him of interests, activities, promises.
achievements. To have it all end this
way, futiely! He had given the college
cry once i'll n delirium and struggled
painting through football game. And
once he had been standing on the plat
form of debate And another time ne
had been writing on an examination in
law. And still another time she thought
that she heard him speak Jim's name
in the jumhle of delirous mutterngs.
Jim was to have been Il lawyer Poor
Jim. Her eyes filled at that old. tear
stained memory of Jim and her father
drowned together in that horrible acct
dent on the Delaware. Well. she ut
least had not been burden on her moth
erS small income. and Soon--aS soon as
She was graduated from the hospital
she would be not only self-supporting but
an aid to the others. There
We're two long years of ward work be-
fore her Vet. She bit her lip
The ntiring run and babble of his
delrium had been growing louder. She
went 20 INN again to calm him with
the sound of her voice. and he looked
up at her with smile that seemed al-
most rational. Ii was only momentary
ne called her "Auntie,' and began a
childish prattle.
I'm not seepy." he said. II don't
want 10 20 to bed, Auntie.' and tried to
ralSe his head from the pillow.
Nne took her cue from him, "Yes YOU
are, she eooed. Go seepy-bye. Aun-
ten tuck you in She arranged his
blankets about his shoulders, patting and
smoothing them down.
Kiss me night night"
ger tips
Kiss me-" he demanded. Kiss me n
night -uight. ana struggled to free his
arm from the covering
ssh, she said, and bent down to him.
me linen screen at the foot Of the bed,
ma uer from anyone who might pass in
the hail. She touched her lips to his
forehead: "'Night-night," she whispered.
lie looked ut her with a childish smile
pouthg his lips, Ii hardened slowly into
a parSed. mouth Of perplexity. Hello
| "tu Hl8h, ne said Nv here He
closed his eyes on frown.
She was still hlushing holly when his
regular breathing showed her that he had
fallen into quiet slumber.
II.
He was sitting in his armchair taking
n sun bath Mt a window thar looked ont
on the dazzling white Of melting SHOWS
HIS visitors had just left him at his doe.
tor orders. lie was waiting for the re,
turn of Nurse Blakeley." with an i'm.
patience which he might have recognized
as longing if his physical weakness had
not disguised affection in him as an irri
table lack of what he wished To have
She came in light-footed.
He crowed "A feeble "Ah-ha, Did Won
hear what the doctor said%"
What did lie say" She arranged his
pillows TO ease the strain on a weak
back. lie was grateful for that ana hi,
gratitude Shone in his smile
I'm to be humorcd. :he doctor said
I'm to have my own was in everything
Are you?" she said. avoiding his eyes
You certainly had your own way about
the fruit"
He laughed now az the folly that had