The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-11
Our Daily Sport Story

room seem particularly still. The nurse waited--listening to the crack ling flames and the gleeful laughter of little children. A breeze had sprung up and blew in at the window, bear ing a puff of smoke with 1t. Glid ing quickly away, the nurse closed the open window, but was beside the doctor again to answer his next re- quest or to anticipate a want.
 Nellie Burdick and Dr. Gale had
 worked side by side in the same hos pital for a year, one as nurse, the other as physician. He had come to rely on her judgment and her opinions. It gave him strength to know that she stood beside him. It was her minis trations that saved many of his pa tients-not his skill. he assured them.
 Its good nursing" he said. Her womanliness, her tact and her tender ness won, first his admiration and then his love. It come about that he lin- gered in the ward over which she pre- sided. He loved to see the warm col or come and go in her face as she soothed or quieted a child, and he learned to know her footstep as she moved lightly about the room. In
 her presence he rested. and he was happy when she was near. One day he discovered that 1t was only when
 she was near that he was happy, and then he told her.
 He found her with face buried in her hands; sobbing softly beside the bed of a little child. He touched her hair tenderly. reverently, and he tried to | look into her eyes, but they were closed.
 He told her, in low. eager tones, of his love. Words were few but full of
 meaning She had listened silently, fra m hlin0 hut when Qha tried l. she could not. She looked at him pleadingly, and with a pathetic little cry. No, mo- she ran away, out through an open door. nearby. He had taken that as his answer; for he had not understood the wild tt-
 mutt in the girls heart. and he thought
 that she did not care. Their ways had parted since then--she had been sent to another ward, where another doctor
 had attended the patients.
 Now, as she saw the smoke beat in
 waves against the windows. she won
 dered if he had better know of the pos
 sible danger that they were in. He still needed steady hand and a quiet mind. His work was not yet finished.
 The smoke came slowly crawling into
 the room through cracks and crevices.
 The air was getting close and thick with smoke. Would no one ever come
 The street was @ poor. crowded one, with buildings old and rickety, but
 little inhabited in the middle of the day.
 The girl watched for a sign that he could safely stop his work, but he did
 not pause. and she saw no prospect of his doing so immediately. With
 breath coming quickly and lips slight ly parted. she took a step forward and lightly touched his arm. Look" she whispered. pointing to the smoke now beating against the window, and list
 en-" she added. The sound had become
 a low roar.
 Their eyes met as he looked up.
 I've been trying not to see or hear;
 for can't leave her." holding toward the woman "or take her with me yet,
 as I must when I go." He bent stur- ally to his task.
 Pale, but with lips closed firmly. the
 nurse replied quietly, "Very we'll" She
 was cool and thoughtful-comfort
 with the assurance that he understood
 the danger-and with precision and | care. made the doctors work more | speedy.
 The flames were licking the front
 room window-they were one room
 back-they could hear the glass crack le, and the window fell in with a crash. Five minutes more and I'll take her | out-somehow." he murmured. Please go now" he urged the nurse-"while | there's time. by the back stairs. I'll -get-along-some He spoke
 in gasps; for the air was choking and | he needed every breath. But the nurse did not move. Go" he com
 manded sternly. And still she stayed by his side-almost touched him.
 Nell. please go." he pleaded. and his voice trembled with earnestness. 'I can not-I will not-alone," she gasped.
 There was silence in the room for 1 moment. broken only by the hard ] drawn breaths of the inmates. At last,