The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-04-05
SUCCESSOR TO CLARIcE.

After young Russell had jabbered
of the leering COLLINS of his deliri-
UNI, he lookel up from his bed OF
fever and remarked:
81 want 10 see Clarice, old man.
I'm dying for a glimpse of a pretty
girl"
His brown eyes were good and
grave, so that l knew it was not
the fever. n.
"Clarice"- l began, then hest
tated. 1t is not well to remind a
man sick will, swamp fever in a
camp hospital at the edge of no
where that his best girl is married
and the mother of beautiful twins.
But Russell saw and understood.
ooh, / know she's married, doc"
he said, frowning. But you don't
think that keeps me from longing
to see her, do you? Her great.
fluffy bunch of golden hair-those
deep gray eyes of sympathy-the
freshness and the cheeriness of
her! Or any other pretty girl,
doc"
I tested with him, offering to
bring the native woman, Papinta,
and let him feast his eyes upon
her; but he was in no mood Tor
testing and fumed himself into an
other fever.
After he quieted was called out
to greet the new nurse from the
States. A bunch of the engineers
and surveyors surrounded the lady
before she could shed her everlast-
| ing brown automobile veil-poor
chaps, they hadn't seen a woman
with an automobile veil for two
years. When she did get the thing
unraveled and stood forth, little
murmur went around the circle and
the advance agents of civilization
patted their disheveled hair into
place and brushed their dusty kha-
XII. She was indeed pretty. A glo-
rious abundance of yellow-brown
hair; deep, gray, sympathetic eyes
i snapped my fingers! Miss New
man was not Clarice King, but she
was the next best thing. l was
sure a glimpse of her would soothe
poor, fever-tossed Russell, wrest-
ling with his dragons.
When l told Miss Alicia Newman
of Russells frenzied desire, she OBJ
jected: But he wants to see one
certain girl-this Clcrice."
"Any pretty girl" corrected.
"Ah!" said Miss Newman, avoid
ing my eyes.
When she first entered young
RusselIs presence, he was yelling
"Fire!" and DEATH" and Muir
der!" at the top of his tired. strain
ed voice. But when Alicia Newman
placed her perfect hand upon his
heated brow and spoke to him In
her soothing, magnetic tones, he
quieted instantly.
"Clarice," he murmured. "Clar-
ice-yOu have come at last, dear
but how long you have waitedp
Then he went into a deep slumber
and aroused. with four degrees less
fever. /
He seemed normal then; but at
the first glimpse of Miss Newman,
he murmured "Clarice" and made
her come and sit by him. y
II am not she began; but
Sn-n-n-u at neT, anu nuSSeil hui
INJURED, "Clarice--little Clarie-how
eternally long you've waited"
1t went on like that for month,
and every day the boy got better
and stronger. He seem ed perfectly
normal on every point until the
pretty nurse came into his pres
ence, when he would begin his fond
"Clarice-Clarice-dear." And az
ter bit, instead of endeavoring to
check him, 1t seemed that Miss
Newman encouraged him in the
idea, presumed for the soothing
effect it had upon him.
But as time went by, and Russell.
developing an appetite for a young
work horse and putting on flesh,
yet lay there stroking his charming
nurses hand and murmuring his
eternal "Clarice-Clarice," began
to fear a permanent delusion, mo-,
nomania. The thing was really I'M
canny; and stepped in one day to
observe his manner while she min