Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-12-29

Washington: :.
The end of the romance OF beauti-
ful Katherine ElkiHs and the Duke
of the Abruzzi Is to b" like the final
chapter OF an old.fashionrd novel. In
which the heroine fees with her
me mories to convent walls. and the
hero bctakes himself and his wound
ID hear; to the wilderness Of til"
world to seek orgeltulnrss
The authoritative announcement IN
The early part OF tn" month that
there would he no marriage between
Miss Elk'ns and tn" Italian Prince
and cousin of a king was hardly cold,
when he cable brought from Rome
the report that the Duke w2a plan
ming 10 be OF to the unexplored noun.
tain fastnesse of lniia. Subsequent
dispatches have confirmed that re
port and ever since Washington has
been wondering what the young
woman would do with herself. II be-
Ing assumed that her affections have
been as deeply wound 4 as her royal
suitors by the breaking OF the en-
gaeement.
Abandons Society for Hospital
III was learned to-day that Miss
Elkins' atritvdr toward society for
the next six months at least. and
perhars longer, will hc more ser'ons
than was ever anticipated. She Is
going to try to forge by giving her
time up entirely to the study ana
course necessary 10 iii herself to b"
a trained nurse.
arrangements hav" been made by
hp pnrinps UnFls
OF study in the Homeopathic General
Hospital. at Second and n streets.
in this city. on Monday week. She
has employed pat professional
nurse 10 be her mentor and guide IN
the early steps of the course which
she Is to take. This nurse. woman
of high professional attainments and
good breeding. will, il is understood.
practically become OH" OF Senator
Elkins' family
Severe Course OF Training.
THE course which Miss Elkins Will
have 10 follow. under the rules of hos
pital training. will include attendance
at all lectures. clinics and operations.
She will have to spend a certain mum.
Der of hours each day I'm various
wards observing the treatment OF
patients and fit ing herself to take
dress wounds, apply ban
dageS and do all and several OF the
oces which a nurse must perform for
the sick
1T is said that Miss Elkins' tuition
will cover only six months. this period
having been fixed ~ her as time
in which she could decide whether
she would continue her studies. She
will not live at the hospital az other
nurses in training ar" compelled to
do but she will have TO put in most
OF her days there and frequently
nights if she hopes to keep up with
the course.
Her Friends Puzzled,
Miss Elkins has mystif1ed her
friends and several of them have
OWNED that she was preparing a sur
prise for them. Nobody in her social
circle would do anything quite so Sc
rious as studying for the profession
of trained nurse. Her friends will
be surprised. i
Those who know Miss Elkins we'll
are sure she has it in her TO make
an ideal member of the nursing pro-
fession. but they do not believe that
she will go to the extent OF follow
ing her present bent longer than the
six months course There are ro-
mantle girls in her set who will
think that she has hit upon the one
thing outside of a convent that is
proper for her to do. who might have
been a princess and a queen. per
haps some day if cruel tradition and
the dicta OF royalty had not raised
an insurmountable barrier.
According to the most reliable in
formation there has been no cOmmu-
between Miss Eikins and The
Duke since December 2. when he
sent her cablegram Of 2a0 words.
presumably bis farewell message. 1t
was only FIVE days afterward that
the news was received that the Dixie
had planned to go on another eSelor-
ing expedition. and that he had thos-
en- the most hazardous task of
climbing the great Himalayan peak