The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-12-24
CHAPTER I.

q private contagious ward q room
that was always like a ships deck
stripped for action. with its metal bed
OF white enamel, its metal table and
its gray green wall. decorated only
with "colored supplement" prints be.
cause these could be changed frequent
ly and burned easily 1t was a room
Of dim light and a tempered shadow
one Of those bare hospital rooms where
you feel that the flame Of life, though
It burns low, burns without q flicker,
being protected and watched IN It's
feebleness with no sentiment of love,
but with the skilled care and the cool
eye of unimpassioned science.
The nurse sat at the bedside. her
hands folded in her lap, like a nun
nun-like in her face, In her placidity
beside such suffering, in the almost
melancholy sweetness of the face Of a
woman who had looked many times on
death alone at midnight and who had
lived for long year IN the constant
companionshlp Of pain.
But, indeed, the expression belled
her. She was watching her patient for
the signs of hemorrhage, listening
inteItly to his breathing, with the sub
conscious alertness of the engineer who
will sit musing with an eye on the
steam gauge and an ear strained for
rho S1iUlatn-f <.1,a Of In, %I,..
lar swing and cadence of the machi-
merry. The poor fellow I'm the bed
tossed and muttered fretfully. She
soothed him with her voice-with a
murmur of yes, yes. Go to sleep. then
Go to Sleep" as If she we're talking
TO child. There was no sign of nerv-
ousness or anxiety about her. Only
once, when she rose to take his pulse.
the stiff gingham of her uniform with
n slow palm in an endeayor to loosen
the starch in it so that it would not
rustic. The patient was making q dry
clutching in his m6uth. She took
piece Of Ice from a bowl among the
medicine bottles and glasses on the
table and put it under his tongue. He
sighed n breath of grateful weakness.
She stood looking down at him, slnil-
Ing with motherly pity. His eyes
were closed
He has been as self-willed In his
illness as a spoiled child. He had been
almost convalescent when, against all
warning the day nurse was
chatting with the doctor outside the
door-he had staggered from his bed
10 basket Of fruit on the table and
eaten two peaches before he was seen.
Tie result was relapse into far
more critical condition than he had
been at first. Here he lay now, strug-
Cling against death itself. She won
1ered whether he had sister who was
fond Of him-or sweetheart? who
had been sending him these baskets of
fruit
Tie was breathing regularly In a fit
full dozc. She returned to her chair
md leaned forward to look at him with
her chin I'm her hand.
Although she was not aware of It he
had changed for her; from being a
case he become a human being with
4 claim of interest on her, and she
,rowDed at his mutterlng of pain. Poor
fellow! Life must have been so full
FOR him Of interests, activities, prom
lses, achievements. To have II all end
his way, futilely, He had given the
college cry once in dellrium and
struggled, painting. through football
game. And once he had been standing
ID the platform of debate. Another
time he had been writing on an exam
nation In law. And still another time
she thought that she heard him speak
Jim's name in the tumble OF dellrlous
nUtterings.
Jim was TO have been q lawyer. Poor
Jim Her eyes filed at that old, tear
stained memory of Jim and her father
drowned together In that horrible acct
dent on the Delaware. Well, she at
least had not been burden on her
mothers small income, and soon-as
soon as she was graduated from the
hospital-she would be not only self
supporting but an aid to the others.
There were two long years of hard
work before her yet. She bit her llp.
The untiring run and babble OF his
aelirium. had been growing louder. She
went to him again to calm him with
fEn cntIn6 nj har Unico hn
up at her with smile that seemed al
most rational. 1t was only momen-
tary; he called her "Auntie," and De-
gan childish prattle.
I'm not seepy," he said. 81 don't
want to go to bed, auntie," and tried
to raise his head from the willow.
She took her cue from him.
Yes you are" she cooed. Go seepy-
bye. Auntiell tuck on in"
She arranged his blankets about his
shoulders, patting and smoothing them
down.
"Night-night," he said contentedly.
kiss me goodnight"
She touched his forehead with her
niger ups.
"Ssh," she said. and bent down to
him. The line screen at the foot of
the bed. hid her from anyone who
might pass in the hall. She touched
her lips TO his ferehead. 'Night-night,"
she whispered.
He looked at her with childish smile
poutlng his lips. 1t hardened slowly
into pursed mouth of perplexity.
Hello he said. Where"
He closed his eyes on decided
frown.
She was still blushing holly when his
regular breathing showed her that he
had fallen into quiet slumber.
CHAPTER III.
He was sitting in his armchair TAX
Ing q sun bath at window that look
cd out on the dazzling white of melting
snow. His visitors had just left him,
1T ct.,larc He MN x-o iffpo