The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-11
A Soldiers WOOinq

lCopyrlght, 1905, by American Press ASso-
ciaton.l
When the Spanish-American war
was over found myself at NIontauk
Point in the hospital. l was pretty
sick, but not sick enough to prevent
my noticing things, and there was one
thing noticed mighty quick. 1t was
my nurse. She was n beauty sure
enough, with superb figure and a
graceful carriage. She wore immense
coils Of chestnut hair piled up on her
head cannon-ball-like and fiared great,
lustrous eyes. Fancy a fellow who
had been for months In n benlehted
country, never n woman In sight, sud
denly cared for by such a creature
When l saw her coming toward my
cot she seemed like Venus rising from
the sea With all her clothes on and not
limp ruffle In her cap or apron. she
came straight up to me, looked down
on me with her fawn orbs and took
hold Of my wrist. The first contact of
her soft fingers sent my pulse up to
40. She seemed disturbed at that and.
turning away, looked about as though
for assistance. 1 didn't propose 20
have her call any one, so said:
Don't worry about my pulse. It's
normal-that is, It frequently sky
rockets about this time of day. and
when n lovely creature takes my wrist
between her seraphic"-
But before l could get any further
she rammed Thermometer into my
mouth and had to lie quiet, though
| never once took my eyes or her,
and II that thermometer had registered
my admiration It would have stood at
1000 degrees. I'd been sick before
and knew that a few minutes was
quite sufficient for the test. but she
kept the thing there quarter of an
hour Then she took It out. swung her
long lashes down toward It and was
making the record when / opened fire
again. ~
you're the first woman I've seen
since / got on that Internal troop ship
to go to Cuba. and more heavenly
sight
What did she do but jam the Their
mometer into my mouth again. turn
her pencil upside down and rub out
the record she had made. This time
she left me with the little glass tube
sticking out of my mouth like pipe
stem and went away. She didn't come
back for nearly half an hour, and
when she examined the thing again l
saw by her looks that she was up to
something.
"It's only a sight of so much beauty"
l started In but she paid no attention
to me, and saw her write down 08h
degrees. She went away again and
came back with lump OF ice, which
she clapped on the top OF my head.
She knew as well as did hadn't any
fever and didn't need any Ice. If
had she would have simply reported
my case TO surgeon. She did II to
cool my admiration. But 1t would
have taken frozen quicksilver TO do
that and as she walked coolly away
| followed her with longing eyes.
As soon as she was gone removed
the ice, chucked 1t under the cot and
lay thinking that l wasn't In It for
lmpresslng her and I'd better keep
quiet. When she appeared again con-
tented myself for awhile looking my
admiration, but she had to go and take
hold of my wrist, and that threw me
Into another fever, with a consequent
delirium, which burst out into speech.
"I'm worse this morning." / broke
out "and the reason I'm worse is be.
cause you've been away so long IL
you think can stand It to-
"Put out your tonguew she cried.
/ put It out just far enough so /
could humble what | had to say, but
she ordered me to put II out farther
and farther till couldn't say n word
Keep 1t there" she said quietly and
began scribbling something on her rec
ord paper, while lay with three inches
Of red, furry tongue curled out l
threw lot of feeling into my eyes, but
somehow | didn't feel that there was
anything effective about this sort OF
pleading, for no man can make love In
such a way, and after awhile pulled
In the member and commenced to wag
II again.
II Will proclaim my admiration"
WAS beginning, "at the cannon's
mouth" when she Jammed her ther-
mometer between my teeth, tried to
hold 1t 80 that could go on, but she
forced 1t under my tongue, and Ras
obliged to keep quiet. Either way
was bafiled couldn't propose to her
with my tongue sticking out or with
the cussed thermometer under It. /
made a virtue Of necessity apd re-
malned temporarily shut. OF.
The next time she came she brought
a surgeon with her and said to him:
Doctor, here's man who has been
made luny by exposure. He sees alb
surd visions and talks idlotlcally.
What shall do with hlmT
"We,Ye got. permission" reDlied tha