The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-02-27
The ShDw at the Huspital

There's going to be show today" the small
boy IN ward one, bed one announced eagerly.
There was the smell of sunshine and frosb mir
and perfect cleanliness peace and content were in
ihe faces Of the physical we-being was writ
len on the persons of the nurses but tragedy loom
ed large inevitable and often hopeless in every cot
the tragedy of crippled sick children, their lit
lie bodies bent, twisted and suffering
Outside the hospital large red auto came
booming up and from it slipped and scrambled
eight small children, seven girls and boy. care
less. happy youngsters, the spirit of comedy-the
comedy OF being young and hopeful and innocent.
Behind them came another auto bearing a come
dian of the comic opera world. and with him his
leading lady, the stage manager, the composer and
the author. Into the hospital they went coming
into its quiet atmosphere buoyant and healthy like
the cold, bracing breeze that swept in with them.
From the stage of a New York theatre these
merrymakers had come to the hospital to bring to
it some fun and JOY and life of q PARKWAY, unreal
kind They came because they had been told to
and because it was fun.
Where two wards met they laid a rug and set a
table and wheeled in piano. and while the stage
thus being set the eight stage children rushed
here and there and talked to the sick boys and girls
Some were too i'll to talk and just lay there not I'M
Outstanding. Others propped themselves up in
their beds, with look in their eyes a thousand
wears old. Unresponsive, they watched the chill
dren from outside fluttering from bed to bed.
The seven little girls ended by surrounding the
bed of the small boy who had announced that there
going TO be show, for it he who seemed
10 feel most keenly the responsibilities of host
and therefore talked and talked When one girl
with baby blue eyes and yellow hair nayely in
Quired, (Which Of do you like best" he
was put utterly TO rout blushed. il seemed sucked
his fingers and stopped. After all, be was only
seven, and 1t Is embarrassing TO be asked such
9 question with tother dear chamers-six of EN-
present.
The big bass of the comedian doomed "Conne
on ldddies7 and the eight children slid 10 him,
sputtering and sliding on the mosaic floor and
clanbered and chung to him till each Of the seyen
girls had been SWING high from the floor TO be
kissed by the tall comedian. Nurses carrying chill
dren in their arms, others pushing wheeled chairs
brought down the crippes and the convaescentS
from their upper wards, that they too might have
part in the great day. The composer sat at the
piano, the stage manager and the author and the
leading lady rod in the doorway A chord on the
piano crash d the comedians voice doomed
out a verse b. b song, while his chorus of eight
on his k4a1s his feet and his arms, Just as
they do ever riull only the audience so diff
fprent
The children Who could sat up in bed; those who
CoHldnr turned their heads toward the stage. DC
casionaly one small person had delighted grin,
but most of the faces had simply dazed. hungry,
fascinated look il was too wonderful to laugh at
They simply stared, and in their stares was the
tragedy of sick little empty lives.
Here and there stood a nurse her face beam
ing with pleasure, and by the wall two Sis
ters Just where the touched their somber robes
They had the look that comes to those who volun-
tarily pass their lives amid sickness and SORROW
a look of great peace and resignation
When the entertainers we're getting ready to go,
somebody said to the comedian:
ITS tragedy; a real tragedy, that the chill
dren upstairs are out Of it all.
You bet it is" said the comedian. well go
upstairs"
So they went up. and the comedian saang with
his chorus of eight and the leading lady sang and
did her dance and there no piano and the
comedian may have sung little off the key but,
as he said, Who cares about the key And the
author and the composer and the stage manager
sat in a row and hummed the air and pretended
hev were the orchestra and played imaginary from
bones and violins And the audience was just five
sick little children in bed,
It was time to go-they had come Tor hall an
hour and stayed two hours =
The eight little children clambered into the
and with foot and chug and wav-
ing of hands off they went. The others got into
heir motor car and also disappeared.
Gee, that was great show, the small boy IN
ward one. bed one said; Il wisht there was ago
NJ to be another tomorrow" he ended wlsttuIy.-
New York Sun. !