Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-05-24
A Soldiers WoOinq

thing l noticed mighty quick 1t was
my nurse. She was beauty sure
enough, with superb figure and a
graceful carriage. She wore in -ense
coils of chestnut hair piled up on her
head cannon-ball-like and flared great,
lustrous eyes. Fancy a fellow who
had been for months in a benighted
country, never a woman in sight sud-
denly cared for by such Il creature.
When l saw her coming toward my
cot she seemed like Venus rising from
the sea with all her clothes on and not
a 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. / didn't propose to
have her coll any one, so said:
Don't worry about my pulse. It's
normal-that is, 1t frequently sky
rockets about this time Of day. and
when lovely creature takes my wrist
between her seraphic"-
| But before l could get any further
she rammed q thermometer into my
mouth and l had to lie quiet, though
never once took my eyes of her,
and If that thermometer had registered
my admiration 1t would have stood at
1000 degrees. I'd been sick before
and knew that few minutes was
quite sufficient for the test. but she
kept the thing there a quarter of an
hour. Then she took 1t out, swung her
long lashes down toward 1t and was
making the record when I opened FIRE
again.
you're the first woman I've seen
since I 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
saw by her looks that she was up to
something.
"Its only sight Of so much beauty"
l started In, but she paid no attention
to me, and saw her write down 9S1a
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 a surgeon. She did 1t to
| cool my admiration. But II 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 zee, chucked 1t under the cot and
lay thinking that / wasn't in it for
impressing her and I'd better keep
quiet. When she appeared again / con-
tented myself for awhile looking my
admiration, but she had to 60 and take
hold of my wrist, and that threw me
into another fever, with consequent
delirium, which burst out into speech.
I'm worse this morning." l broke
out, land the reason I'm worse is be-
cause you've been away so long. II
you think can stand it to-
"Put out your tonguev' she cried.
put it out just far enough so /
could humble what had to say, but
she ordered me to put 1t out farther
and farther till couldn't say word.
Keep it there" she said quietly and
began scribbling something on her rec
ord paper, while lay with three inches
Of red, furry tongue curled out. ]
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 IL
such a way, and after awhile pulled
In the member and commenced to wae
1t again.
II Will proclaim my admiration" ]
was beginning, "at the lannon's
mouth" when she damned her Their
molneter between my teeth. tried to
hold 1t so that l could 60 ON, but she
forced 1t under my tongue, and l was
obliged to keep quiet. Either way
, was baffied. couldn't propose to her
I, with my tongue sticking out or with
| the cussed thermometer under 1t. l
made virtue Of necessity and re-
:cained temporarily shut off.
The next time she came she brought
surgeon with her and said to him:
doctor, here's man who has been
made luny by exposure. He sees abb
surd visions and talks idiotically.
What shall do with him"
"We've got permission" replied the
surgeon, Ito send such cases to the
- Insane asylum. I'll make out the
papers and send them in" And he hur-
ried on to some other Of his multi
| farious duties.
She looked at me as II to say, "Now
you stop your twaddle or go into an
insane asylum"
"See here" says I. 'If you think that
q straight jacket has any terrors for a
man who has been facing Mausers,
Gattling guns and delirious with love
for the most seraphic creature the sun
ever shone on you're nightly mis-
taken. You'll never shut of my fire
| with your thermometers or your
straight jackets. I've loved you ever
since you unlimbered those eyes of