Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-04-03
DAILY SHORT STORY
JENNY.
rorIginal.l

WOuuu0Q were pluCtU. 4ucIC was VIC
young fellow, Eugene Clifford, who,
though he had not been badly hit, was
so reduced by the heat that began to
fear he would succumb. He was a
plucky little chap under fire; that
learned from several of the other pa
tients who had been in the fight with
him, but dropped under inaction. Be
sides he had been very delicately
brought up. 1 asked him if / should
not send word for some of his family
to come out to him, but he said he had
run away from home to join the army
against his fathers express wish, also
knowing that it would be a great blow
to his mother. Now lie expressly de-
sired that they should not know of his
condition till he was we'll out of it.
But the weather. grew. hotter, and the
poor fellow kept losing strength. 1t
was plain that he was suffering from
nostalgia, or Inconsistencies, trouble
far more common in war than cow.
ardice Could l have brought some
member of his family to him l felt
his life, but didn't know whom to adj
dress, and, well, to tell the truth, he
was not the only man in the hospital 1
had on my mind, and / didn't have
time to take any action.
One day we secured Il lot of women
nurses. When they began to fit about
among the patients with their neat
white caps and aprons and striped
dresses, many Il poor fellows face that
had been gloomy enough before lighted
up with new life. The day of their ar
rival l was at work with case so dis
tressing that l placed a screen about
the patient to shut him off from the
others. From behind this screen
heard voices:
at was very good of you, Jenny, to
come down here to take care of me.
The surgeon wanted to send for some
one from home, but l wouldn't let
him. You see, mother didn't want me
to go to the war, and it would not be
the right thing to have any one come
to this Tophet on my account or even to
let you know I've been winged, for
they'd do a lot of worrying, especially
mother" ID.
1 recognized Clifford's voice and look
ed over the screen and saw one of the
nurses sitting by him, holding his
hand s,f.b
You must keep up a good heart"
she replied, 80 that you may get well
and go home"
"That I'll do very quickly now you're
here. I've nothing but scratch, you
know, and ought not to be here at all.
But somehow it's taken the strength
out of me-" '3t
I'll come to you often, but now that
I'm here 1 must help the others too.
So I'll go away for awhile-not long
then We'll talk some more of going
home"
As the nurse went out 1 beckoned her
| to come to me and asked an eXplana-
| ton She told me that Clifford was Il
trife fiighty and had mistaken her for
some one at home. Thinking that the
arrival of the real Jenny-for as Soon
as Clifford came to himself the illusion
would be gOne-might save the boy s
| life. we concluded to send Il message to
that effect to his people. The nurse
found letters in his pockets giving the
desired address, and the message was
sent. Clifford when not deliriOus treat
ed the nurse as Il stranger. but when
delirious as Jenny" Meanwhile he
was losing strength daily.
| One morning soon after the arrival
of ship from the north 1 was told
! that Miss Clifford was on the veranda
| and wished to see me. L went out
| -, nd a y
ed nurse costume.
81 have come to take care of my
brother" she said, though 1 am also
ready for other work. l was sent here
as a nurse for all"
There was that about Miss Clifford
which attracted me at once. resolute
bearing, an especially graceful figure,
a large, dark, honest eye. Beyond these
there was something which appealed
to me individually, though it is not to
| be described. l conducted her to her
| brothers bedside. There had been a
! change in him for the worse during
the night, and he was muttering in
coherently to the supposed Jenny. The
real sister took her place, but it seem
| ed to make no difference to the patient.
| | happened to be near when young
| Clifford Quoted down and became him.
self. heard an exclamation and, turn
| ing, saw the boy with his arms about
his sisters neck. There was nothing
spoken. Eugene kept his arms where
he would not have had the strength to
place them without the nerve the meet
ing gave him, as long as he could, then
they dropped and tears rolled down
his cheeks. His sister passed her hand
over his brow and whispered a few
words, and in little while the boy
| fell into doZe.
The tonic of this meeting was all
| that was required, and in a few days
Eugene had gained sufficient strength
for his sister to do other work. Mean
while 1 had observed that Miss Clifford
| possessed an administrative ability, q
cool head which she never lost and
| snIondid Dorvp She was one of those