The San Francisco call., 1909-04-18

THE TWO PATIENTS WERE TOGETHER
WHENEVER POSSIBLE
factory Shaving all day and sometimes getting piece
work do at home at night, that She might cNc
ont a few pennies more toward the weekly pittancc
/ suppose that during these months at the hospital
she enjoyed the only rest she had known We
did best to aid her, to restore her to health and
life. and yet | sometimes wondered why 1t did
seem as if it would have been kinder to save her
from the hard weary years that lay in wait Tor her
Ours not to question why Our profession ire
vocably says save 1t took three months OF con-
watching and infinite care to work this girls
She was then very weak. YOU imagine,
the physicians. who had heard her story decided
they would each contribute their share toward send
ing her to- the country for three or four weeks not
only that she might fully recover her health, but also
to put little brightness into the dark life they knew
stretched ont before her. But this denied
her
The father appeared and absolutely refused to al
low his daughter to go away Peadings and threats
alike did not move him. This miserable, useless
creature who had lived hi, hc in coutcnted dlencss
and squaor and who had already stamped out all
JOY OF living in his child, denied her even the
right get back her proper hold ON life itself She
had TO go to work. he said
What could We do The law recognizes no dis
tnctions in parental authority We had to let her
go. though knew what it would mean, But ve,
saw her again even sooner than expected "
seems that a week after She got home she was
forced back TO the factory Three weeks later She
was brought back TO us And this time she died.
That is all
Ring up the curtain Tor bit of comedy. An
old very i'll; also she very rich.
And (shall say consequently about dozen
more of her relatives were always in attendance
upon her. One day the word went forth that she
dying. The kith and the kin the third and
fourth generations and every thirty second conncc-
tion swarmed about her. She had been very de-
termincd, masterful old lady when in health,
ested in everything that going and with
enormous OF will power But now she seemed
have just given up without any resistance and
in almost comstose state that all thought por-
tended death There much weeping and wailing-
Suddenly one note of sorrow must have penetrated
her apathy. She opened her eyes and looked around
from one to another OF her prematurely grieved
relatives. Then a curious smile sort OF iickered up
and the minute she said in voice stronger than
any of us had expected hear from her again:
No use making your eyes red I amt going TO die
yet My / didn't know Id have such a large
funeral Well, you go there won't be any
funeral for while yet And if 7 you I wouldn't
order my mourning next time until had heard the
will read, the parting shot. Can you imagine
anything funny that shamcd beaen-d g-tail be-
tween-hs-lcgs appearance of that disappearing stream
of relatives: True to her word. my old lady got we'll
and as far as know (snd now that she understands
it would be just like herr, she may be still disappoint-
ing her relatives by a disgracefuy healthy old age
r. = =
Mclodrama romance, tragedy, comedy and, to
complete ouf-histronic summing here are some sam
pies of pure farce A to the hospital one
day accompanied by fine, dashing young woman.
The man OF those loose boned creatures that
to fit into the world as uncomfortaby as they
do into their clothes The only definite thing about
him his large nose. which looked as if it had been
broken and turned aside. While he stood by sub
mssively twrlng his hat the girl explained her
with perfect freedom and lack OF embarrassment tax
ing all enthusiastically into her confidence. This
was her young and though she had "been
keeping company with him for some time and he
all right, Charlie was, she couldn't see herself
marrying with a crooked nose. Now couldn't
the hospital hx his uoses OF course the hospital
could but it tried to dissuadc the man from such an
operation. The girl however. insisted upon il and
tho man meckly agreed. So what could the doctors
do. That man underwent untold tortures to gain a
straight and sweetheart. Now who will say
that this love Of the twentieth century is not equal
to sacrihce?
Another case once came up similar to this crooked
nose story. One day woman came to the hospital
with her husband and insisted that his eyes needed
operating upon. She said he squinted that she had
been married 10 years and she was lust tired OF
looking at that squint.'
And so the grotesque and the dramatic the pathetic
and the gay pass before our eyes. Can we not saw
that every hospital is in truth stage, where the
patients play many parts, and the nurse goes behind
the scenes and does her best make the play end
haDpiIy3