The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-01
TIE EVENING STOR r
Nurse Helen.
LBy lola Forrester.l

~~N--@
of, on a tip from the union secretary
And it had all come true. The very
night that Barker had landed from
Pittsburg they had prepared his re-
eeption in memory of the speeches he
had made before a bunch of coal
barons. He had been faithless, Barker
had; he had dalIied, and parleyed, and
dined, and hobnobbed, and as Murray
said, played the fool generally. and
the VINE of it all had made him
heady. And this while thousands or
strikers waited on his word, and their
children and wives waited for daily
bread.
1t was not wise Of Barker. Even
Derrick could see that. and Derrick
was merely reporter for what Murray
called the pink sheet" So the night
that Barker returned to make his ex-
planatory address in Central hall,
Derrick was on hand TO see the fun.
He saw it. Not only that, but he was
right down in the middle of it, and
when the boys made dash for Bar
ker as he tried to glide out the back
window, he went with them, not
knowing exactly why, hut crazy with
the sight of the running fox, like the
rest of the hounds.
They caught him outside of Muir
rays, and those who could not get
their hands on him began to throw
things. Some of the things went
astray, and when the melee was
up by the tide into an ambulance,
Derrick, the pink Sheet. reporter
was beside him with a battered era
mum and family riotous sense of vic
tory, as he dropped into unconscious
ness. of having got beat" on the
other papers
But the beat never came out, be-
cause for days the pink sheet" re-
porter lay up at Bellevue, and the
world spun round him In gray circles
like a view of the fifth heaven. Then
gradually out of the circling grayness
he distin guished one shape that came
and went with more tangibility than
the other dreams. And one morning
he opened his eyes ana saw two real
objects, clearly, without the gray film.
They were Nurse Helen and Barker
Barker lay a couple of beds away
from him. He could see the face on
the pillow. The redness had left it,
and some of the unctuous mildness
The outline Of the profile lokoed harsh
and almost forcible against the white
pillow And he was asleep.
Derrick glanced up at the nurse. She
was dressing the wound on his head,
swiftly, deity, easily, impersonally. A
ward surgeon in white came by, stop
ped and bent forward to examine the
wound.
briefly and went on.
And suddenly Derrick changed his
mind. He did not want to leave. He
wanted to stay there forever and let
this girl in gray and white pat him,
and wrap him up and ease him. Then
he thought of Barker.
is he badly hurt?" he asked.
The nurse looked startled for an in
slant. At least her eyes lost their i'm
personal look. and met those OF Der
rick Then she understood.
Yes. He will not be out for several
weeks, she said, quietly.
Derrick rem rendered swiftly. Several
weeks. That would carry him past
the tenth. and the tenth was the de-
cisive day in Pittsburg And II. Barker
were not on hand at that arbitration
meeting, to daily and parIey and fool
around generally, som ething definite
might result There was only one man
to send in his place, Strogund, and If
Strogund went, there would be no par
ley. no fooling. He would win the |
strike.
Have I been here long7" he asked.
The nurse was clearing the table be-
side the bed of bandages and bottles. |
Derrick noticed that her hair was red
dish brown beneath her cap. He
could see the little curls around the |
edges.
1.-TWO weeks ago yesterday you were
brought in she replied. 1T is the |
NINTH
Derrick tried to sit up in bed.
Two weeks he raSned and /
dropped heavily back on his pillow.
You must not do that" said the |
girl, severely. you have had a high |
fever and are still very weak. Don't |
you sit up again
She went on and Derrick closed his
eyes The grayness swept around him,
wheeling, waving. until ne
could not stop himself. and was lost
in its void. When he awakened it was
night. There were two figures stand
ing beside him. the girl nurse and an
older woman.
He is worse" the girl was saving.
DIT 1ngraham said he might leave to-
morrow. I will be on again at T. You
fore 1ngraham sees him again.
It was barely above a whisper. but /
she heard and came to the bedside
for me?"
ITO your friends?" The nurse was
used to such requests, and this par /
ticular patient had seemed particularly |
friendless.
yes" Derrick tried to think clear |
ly, to keep his grip on things before
the grayness should come again. Call |
up 30OS Main, ask for City Roon-for |
Yates Tell him that Barker is laid |
up in Bellevue with a smashed head |
Tell him-oh, hang it, If I only could |
get on the wire for half a minute!'
on must not excite yourself said |
the nurse, calmly. You could not pos /
sibly travel to Pittsburg tomorrow. |
You must be quiet, and not worry
Derrick stared at her She thought /
he was Barker. And her eyes were |
dark blue, almost hazel. And she was /
young.
Il will send the message tonight /
she said. and walked away.
And Derrick smiled for the first time |
IN many days, and went to sleep with
out the gray void around him She |
would keep her word. Yates would /
attend to the rest. They you'd be able
to follow up the tip. He wondered
vaguely which of the boys would be
sent to Pittsburg to cover the barons'
end of the story. and then he ssniled