The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-10-25
Nurse Helen
BY IzOLA FORESTER
Copyright. 1905, by Ruby Douglas
By IzoLA FORESTER

The first recollection Derrick had of
her was very hazy.
There had been the fight outside of
Kid Murray's. He remembered that,
every detail of 1t. For nearly week
he had been waiting for it to come off,
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
hobnobbcd 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 OH
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 Ills eX-
planatory address in Central hall Dor
rick 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 Rarker
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 OH 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 beat" OH 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 distinguished one shape that came
and went with more tangibility than
the other dreams. And one morning
he opened his eyes and saw two real
objects clearly, without the gray film.
They We're Nurse Helen and Barker.
Barker lay Il 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 looked harsh
and almost forcble 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 him
and wrap him up and ease him. Then
he thought of Barker.
rs 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 remembered swiftly Sew
eral weeks! That would carry him past
the 10th, and the 10th was the decisive
day in Pittsburg. And if Barker were
not on hand at that arbitration meet
ing to daily and parley and fool around
generally 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
Ing. 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
dish brown beneath her cap. He could
see the little curls around the edges.
1.-TWO weeks ago yesterday you were
brought ill.," she replied. at is the
9th"
Derrick tried to sit up in bed.
Two weeks" he gasped and dropped
heavily back OH his pillow.
You must not do that said the girl
severely. You have had 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,
circling, wheeling, waving, until he
could not stop himself and was lost in
its void. When he awakened it was
night. There We're two figures stand
ing beside him, the girl nurse and an
older woman.
He is worse" the girl was saying.
''Dr. Ingraham said he might leave to-
morrow. will be on again at Z. You
had better not let them take him be-
fore Ingraham sees him again."
Nurse"
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