Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1903-06-06
>ko1< WO young married women

LAWN wv young murTSu WoiueH
II were sitting by the fire in
Q . a dressing-room of an Eng
Il u u lish country house Mt the
TC< hour of o'clock in the
morning. The elder had beauty express
siye of strong, tender character. The
younger, a ragfeatured, piquant little
creature with eyes full Of curiosity,
was speaking.
$50 you married poor man"
"A distinguished soldier"
II know; still"
Exactly! will crafty you. for II
I do not tell you the truth you will
invent a fiction"
The inquisitive one laughed and nod
ded. She who was willing to be COM
municative continued:
"You know I was without family or
kindred, heiress Of large income and
n beautiful old home. After my school
days I attached myself to good lady
who Travelled with me over great deal
of the world, for felt unbearably soil
tary in this place, and I had a lively
desire to visit other countries and
have the experience Of other lives be-
sides my own. After some years, my
dear companion having died, I found
myself here, alone except for servants
and the neighbors and acquaintance,
who made me an object Of their at
tentions."
II wonder you did not marry at
once" interrupted the inquirer.
MANY wondered but partly because
my friend had warned me, perhaps too
urgently, against mercenary men, a
good deal because had not been edi-
fed or attracted by any Of the mar
riages had seen, and suppose" with
sudden smile, because I had not
met with the man who was happily
my fate, I shrank from all suggestions
Of the kind and held on with both
hands to my liberty.
after a season or two Of pleasure
in both town and country craved for
another change. Ungrateful for my
endowments I envied some others their
poverty, and at last resolved to taste
an experience which it seemed that
Providence had hardly ordained for me-
allowed my friends to suppose that
was bent on further foreign wander
ings, wound up my affairs in prepara-
ton for a long absence. committed
my home once more to the guardian
ship Of my trusted housekeeper, and
departed this Society life.
Imagine me then in st. Thomas's
Hospital, in cap and apron, studying
hard to fit myself for frst-class work
as nursing sister.
"Oh, that was what you did, was it?"
broke in the listener. How quiet you
kept it! MY dear, wish had seen
you in the cap; it must have been so
becoming to you"
1T was different from this" said the
narrator, touching the diamond star
in her hair, "but liked it well. There
was 40 time to think about becoming
ness; was thoroughly sick of all that,
and had left it with my laces and jew
els at my bankers. What I wanted
was work worth doing, an assurance
that my suffering fellow creatures
We're ever such little bit the better
for my existence"
The listener made little grimace
and smiled. "You We're always so
odd, DEAR" she said. indulgently.
Gust as I finished my term and re-
ceived all my qualifications the war
broke out, and 1 was soon in the thick
Of It, for was Of the very first band
Of nurses dispatched to the front"
II can't believe it. You were not
afraid Of being shot, or blood poisoned,
or terrified into fits?"
81 Just felt that was living in ear
nest"
"Come to the point, however. Where
did you meet him?"
II think the very first time saw him
was when he lay in the hospital bed
in Pretoria covered with blood. You
shrink at the thought. I did not at
the sight. I went to work to help
the surgeon and to make the patient
as comfortable as I could after cruel
operation"
"And he fell in love with you on the
spotY
"He wasn't in n condition for any
such prompt proceeding. He required
all his energies to wrestle with the
fever through which nursed him. The
first time I spoke to him about any.
thing beyond his medicine and nour-
ishment and the ease Of his pillows
was after he had been some time con.
valescent-one day when I saw par
ticularly sad look on his brown face
and asked If 1 could do anything for
him; perhaps write letter to his
| friends. He thanked me and said he
had no relatives, no one would be
specially interested in hearing about
him; and thought 1t pity that some
body should not he glad Of his recov
cry as well as of the distinctions that
awaited him."
81 did my best to cheer him, and or
| the long hot summer evenings while
was tanning him We had many Q
quiet conversation. He was much In
terested in all the nurses, was always
| admiring their skill and gentleness, de
| ihiS hC >SA'
sidered more to be pitied than the SUI
ferings Of their patients"
"And you were jealous"
"NO. I thought of him only as ,
sick man under my care, and wa!
pleased to amuse him with whatever
discourse he might fancy. One da!
he gave me his ideas about the nursing
vocation, which included the opinion
that ladies with home, money and posi-
ton ought not to forsake their NOR
immediate duties for the hospital, bu
that the career of the care of the sicl
should be left open to those womel
who needed an occupation and tn
means of obtaining a livelihood.
thought 1t for the moment n prosai
and disappointing theory, button refiec
ton I admitted that 1t was kindl.
one with regard to the less favore,