Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1903-02-27
what is your name?" asked the

.What is your name?" asked the
girl.
Fanny Martin" she said
'Well, am going to have the answer
to my message sent to you. am not
anxious to have people talking about
my being down here"
Don't want your right hand to
know, eh?"
But made no explanations. .
Suddenly Miss Martin came running
down the path.
"Come in here, quick she said
and went back ahead of me. I fol.
lowed her into an old-fashioned square
house, with wide oilclothei hall, and
thin balustraded stairs, which she light
ly mounted. In the room was an old
man who had fallen back on his pillow,
dead, his face drawn and yellow with
the scourge. Standing by his side was
tall, sallow woman, Who'll am
ashamed to confess-even in that mo-
ment presented herself as a familiar
figure. had seen her counterpart on
the stage hundreds of times as the
typical spinster. There were even the
glasses and the keys and the punches
of skinny curls behind the ears. She
was looking down at her father in a
hard sort Of dumbness.
1.-THE servants have gone" Miss Mar
tin said. There is nobody to do any
thing. 1t is lucky you are here"
did not stop to contradict her. but
set to work for humanity's sake to do
what could
One of the sorrows of those times
was that the dead must be buried so
quickly. took lantern, went out to
the burying ground. and hunted up the
family lot. With the assistance of
negro man. whom Miss Martin discov-
cred, dug grave. We went back to
the town and found a coffin, and in the
early summer morning we buried the
dead man.
As we came out of the graveyard I
stopped Fanny Martin.
Have you been to the Officer" l
asked. a, ~
Eyes, indeed"
"Well, where Is my message?"
"There wasn't any"
1.-THE deuce" I said, and walked on
back with her. The spinster lady lin
gered by her fathers grave. Miss Mar
tin seemed inclined to stay. but knew
she could do no good there I took her
by the arm and led her back to the tel.
egraph Office, and dictated some mes
sages that would bring answers.
/ left her clicking Off a long message
to somebody
1t was almost dark when a knock
came on my door, and the grayish
negro boy put bis head In and followed
1t by the rest of his body, carrying
a yellow envelope. 1t was from the
superintendent, telling me he would do
what he could for me. but he feared
I should be stopped, as quarantine
was very strict.
IF | don't get out. any way you
will be sure to get your tonic" said to
Fanny Martin. We had grown to be
famous friends. She was a smart,
clever little thing. with shrewd way
Of looking at life, and keen sense of
humor She had made excursions
round about during the day. riding on
horseback. There We're very few cases
left, and they were going to move on
to the next town.
"The reports are exaggerated" she
said; 'but then that's what sells the
papers. It's all In the days work.
Now, suppose you tell me what brought
You down here"
THE nurses train
Eyes, but before that. Had you
secret sorrow! Had your wife died, OF
your sweetheart Tilted you. that you
valued life so lightly?"
"My sweetheart had Tilted me. or re-
fused to marry me, the night I started,
but can hardly say that valued life
much the less. l am going back to
try 1t over again"
what Is the matter.with you" Fan
ny Martin asked. "You seem like
very respectable person. The Presi-
dent Of the G. A. s. 8. seemed to think
you were a reliable man"
Il am. I am too respectable. She
says 1 am practical For example,
she says that all see in yellow fever
epidemic is it's effect on trade"
"And you came down here to nurse
and show her better?"
mot by a great deal!" said en-
phatically. And then I told her exact
ly how it all happened
"And she wants romantic loverT
II suppose So"
"Ah" said Fanny Martin.
1t seemed to me that men looked at
me oddly, and shook hands with mel
more heartily than usual. Ny friends
are serious, hard headed fellows, a
good deal like myself. not much given
to effusive expression; but one of them
actually called me hero.
1t is very seldom that ladies visit
my Office, but as went in I saw
CLEAN of summary apparel A mo-
ment later there was rush and a sob,
and Julia, actually Julia. was in my
arms.
= - = t.nA Te1