Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-10-06
THE FLOWER LADY.
nx FLORA MIllleAN.

ciAtlon.i
When volunteers for the Spanish
American war were called for raised
. company Of infantry and as its cap
| tain went to the war. Wounded at the
battle Of Las Guasimas. was taken
to a hospital. There q bullet was
taken out of me, and l was left to
spend what time was necessary for the
wound to heal.
| The morning after the operation
was lying on my cot reading a news
paper that was being handed around
| among the patients when the door OF
the ward opened. a woman entered
and began talking cheerily with the
| man she first reached. A bunch OF
| flowers was In her hand, and before
leaving the patient she gave him few
Of them. Thus she came on, giving en-
couraging words. smiles and nowers to
the sick and wounded till she reached
my cot
Now, I was born with q silver spoon
In my mouth" and accustomed to have
anything I wished for. Before the
lady came up had made up my mind
that IL she were unmarried she should
be my wife. She approached me with
one of the sweet smiles she had been
scattering broadcast and said:
1T must be very hard for you to be
lying here In this hot country. Are
you Ill or woundedT
Wounded"
Don't think about your wound. The
doctors say that II one thinks despond-
entity about any part Of the body all
the impurities 60 In that direction.
Let me give you something to nx your
attention upon"
She handed me few Of the flowers,
for which I thanked her. and she
passed me. I asked one OF the nurses
who she was and was told that she
had come to Cuba from the United
States for the purpose not Of nursing
soldiers, but TO 60 about among them
encouraging them a. had seen her
doing. I asked what part Of the Unit
ed States she had come from. but no
one seemed to know. She visited the
sick every day. and they were always
better for her coming. Indeed. the
nurses seemed to think that she cured
more men than the doctors.
Day after day 1 watched for her till
she came again. Az before. she dis
trfbuted flowers and smiles. the smiles
being more highly appreciated than
the flowers. She came to our ward
about once In four or i've days. and
the patients. who failed to learn her
name. spoke Of her a. the flower lady.
One Of the nurses asked her to give
her q name by which to address her,
but she declined on the ground that
she did not wish It known at home
and the newspaper correspondents
would surely publish it-that she was
engaged in the work. She preferred I?
give whatever Of comfort she could
without having any heroics attached
II anything were needed to complete
my reverence for the flower lady this
modesty would have been quite sum-
Client. I dared not BY word or even
manner reveal the secret Of my heart
to her. simply showed my gratitude.
The slightest evidence Of what burned
within me would have caused her to
cease her visits. II not to the ward at
least to me. And In that case. confined
as was. I could not 20 to her.
Long before the surgeon was willing
to release me got up. dressed myself
and returned to duty. My colonel hesi-
tated whether or no to send me back,
to the hospital. but concluded. being
short of officers. to let me remain
with the regiment. The day after my
return to camp after visiting brigade
headquarters be told me that. the gen.
eral having lost one Of his aid-de-
camps BY sickness and another BY
bullet, I was to be temporarily de-
tailed for the lighter duties Of the
| stan.
The general was but a few years
older than myself and made a COM
\ panion Of me. We became con6den-
tial, and told him Of the flower lady.
admitted the influence she had exerted
| over me and that when 1t were pos
sible would move heaven and earth
to win her for my wife. He asked
me II the lady had encouraged me,
and exonorated her from giving me
any more attention than the common
est trooper In the ward.
| There was 30 much on hand imme-
| diately after this that the subject was
not agnin referred to between us. One
morning during the fighting about
Santiago. Just before mounting our
horses for what promised to be hot
days work, the general handed me q
sealed envelope.
'Tn case come out Of the fight
alive today" he said. give that back
to me. II am killed open It."
"But why, general" asked. sur
prised, do you take that precartion
today especially. We are fighting
every dayT
Because" he replied. II have q
feeling that shall be killed today"
His foot was in the stirrup. and he
mounted and rode away. During the