The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-23

KISS on 81 $ fevered brow. She was moi
one of the demonstrative kind. but down
deep in her heart she loved her big sol
der boy devotedly, and the kiss told hin
1t sight for sore eyes to just see
you, Mother" said the poor. parched-up
fellow, as his fingers strayed over Anna
bells shining hair; land Annabel-how'd
you know l wanted you worse than l ever
wanted anything in my life?'
Mrs. Klegg smiled down at the wasted
face, and turned away 10 hide her tears,
but Annabel looked up wonderngly.
why, 81. Amt your wife, she asked
a little piaintively. She could not see why
he should think of anything else but that
she would come the instant lie needed her.
81 smiled .wanly. 'Well, you've got n
mighty poor stick of husband right now.
Say. Shorty" he called. weakly. to that
individual. who lay with his head on
Maria's arm smiling idiotically up in her
face. amt this here mighty near
heaven?"
angels an ALL" Shorty replied in n
voice that had already stronger tones.
An I'm just as near heaven as l want
to git fer some time he added as he
laid Maria's cool hand against his hot
cheek.
Annabel pulled n puff comb from her
abundant locks and began to smooth out
| tHc tdHSleS Ill 81 = If;ilr. Wnlie Ninth, alter
| pressing another kiss on ShOrty's thin face.
threw off her hat and began to smooth
out the bed clothes. In n very few mo-
ments both boys were sleeping the first
restful sumber for days.
| Then the women stood up and looked
| about the big square room. 1t was n
| sight to shock any housekeeper, much
more those of their careful training. In
| spite of the Deacon's and Surgeons efforts
it was desperately untidy. Shoes. towels
| and bandages garments and other things
We're lying on the floor. and under the
cots, dishes. vessels. drinking and medi-
cine cups. all looking none too clean, were
| everywhere. some of them overturned and
their contents spilled. Over all was the
| peryasiye. pungent reek of chloride of
lime, with which every Surgeon of that
| day felt that he must load the air of his
hospital. It's strange, oyerpowering Odor
oppressed the women with the sense of
| all imaginable and unimaginable horrors.
| Instinctively Maria and Annabel began to
move around and pick mp the litter The
sick and wounded followed their quick.
graceful movements with longing. bright
ening eyes, which drank in hope and heal
ing from the mere presence of sweet,
| wholesome home women"
Maria cOaldri't stand the pleading
glaDces. She-went from cot to cot. speak
ing word here, and giving a pressure of
the hand theTeia pat to pillow. or
smile to onefaoe i'll to respond, and was
soon the friend of every man in the ROOM
| Annabel was, less general in her attentions,
but she, too. surade her presence felt.
Mrs. Klegg was already planning her
campaign. When she entered sick room
everybody else Vas at once reduced to the
| ranks She was one of those Old-fash-
toned. capablS women who, without know
ing it, raised nursing to the level of a
science. and was as supreme in it as any
man could bs in his chosen calling. Like
the woman in the Bible. while her sisters
had done nob1y.I she had excelled them all.
Doctors We're her warmest friends and
| admirers. To the nervous young prac-
| titioner handling his first case under the
| awful battery of the critical eyes of sage.
experienced matrOns, she was kindly SYM
pathetic and encouraging. and firm rock
of reliance. The older doctors welcomed
her Judgment and assistance Her intui-
| ton as to the case was as sure to be right
| as their diagnosis. and her nursing far
surer than their medicine. All the energy
| in her nature welled up Mt the sight of the
sick boys She wasted no time in incon-
sequent talk or wailing commiseration. but
began untying the strings of her bonnet
as she looked around for some place to
hang it and her shawl. She was rs
| prompt, decisive and resourceful as when
entering the sick room of neighbor.
Girls. You'll have to pitch in" she de-
| clared. ..Theres an ocean of things to do
right off" Phew!-what is that awful
smell? Its everywhere. / don't see how
on earth You stand it."
There amt no smell ut all. Mother"
| said the Deacon. a little injured by the
reflection on his efforts at cleanliness. His
| idea of Il smell was always connected with
| something rotten.
''Yes there is. Father persisted Mrs.
E!egg. How can you say there amt. 1t
fairly chOkes me. You must have an
awful cold not to smell it yourself. Are
you real well. Father" and she turned
anxiously to inspect her husband. Come
out here where ! can get breath of fresh
air, and let me see you. That smell in
there strangles me. | shall faint unless |
| can get away from it. / don't see how
anybody can live in there long enough to
get well. let alone sick men get better"
st must be the chloride of lime that
you SMELL" the Deacon bethought himself
as they reached the outside. "All hos.
| pitfalls are scented with it. / didn't like it
myself at first. 1t is used to kill the
smells"
1.-The way to kill smells is to clean up"
said Mrs. I[legg with intolerabIe con-
| tempt; mot to hide them with bigger
smells that are stronger than they are'
But we had cleaned up, Mother" pro-
tested the Deacon feebly. "You have no
| idea what lot we have done 1t was a
| very good house. as Southern houses go,
| when we came in. but l put gang of
negroes at work at once, and me and the
Surgeon thought we had got the place in
mighty good shape. 1t is a heap better
than most of the hospitals have seen
Cleaned up" echoed Mrs. Klegg, de-
risively. .That shows mans idea of
cleaning up. Look at the dirt in the cor
ners of them windows? There's peck
of dirt under every one of them beds and
the floors are q sight. You oughtn't to let
wounded men be in such dirty rooms.'
"Why. We scrubbed them up before a
bed was put ,in." said the poor Deacon,
reduced now to abject defensiveness. ITS
been terrible muddy, too"
'Scrubbed!i hurled back the partner of
his joys and the owner of dover inter
est in his real estate, as she unbuttoned
her sleeves and began rolling them up. in
which Maria initiated her. "a mans idea
OF scrubbing is to damp the dirt down.
Never saw a live man who could scrub
floor decently, have seen you try it,
Father, and L know your scrubbing like
book. YOuligonOut there and get some
water heating. ! suppose you have got
some place torheat water, haven't you?"
fr,-a /,