The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-11-06
M IIZE." W
W.
Story Of a Cripple in a Chicago Hospital,

'crutcheS ana q SOunQ OF ner merry
laugh even the peevish m~illionaire's
wife in the west suite frightened up
for a few minutes.
"It's only good morning can say
to you to-day, dearie." Aunt Liz
would call out to her. 81 must
hurry downstairs to those precious
children"
o Even the lordly elevator boy
waited for her and helped her out at
the next floor. Into the children's
ward she would turn, inquiring anx-
iously whether the babies had been
bathed yet. She. was happy indeed
when she arrived in time to assist
in bathing them.
"Oh, the pink skins of them and
the solemn eyes of them, like bits of
heaven shining through! Do you
know" she would confide to the
nurse, "I'm often thinking they're
knowing more than we do. And
why not? It's only a little while ago
that they left the place above and 1
think the good God lets them re-
member it all for a while"
<As anxious any mother was she at
the weekly weighing Of each babe.
,You can't stop the young rogues,"
she would cry. They'll grow in
spite of you?"
Then she would hobble off to make
the rest Of her rounds, for she was as
faithful as any house doctor with her
morning calls. A carnation would
bloom from beneath her knit shawl
for the old deaf nan in the end bed.
An orange would go to another old
woman.
tut, tut" she would say to stop
their thanks. II am giving all these
things because people know that I
know how to distribute them better
than they do"
To a homesick girl she would
Xhisper: "I've a fine love story up
stairs that I'll bring down to you.
Itll make you forget yourself for a
few hours.
Poor young thing" she would.
luulI uCl W ACl oCll. Nv yOuh6 W
have the bloom of youth squeezed
out of her."
L.. None could give richer sympathy
to the suffering young than Aunt
Lie, for, indeed, her W youth
had been squeezed out with an in
jury that had bent her back and
made her limbs shriveled and useless.
But haven't I the two eyes of me
left and my two hands," she would
demonstrate with those who attempt
ed to condole with her. "Fiddlesticks,
child! Give our sympathy to the
unfortunates who need it,"
Her visits must all be made by 10
o'clock, for then ar orderly would
come to wheel her into an operating
room where for an hour she would
bear torments that are given few to
know. For the rest Of the day she
would have to lie motionless in her
bed, the blood gone from her wrinkled
cheeks and her eyes closed with pain.
However, by late afternoon the in
.domitable spirit would conquer and
Aunt Lie would be at work, propped
UP in bed. She mended socks for the
young internes.
poor young things" she confded
to a visitor. Twas a pity to see
them all run down at the heels and
their mothers miles away. These
laundries do wear holes in things and
you wouldn't have to throw their
clothes away for the sake Of a few
small holes-not when Aunt Lie
can mend them"
Surreptitiously she was embroider-
ing a pair of cuffs for the probation
nurse on that floor. 1t was a char.
%acteristic Of Aunt Lie that she
should spend her spare moments pre-.
pairing a surprise gift for the one in.
dividual in the hospital who ever
said sharp things to her.
So she went through the DAYS
cheering, encouraging. loving. moth.
ering the whole institution. Even the
ambulance horses had neat straw
hats that she had made for hot sum
mer days.
Finally the tin came when the
surgeons said they had done all they
could for her and that she might e
home. Home meant to her onl,
the one room in which she LIVED
among strangcrs-beloved, no doubt
but aIon,. OnIy then did her courag,
fail. She had filled her place so com
pletely in the hospital, she had beef
so appreciated, that the thought o
leaving it all and going back to he
former colerless existence was to-
much for her.
"Oh, the little ones" she moaned
II could leave all but them, 1 al
ways longed for one of my ,wn
though I knew it wasn't for such a
l! Sometimes I've thought IL l onl
had a little more money-only a littl
mose-I'd take some mother ;
baby. But there's just enough TO
one and I couldn't bring poverty o.
a helpless child"
- A nurse repeated Aunt Lie
words to her surgeon. Whether h
carried them to the west suite 0
whether they remained with bin n
one knows. The next day a legal