The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-17
CHIRPY.
The boy whe Cheesed Upthe Hospital ward
but wasn't wanted NJ H0me.

The boy VINO Cheefed Upthe Hospital ward.
but wasn't wanted ~ Home.
"Tll never bs nd Of this limp said the
boy, but never mind. I can walk I'D stain
pretty straight, but I'm ell on the fritz
coming down, but don't you care. You
wouldn't II you had known Chirpy.
"Chirpy was the boy in the hospital In
the next cot to mine. He hadn't any legs.
! had water on the knee. That was what
gave me the limp, but Chirpy hadn't any
knees. Still you never saw such q kid in
your life for laughing rs Chirpy was. That
was why we gave him the name.
Say, you nsver had water on the kneef
gou never want to. Look here, II anybody
walked across the DON In hat ward IL
shook my knee and / screamed out With
pain. II they happened to touch my bed
Lord!
If 1t hadn't been that Chirpy's bed was
next to mine / would have died in that
hospital. l would faint dead away with
pain, but when l came to there was Chirpy.
Never mind, old fellow he would say,
! pretty soon you and l will be out playing
baseball
1T nearly made you cry. hearing him
talk like that, knowing he hadn't n legs,
that they had been cut Of nearly to the
hips by q street car, but IL couldn't help
reminding you-at least IL did me-that
I hadn't anything the matter with mine
but water on the knee, and that was enough
TO comfort you.
There was anothsr boy next to Chirpy
| with one leg and one arm. Oh, yes, We were
O mangled bunch in that hospital. That
boy used to cry half the time, he said the
arm and leg that were gone hurt him 30.
Then Chirpy would talk to him and
laugh him out Of 1t and tease him till he for
got bis lost arm and leg. Then he would
end by telling him what they were going TO
do when they got out OF the hospital; how
they would play baseball and football and
tennis and golf. Chirpy had all these
games he never vould play again at his
finger ends to talk about.
1T wasn't 80 very long before he got 30
he could &c about in a roller chair. The
nurses brought him one. First he rolled
about the ward-that was before he got
we'll enough TO 20 outside. He would push
his chair up TO our beds and talk TO us.
Its getting to be springtime,' he would
say. 1t won't be long now before We are
rolling on the grass and enjoying ourselves.
Well be picking lowers and throwing u
hats in the air, straight up to the sky, we'll
be so glad we're living
After a while the nurses let him 90 out
in the yard. I tell you we missed Chirpy
when they did that! We'kept listening and
listening for the sound of his chair coming
humping against the outside door to be
let in. II we could have walked we'd have
gone and let him in, We were % fond Of
Chirpy.
Then he went home to his mother.
Blue! The boy without the arm and leg
nearly died Of the blues and I-well, I'm
not ashamed to say that I cried. We used
to lie in our beds and think Of Chirpy and
talk about him and wish we could hear his
little old chair como humping against
the outside door again TO be let in.
"I'd get up and walk to the door 10 let
him in said the one legged boy, ii I could
hear that chair
The sky was gray all over that day
and We were in tears, the boy and I, l with
the pain in my knee that seemed like 1t
would never in the world get we'll. and
the boy with the pain in the arm and the
leg thai he didn't have, when all Of a sud.
den we lifted our heads and listened.
"A chair coming humping against the
doorl
4'Chrpyl' We both cried, 'Chirpyl'
'Chirpy it was. He come humping his
chair at the door to be let in. Chirpy, half
half crying, 30 glad to be with us
again he could hardly wait to got In.
THE reason he had had TO come back
would have made anybody in the world
cry but Chirpy. You could hardly believe
It.
Ills mother didn't want him at home!
She had to work 70 hard. There was DO
little money. She couldn't take care Of him,
she worked 30 hard. She hadn't the time,
o were othcr children and other mouths
feed. Chirpy Was only another mouth
md another expense. He couldn't do
He couldn't dress himself even.
ae never would be able to do anything.
hadn't any legs.
so she sent him back to the hospital
But weren't We gladl"