Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-10-03
Nurse Helen
By iZOLA FORESTER
Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas
BY IZOLA FORESTER

The first recollection Derrick had of
her was very hazy.
There had been the fight outside of
aid Murray's. He remembered that.
every detail of it. For nearly week
he had been waiting for il to come OF.
on tip from the union secretary. And
it had all come true. The very night
that Barker had landed from Pitts
burg they had prepared his reception
in memory of the speeches he had
made before the coal barons. He had
been faithless. Barker had. He had
dallied and parleyed and dined and
hobnobbed and, as Murray said, play
ed the fool generally, and the wine of
| 1t all had made him heady, and this
while thousands of 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 Der
rick was on hand to see the fun. lie
saw ii. Not only that, but he was
right down in the middle of ii, and
when the boys made dash for Barker
as he tried TO glide out the back win
dow he went with them, not knowing
exactly why, but 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 clear
ed and Barker had been thrown up by
the tide into an ambulance Derrick.
the pink sheet" reporter, was beside
him with Il battered Uranium and
family riotous sense of victory, as he
dropped into Inconsistencies, of hav-
ing got a 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 view of the fifth heaven. Then
gradually out of the circling grayness
he distinguished one shape that came
and went with more tangbility than
the other dreams. And one morning
he opened his eyes and saw two real
objects clearly, without the gray film.
They were Nurse Helen and Barker.
Barker lay couple of beds away
from him. He could see the face on
the pillow The redness had left il,
and some of the unctuous mildness.
The outline of the profile looked 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, deftly, easily. impersonally. A
ward surgeon in white came by, stop
ped and bent forward to examine the
wound.
HE can leave tomorrow" he said
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 hira
and wrap him up and ease him. Then
he thought of Barker.
us he badly hurty" he asked.
The nurse looked startled for an in
slant. At least her eyes lost their i'm
look and met those of Der
rick. Then she understood.
'Xac Ha will not 10 49,. g..
weeks" she said quietly.
Derrick remembered swiftly. Sew
eral weeks! That would carry him past
the 10th. and the 10th was the decisive
day In Pittsburg And IL Barker were
not on hand at that arbitration meet
Ing to daily and parley and fool around
something definite might re-
suit. There was only one man to send |
IN his place, Strogund. and If Strogund |
went there would be no parley, no fool |
ng. He would win the strike.
Have | been here long?" he asked. /
The nurse was clearing the table be-
side the bed of bandages and bottles
Derrick noticed that her hair was red
lish brown beneath her cap. He could
w thN ittit Nli IL the euReS.
1.-TWO weeks ago yesterday you were
brought i'm she replied cit is the
)th.''
Derrick tried to sit up in bed
1.-TWO weeks" he gasped and dropped
heavily back on his pillow.
"You must not do that" said the girl
everely. You have had a high fever
md are still very weak. Don't you sit
lp again"
She went on, and Derrick closed his
yes. The grayness swept around him.
ircling. wheeling. waving, until he
ould not stop himself and was lost in
Is void. When he awakened IL was
light. There were two figures stand
ne beside him, the girl nurse and an
lder woman.
HE Is worse" the girl was saying.
DIR. Ingraham said he might leave to- =.
borrow. ! will be on again at Z. You !.
adj better not let them take him be- =.
pre- lngraham sees him again"
Nurse"
It was barely above n WhisDer hut