The San Francisco call., 1909-04-11

private patient, but had rooms vacant, and
so he had to come to the general medical ward
tor few days When he finally got his b.
Fent for me continually No could adjust his
pillows as 1 could; he would take his medicine
from no one else, and his demands grew more and
more insstent Finally he decided he needed me
all the time even after he left the hospital Did
tell you he a wealthy importer and lived in
India? But India seemed very far away and just
then there nothing that could possibly be so
slluring as my profession And yet. some times now
after these many years of nursing and when have
been reading my well beloved Kipling fall to dream
ing and wonder if to be Indian memsahib might
not have compensated after all
The east must have been especially attractive to
our class. One of the internes who going TO be
missionary in China fell in love with a fellow
and she after a time decided also that there
nothing earth delightful being missionary
10 China. Their engagement became known but be-
cause of the good work they both going to
complsh eventually the superintendent did not feel
that she had right interfere with the ways of
Providence and the salvation of souls, and Eliza
beth was allowed to remain. Any time she could be
seen walking about the wards with a sanctmonious
air and bearing far away look and bible. She
graduated from the hospital the interne they
married, and then they decided they could do
just much good in San Francisco and that it would
not be necessary to go to China at all. Question:
Did not the Chinese help her, and do you not think
she owed them something?
lot of love making goes under the influence
of anesthetcs. Ether apparently tends make peo-
pie sentimental 1 shall never forget one man who,
when he recovering from the anestehtc, kept
saying and Il am going to marry
that when I get well You know my nurse?
I going marry her when I get we'll That
nurse with the curly golden hair, going to marry
her when I get well" l was new in the operating
room and I wanted TO sink through the floor or
choke the do something equally desperate
could well sympathize with young surgeon a short
time afterwsrd when elderly patient prattled
about how sweet and dear he was and how much
she could love him. The other surgeons and
nurses always so thoroughly enjoy your embarrass-
ment
One day when I in the operating room there
was nurse in attendance the patient, who was
unusually old and ugly and the first thing this patient
said when she recovered from the ether was: did
you see my nurse? It's no wonder she never married
Gee. She's got a face to stop an eight day clock!'
But do not know if that was so much worse than
being taken for a mans grandmother I was very
young then and I had been told rather often that
was pretty And ] confess it slap my vanity
10 hear the say: Granny, dear. this and granny
dear. that" and ask for jam and sugar bread. He
must have thought he was boy again had to
laugh; it too ridiculous coming from this great
creature, who at least 40 years old and must
have weighed nearly 300 pounds
Men and women coming Of ether pitch
sweethearts' and darling" around promiscuousy
and often ask you hold their hands in short they
generally foolishy "mushy" remember
story that started out in a ~mushyr way but which
had an unexpectedly dramatic ending. One of our
nurses was spending her vacation in little country
town when one day she was called upon to look
after an automobile smashup, and when she arrived
on the scene she found confused of splintered
windows twisted tires tumbled covers shredded coats
and two moaning. mud bespattered masculine and
feminine creatures. The man. his hat crushed down
over his face swaying back and FORTH evidently
in mortal agony. But the nurse approached him
she heard him say: Now Sweetie it wasn't my fault
Precious Lovey, it viii be all right yet; never you
fear. Tootsie." When she interrupted to ask where
il hurt he would not hear of being attended See
that TOotsie is fixed up" murmured So the nurse
proceeded TO "Tootsie" and found that she had
sprained ankle and probable internal injuries
When she had been made comfortable as possible
the nurse once more turned to the man A stain had
begun to show through his hat and she lifted it off to
what the trouble She started back in horror
al the discovery that this man a former sweet
heart Of hers who had been fathless her and had
since married some else. Many stories of his
dissolue life had recently her. In fash she
fed1zed "hat the presence OF this young girl alone
with this man meant He was deceivng her as he
had deceived others and subsequent investigations
proved her surmises correct
Under pretense Of being single man he had
persuaded this girl to elope with him, and they we're
on their way to another state when the accident
happened.
Both the man and the girl were taken to the hos
pitaI. The girl had remain many months but the
left after few days lie never went back 10 his
family, and far could discover disappeared
] guess was the only who knew all the facts in
the case. used 10 enjoy hearing this nurse describe
the scene OF the accident; she could make us scream
with laughter when she initiated the mans whining
voice reciting his Incompatible list of pet names
Those good laughs mighty pleasant to look back
on they form some OF the bright spots in a nurses