Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1903-10-27
pTsHEs FoR sIcK-cHAMBER.
wen-Msant Offerings Which Can Sell
dom BE Used.

table piled to the edge with COY
cred dishes, fancy baskets an,
boxes, and bulging paper sacks
The country relation, says tn,
New York Times, stopped on hel
way out and looked at the collec
tion curiously
What's all this stuff?v sh,
asked. Then she lifted the lid oi
one of the small dishes and sniffef
at the contents.
That" said the nurse, who had
followed her out, cit a new-fan
gled kind of meat jelly. 1t has
been sent to tempt the appetite oi
my patient. All the rest or these
things have been sent for the
same purpose. Here are fruit,
soups, puddings and jelIies, and
even substantial fare, such as
game and roast beef with gravy.
With all those culinary cOntribu.
tions to fall hack on, our friend
will never die from lack Of nour-
ishment, at any rate"
The country relation groaned.
"Where did all the truck come
from ?" she asked.
"The neighbOrs sent ii in"
"Neighbors?" cried the country
cousin. "I didn't know there was
any such thing in New York. I
didn't suppose the people here
took enough interest in each 9th.
or TO imperil sick PERSONS life
with gastrOnOmic attentions"
ooh, yes, they do" said the
nurse. "They are very friendly.
| have never attended a person
who did not become the object of
neighborly sympathy as soon as
the news of his illness began to
travel about. / have nursed peo-
de who were comparative
strangers in the block where they
happened to be living at the time,
but the report of sickness called
forth choice samples of cookery
from all'the women in the, ,build-
ing, and even from adjoining
houses. No matter how poor or
how rich the patient, his we'll
wishers seem to think they can
best manifest their sympathy by
sending him something TO eat, so
the contributions come pouring
n"
The country relation looked
puzzled. 81 don't see" she said.
"why people should send food to
a rich man. He is able to buy
he needs"
$50 he is" assented the nurse.
Nevertheless. rich man who
happens to be popular in the bar
gain is the recipient of enough
nourishing viands to keep a small
family going for days on an ex-
ira allowance. And the funny
part of it is that many of these
contributors are in poor circum-
stances, and could utilize their
soups and puddings much more
advantageously by setting them
on their own table,
The country relation had anoth-
ar point to make. "The spirit Of
altruism is beautiful" she said,
''but l must say that if l were sick
don't think l should like my
room to be turned into a market
by strangers. | should be afraid
to eat the stuff they sent. should
be afraid somebody might try to
poison me. Did you never strike
a case Of that kind?"
"NO," said the nurse, ~ have
never experimental enough with
the food to find out whether it
was seasoned with rOugh-on-rats
or not. That plan Of doing away
with your enemies could probably
be worked if nurses fed their pa
tients indiscriminately Fortu-
they do not. five allowed
sick people to even nibble at the
dainties sent in to brace them up
they would be dead from some
thing worse than poison before
the doctor could find out what
allied them, 50 most of these sick
room offerings generally find their
way to tbp uarb9Up can"