The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-03-27
Observation-Disclosures
CHAPTER III.
Nurse Joyce.


One morning. fortnight after the
accident to Sir John SistersOn, Nurse
Joyce, otherwise Christabel Joyce, the
pretty name Of a pretty girl was sit
ting in the drawing room of the dainty
club house. near Oxford circus. which
had been presented by it's patroness
to the association of trained women
known as Lady Lees Nurses"
There were several other nurses in
the room. mostly young like herself;
some of them were reading the papers
or the magazines, of which there was
plentiful supply, while others were
chatting and talking Of themselves or
their cases, or whatever else was up
permost in their minds. The only sub
ject. perhaps. that they did not touch
upon was dress; for nurses have their
uniforms and are forced to eschew,
for the greater part, that theme SO
dear to the feminine soul. and yet it
may be that for this very reason they
think of it the more.
Nurse joyce was neither reading
aor talking; she sat by herself, with
an air of detachment from her sur
roundings: at the moment she had lit
tie in common with the other young
women, for she was living III that
| h,.ir Of
(which love creates-and love alone.
Love had come to her with it's sweet
compulsion, and had made of her u
willing captive; the chains were gold
en-. and she Rugged her bonds. For
the time being she was in a state of
self-absorption. and all the woman
hood in her was making glad, unfalter-
ing response to the call which came
to her from the depths of her being.
| And yet he, the center of her
dreams. had not declared himself. But
she knew that he would speak, and
she was happy and confident. She
never doubted that he loved her: at
the right time he would tell her and
ask her to be his wife. AS a nurse she
was an independent" woman, but she
was not enamored OF her independ-
ence, as some women are. She liked
her profession. which she had herself
chosen on leaving her fathers country
vicarage some years before: but,
though she did not put it in SO many
plain words. she longed for husband
and children and home-which is the
same thing as saving that her heart
was full OF the genuine. characteristic
instincts OF woman, and beat warmly
human.
| AS she sat in the club she saw him
in her minds eye-a.r"n two or three
years older than heye>a8s arr,an with a
black hair and d nice mouth "a face
that lighted up wonderfully as he talk.
ed, and he talked much and we'll on
the things that interested him. and
they were many. He was tall. taller
than herself, and she was tall, though
not too tall, as some women are in
these athletic days. She thought him
manipulating man, clean living, and
honest to the core
| His name was Norman Forde, and
he was in partnership with her broth
err Philip: they were architects, and
for three years they had been strug-
Cling to build up a business in pro-
fession which is; probably more uncer-
tain of success than any other in the
world. They had made a fair start. but
nothing more. Philip Joyce was the
practical man OF the two. clever in
his way, but unilnaginative: Norman,
who had strain of romance in him,
and knew the cunning and the secrets
of the old master-builders who made
prayer and poetry out of dumb blocks
of stone, supplied enthusiasm and
ideas. Together they made capital
team
Christabel had perfect faith in Nor
man F'orde. Without thinking much
about his success or failure, she felt
confidence in him and in his future;
what she did feel, most of all, was that
he was man with whom her own flu.
ture would be secure. who could be re.
lied on. no matter what happened, not
to disappoint her. She trusted in
him. So far ne had spoken no word
of love to her. but she knew very we'll
that he did love her, and thought it
likely that he knew she loved him in
return-nay, she was sure of it, fol
this maiden was free from that
strange blindness of perception with
which some heroines are so richly en-
dowed by their creators. Perhaps il
was because she was not of the way
ward tribe. who delight to plague anG
hoodwink their poor, purblind lovers.
In one way or another she had seer
good deal of Forde. which: was natur
al enough, as he was her brother,
chum as we'll as partner; in the pas
year she had been at the countr!
vicarage on holiday when the tw.
men had come down together for ,
weekend, and the three Of them oc
casionally had dined in various res
taurants when she was disengaged o
had an evening ORA young lady,
friend of hers, in whom her brothe
took great interest, sometimes max
ing fourth member Of the Dartv.