Evening journal., 1905-02-01
Long
Distance
WurSfnG
o0pvri0hi, 1901, bv 4. S. Riohardson
o.osososososooso.osososo

Six months before she had resigned
position as under nurse in a New
York hospital for that of superintend-
ent or head nurse in a hospital in the
heart OF West virginia's mining dis
trict. Her predecessor had left the
staff well organized, and there was no
special work to counteract the home
sickness which naturally followed her
arrival. The biggest ward in the hos
pital was given over to typhoid pa
tients. and, in truth, they overhowed
this ward and took possession Of three
others. Nearly every new man at the
mines yielded to typhoid sooner or
later. II was part Of the process Of ac-
climation. The cases were rarely seri-
Gus, the patients uniformly stolid- The
fever ran its course, the Grimm Coal
and Coke company paid the hospital
charges, and the patients as stolidly
returned to the mines to have part Of
their wages deducted each month and
applied on this hospital account.
The deadly monotony was getting on
Marion Kent's nerves. At st. Pauls
there had been no monOtony. The OPP
Grating room had been the workshop
Of some Of the most marvellous sur
geons in America. There had been
fights for lives in which house doctors
and nurses had Joined hands and fal-
tered not day or night
The surest cure for Miss Kents pres
ent mental condition was work, activ-
ity and a patient who was at least in
teresting. She felt a wild inclination
to go into the convalescent ward and
stir up the men, stolidly sleeping even
before the night.
At this same moment she glanced
down the road which led from the
railway station and saw that the su-
perintendent's special car, attached to
the construction train engine, was slow
ing up by the water tank A cot was
carried out Of the car, and four bear
ers brought out a limp figure swathed
in blanket. Another typhoid patient
no doubt, probably a little worse than
ordinary or the special would not have
been called into service.
She was further surprised few mo
ments later to find herself greeting
the superintendent OF the mining com
pany.
Il want you to give this case par
ticular care. He is young Jack Stan
ton, nephew Of Mr.. Grimm, president
OF our company. 1t is the same old
story of typhoid, and, though / warn
ed Mr.. Grimm that II would come,
feel responsible for the boy. Give
him the best nurse you have and as
much of your own time as you can
spare"
"You call him a boyg" said Miss
Kent.
"Yes; he is only eighteen. Between
ourselves, Grimm claims the young
ster has made him a lot Of trouble
He didn't like school. and so Grimm
sent him down here to learn the Goa
and coke business from the beginning
You'll find him rather a decent sort OF
patient, and for heavens sake dom
let anything happen to him. Grimm
seemed glad enough to ship the boz
on to me; but, just the same, / dom
imagine he will be any too gentle will
me II anything goes wrong"
Ten minutes later Marion Kent wat
in the private ward IN which younl
Stanton had been placed. He had jus
received a cooling sponge bath, and h
looked at her with eyes that shone witt
something beside fever. "My, but tha
felt good. and it is awfully jolly, dom
you know, to see a woman's fac
againr"
Miss Kent turned up the lamp
trihe and bent over her new patient
1t seemed to her that she had neve
looked into such marvellous brow
eyes-eyes that could twinkle and dane
and hide the deepest and tenderest o
feeling. She glanced from them to tn
boyish features. Stanton lifted hi
hand weakly and felt of his chin.
Il wanted EN- to give me a shave be
fore they brought me down. knew
would give you women an awful starr
1 look so like a tramp"
Here was novelty with vengeance
a patient who cared how he looked Il
the presence of the nurses.
Miss Kent sat down beside him. Sh
felt somehow as If she ought to ao
dress him as a willful boy.
you know this is sort Of low feve
you have, and you'll get very tired O
It and Of u.s.
''Not of you, you betl Say, did 70
ever sleep on the hard side Of a stray
tick?"
Miss Kent shook her head and cor
tinued her little moral lecture. Il Jus
want you TO realize that while yo
don't feel very sick you're liable to b
} good deal worse IL you are not
good patient"
"Oh, I'll be good, all right. You jus
, watch me-"
, And Miss Kent did watch him Close
, ly more as a psychological study tha
Z as a patient. Without asking question:
bit by bit she pieced together the hi.
, tory Of his boyhood. She saw tn
I businesslike, uncompromising attitud
Of the uncle to whom the boy ha
been left as a legacy by his dyin
mother. The wealthy bachelor hn
given freely Of bis money, but not G
: his sympathy. He had made no enol
: to understand the boy--to establish il
b innate relations with him. If teacher
/ and tutors had said that the bow wa