Free press., 1907-11-02
The LOVING CUP
BY Ida Alexander

/
had been many of those visits at first
-three-four-fiye a day. Now they
had dwindled down TO one. There had
! been no others in the long three
weeks, vet he had never before been
alone since his illness began. The
trained nurse had always been at
| hand. firm, capable, noiseless.
He did not exactly like her. He
! had sent her for walk, noting with
quick, professional eye, the girls pale
cheeks. He knew the case had been
! q trying one. At any moment she
might come back there was no
chance OF her forgetting one dose OF
! the nauseCus medicine. He turned to
look at the clock. No, there were yet
80 minutes, and it was not likely she
would return before that time.
He gave himself up to thought, and
the thoughts were not pleasant. How
| easily ne had dropped out of the lives
of his peopie! ii0W little 1t would
| have mattered if he had 1ett then4 for
ever! He had been such a careful
shepherd that he had begun to look
on the sheep as his own. Well, they
had all forgotten him.
The doctor moved restlessly. Why,
even his present illness bad been caus-
ed by working for others. Five bours
he had fought for the life of little
! half-droWned baby When the fight
was won and the thanks of the mother
still echoed in his ears, he had met
aIrs. Davis burryirg in search OF him.
1t was not such long walk to the
! little cottage where wee Pinky Davis
| lay struggling for his breath, but the
night had been cod. l. terly cold.
And then-weli. cen - himself he
! had never quite acknowledged that
! the chill which ushered in pneumonia
| hal been caused by making Mrs.
DAVIS put on his heavy overcoat.
l>Whatever the cause, the effect was
only too apparent. 1t had taken but
three weeks to undo the work Of 80
years.
Something very like a tear was try
ing to find its way from the little doc
tors trembling eyelid, but he forced it
back, and the voice which answered
tie nurses gentle tap was steady.
She came in flushed and animated.
i've had the best walk" she said,
And I've brought you a basket of
daTodils-the darlings! May l bring
them in?'
Thank you, if you will be so good
answered the doctor. why do you
ask rermission?"
We'll, at first you made me take
some flowers away. l suppose I ought
not to have bothered you with them,
but nearly every one is SO pleased to
have them. Don't you like fiowers?"
why, yes" said the doctor, Il am
very fond of flowers. +"
But somehow he could not bring
himself to explain to this matter-of-
fact young woman that he had sent
them away because none of his people
had cared enough for him to bring
him any Medicine first, then daffo-
dis said the nurse, smilingly.
When she came back with her
basket of the flowers the big doctor
sat by the bedside
Another present for the popular
patient?" he asked why, that re
minds me have package and let
ter III get them. I've left them
w IiSt Will lily COeil
The little old doctor broke the seal
with an apology He could hardly wait
to read the letter Miss Lydia Dolli-
yer had traced it in her stiff penman-
ship, of fashion long gone by. He
read:
Dear Friend This loving cup is
sent to you by all Of us who love you
Every one gave something, from Pinky
Davis, who gave his candy penny, to
Malachi Boone, who gave $50. Now
that the danger is past, III tell you
how we came to get it. We thought
you were going to die. put my apron
over my head and cried-cried as
haven't cried since-Yell, no matter
Every one was doing the same. By
ones and twes they kept coming over
until it was like a party for numbers,
and a funeral for faces. Then | told
them about flowers. In that way we
could show you what we have never
showed you, knowing all the time in
my heart that then it would be too
late. But when the news came that
you were going to live-then l can't
tell you. But think we cried as much
as at first So God bless you. l sup
pose you knew there were many who
honored you. But l believe in telling
before it is too late
There was something about the lit
tie doctors face as he finished the
letter which made the nurse retreat
with her basket of daffodils But the
big new doctor %It the string of the
package, and passed it unopened to
the hands which released the letter.
Come, comet" he said at last, gruf-
fly. through the catch in his throat.
"This will not do-wilI not do What
are these precious neIghbors of yours
about? Trying to make you worse?'
No. said the other, gently, "they
wouldn't try that-and they couldn't