The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-01-18

lbs ana unfortunate. l0ey were all
sufferers, and all belonged out in the
green fields, free and active as the
birds, but their lot had turned out
differently, and they were In the white
ward of the hospital instead. Still 1t
might have been worse. Their nurse
was al sunshine, the doctors were
cheerful, and sometimes friends would
bring treat or surprise that would
make their aches and pains easier to
bear.
But what these nine little invalids
wanted now was tenth one, so that
they could sing the song as it should
ba sung. He soon came in the person
of Nathaniel Roskey. He wasn't O.
actly an invalid until the doctors made
him one, and he wasn't so very unfor
tunate. He had been born with pc
culiar lip, like rabbits. You know
they call it hare lip. 1t did give
him a deformed and unattractive ap-
pearance, but what cared Nathaniel
for that? He could have just as much
fun; he could laugh and talk and run
and eat. Besides, he had q comfort
able home. The idea of being shut up
for weeks in hospital to have his
lip made overt He rebelled against
it; but he was only nine. His mother
wished him to look WELL and she knew
that in a few years her boy would
care very much how he looked. There
fore her wish was carried out. The
doctors performed a slight operation
while Nathaniel was drowsy; and
when he became wide awake he found
his face all bandaged up so that he
could scarcely open his mouth at all.
He couldn't laugh, he couldn't whistle,
and he did not see how he was going
to eat
1t was supper time and Nathaniel
| thought everybody better off than
himself. What was broken leg or
curvature of the spine compared with
| having your mouth bound, almost
shut, with court-plaster and bandages?
At first he refused to taste the cruel
that was offered to him with a small,
spoon. But he was hungry and there
seemed to be no escape. After supper
when the nurses were out for a few
minutes, the ward song was started
up, and lusty emphasis put upon the
last line"
'"Ten little invalid boys"
"What's your name?" asked the in
valid in the cot next to Nathaniel's. 0-
Now Nathaniel was not proud of
his name. 1t was too long to suit him,
I and he would have found it difficult
| jast then to pronounce anyway. Be-
sides that, he was not in his pleasant
est humor and had not yet decided
whether he wished to be neighborly or
not. Again the song was sung, with
emphasis on the ten as before.
"He will not tell his name!" shouted
a boy across the room.
Call him No. 10'" another pro-
posed. Some way Nathaniel disliked
that He tried to make grimace at
the boy who proposed it, but as that
was impossible ne muttered Nat as
well IS he could with a tied jaw.
"Hurrah," came the greeting in
chorus, and because Nat could do no
better, he just kicked up his legs and
swung his arms Once more the song
was sung, and the nurse came ina
signal for quiet.
The second day after this was Sun
day, and friend of the hospital sent
the ward a five-pound box of chocc-
lates. The box was passed around
twice, so that each invalid had two.
and then it was put on top of cup
board in one corner of the room. There
all could see it and long for the time
when it would come around again.
If there was one thing Nat loved
more than another it was chocolate
creams. He had never had all that
he wanted. He would have traded his
chance of a new lip for what was left
in the box. Of course, he had to press
them out fiat in his fingers before he
could push them into his mouth, but
they melted just as deliciously after
they got there.
Late in the afternoon when the ward
was very quiet, the nurse tiptoed out
of the room- Some of the boys were
sleeping, but there was one who was
very wide awake and wishing for just
that kind of a chance. Quick as a
wink he slipped out of his cot, ran to
the cupboard, climbed chair, reached
the box and scampored back to bed.
He was scarcely under the cover
when he had crushed one Of the sweet
morsels and pushed it between his
lips-another-O. how good they were!
The other invalids saw them dis
appear, and at once began pleading in
low tones:
"Give us one!"
pass it around!"
Don't be a pig!"
"Oh, say!'
Nat was more or less OF a pig, yet
he had some little fellow-feeling for
his nine comrades in misfortune; so
he made a flying tour Of the room,
giving each fellow just two Jumps.
Then hurrying back he dived under
the covers, box and all. And the way
he placed himself outside Of that