Smyrna times., 1909-06-09
LOVE AND THE
PAY PATIENT,
By L. e. EBERLE.


greatly valued dollars to have it put on /
a neat brass plate. But really he was /
DR.. Bob, though he never heard him
self called thus till after the very end
of the story.
1t was Miss Eleanor Blake who |
called him Or. Bob. She was careful |
to let none but her own ears hear the !
words When she spoke to him or of /
him she was most punctilious and re-
spectful.
Miss Eleanor Blake was Dr. Bob's
Office nurse. Their attitudes toward
one another were impeccably profess
sional, but by a strange coincidence DR.. |
Bob also dropped the formal Miss
Blake" when cOnversing to his own
inner consciousness concerning her
She became Nellie on these Occa-
siOns. which were numerous.
Miss Nurse Blake was well born.
She had perceptions 1t went to her
wholesome heart to see with what
smiling poise Dr. Bob waited-and
waited. He did not adopt bravadO.
He never grew embarrassed or apo
logetic, nor did he finch in meeting
her eyes day after day In the empty
rooms.
So she loved him, quite hopelessly,
she assured herself, for his quiet, pro-
fessional manner never broke through
once.
Then came the first call! Eleanor
answered the telephone and kept all
the elatiOn that was humping up aud
down in her heart out Of her quiet.
businesslike voice as she reported to
DR.. Bob. She was only sorry that the
| patient had not come to the Office so
that she might have the glory of ush-
ering him in.
DR.. Edwards hurried to the address
she gave him. He said, 81 don't think
I shall be long Miss Blake" and she
said, every well. Dr. Edwards"
| The address did not indicate a very
good part of the city. He could not
expect a rich call from that quarter.
But it was a beginning-a beginning.
1t took DR.. Bob some time to reach
the address given him, for it led him
by devious ways to an old office build
ing, up many flights of rickety stairs
and to a dark room at the end Of a
hall. There was no response when he
knocked, but a frowsy boy from the
next Office appeared.
"YOu Doct' Edwards?' he asked.
DR.. Bob admitted that he was.
''Ie told me t give you this here, "
said the boy and handed him a folded
paper. then disappeared. DR.. Edwards
opened the paper. The words Fooled
again. and slangy sentence or two
greeted his eyes. He went downstairs,
wondering which of the fellows at the
clinic had devised the subtle joke.
DR.. Bob returned quietly to his Of
fee. Eleanor as she saw him return SO
soon, with his face more quietly com.
posed than ever, conjectured that he
had found his patient beyond human
help. She was sorry on his account.
She tried to work off her vague feel
ing of sympathy, for she did not know
what, by going into the operating room
and cleaning again the often cleaned
but never used instruments. She stay
ed at her work till after hours, til
suddenly the consciousness that sh'
1 Wdo uAciAC anu AOAAEAg NdAA4C ONGl nNAs
She finished her task quickly, theI
quietly opened the door into DR. Bob
Office
DR.. Bob was sitting at his desk. hi
arms across it and his head on hi
arms. There was a stiffness about hin
a look Of having been mOtionless fol-
ever. that brought Eleanor to his sid
with one terrified dart. She seized hi
hands, and he looked up at her Hi
stiffness was pain. not--what she ha
feared
That foolish joke had brought dow
= crushingly on his head all the burde
of all that waiting and hoping, and I'll
sight of it took away every consciOU
!. thought in Eleanor save that the ma
she loved was suffering.
She took his hands in hers, whispel
ing in a mechanical way: LET m
help. Let meihelp. Let me help" Br
she was scarcely aware of 1t.
DR.. Bob looked at her with light i
his eyes. He laid his hands on h,
shoulders and gazed down at her wit
a face wise and loving.
"When the first patient comes" |
said.
Eleanor decided against the ne
summer suit. She was saving vel
strenuously for she had a purpose
view
he One day she counted her none
Then she put on her hat and went
call on a cousin. The cousin had ma
ried poor, had a swarm of children al
was chronically i'll. When Elean
came away the cousin said she'd go
the doctor tomorrow and swore I
- tween kisses, hugs and fearful mau
derings that she'd never, never t
who had sent her.
The patient-the Arst patient-w
to arrive the next dayl The weatt
was the hot, soggy kind that enervai
a spring feverish world in May. I
saving that Eleanor had done b
meant much overwork and late hou
She was physically at her limpest a
= | nervously at her most uneven. S