The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-11-16
THE EVENING STORY
LiInpY's Legacy.
(By Martha ". Watson.

They brought Limpy into st. Bar
naby's hospital one cold night in De-
1 cember. He was as old and Nrinkled
as a baked apple For years he had
occupied the same corner near the big
bridge, sitting beside his chestnut
rooster, with a charcoal pail burning
in front of him to keep him warm.
This particular night must have
been colder than the others, for
Limpy had succumbed to Jack Frost,
and it was a wonder even his wooden
, leg hadn't chilblains on 1t. the doc
+ tor in Ward 9 laughingly told Nurse
Alice when he turned Limpy over to
j her.
Alice went back to the new patient
and found Limpy regarding her sus-
piciously-
where's my Lego" he demanded.
gruffly.
Il think they took it off downstairs
when they made the first examina-
4 want it. I want it brought here,
and stood beside the head of the bed
where 1 can see it. This is a fine
kind of charity hospital, trying to
take a poor old lame feller's leg away
from him.
Don't you worry" Alice assured
right away. OF course you miss it,
She procured an order from young
Doctor Meredith, and ten minutes later
the old wooden leg stood by Limpy's
cot. 1t was the rudeSt sort of a sub
StlIuIe, with a large top, hOllOWed out,
and straight peg to rest on. Limpy's
eyes rested on it with perfect content
ment, when Alice set it beside him.
IF I die. I'll leave that to you,
nurse he promised her whimsically.
IT'S been a good old friend to me,
and you never can tell what might
happen. 1t might come in handy
some day to you, too"
old chaps words to Meredith. Some
day. when things looked brighter,
they hoped to marry-Some day, when
Burton had finished his full course
and started practicing. He told her
he would go to a small town along the
shore, where there was a steady family
call for physicians, and he had even
drawn up a house plan for her of the
first nest they two were to build.
There wasn't much time for woOing
at the great, busy metropolitan hos
pital; but sometimes, in the long
night watches in Ward 9. the doctor
would come in and talk with Nurse
Alice. Limpy's eyes were always
closed at these times, but he heard
many things, things that he had al
most forgotten existed in the hard
cold FLOODED world that bought chest
nuts from him. He found that even in
the house of pain and death, Love
takes his daily constitutional as a king
around his palace. and finds his
worshipers. But his voice was still
gruff when he answered the nurse. and
he found fault steadily with the young
doctor who was striving to save his
worthless life.
one day when the ebb had started
the wrong way he looked up at Alice. |
She had just smoothed back his gray !
hair and given him a fresh drink. His /
shrewd old gray eyes watched her
GOOD thing that wagon ran over
me, amt it? Amt good for nothing, |
am I? Just waste paper!"
I'VE are all good for something
Alice told him, gently. That's part of |
the reason why. We have to be good |
for something. or we wouldn't be al |
lowed to help out in the general ma
chinery."
Have to be good for something" !
repeated Limpy to himself. Maybe |
SO, maybe so, nurse. Say, you know /
wooden peg leg there when they cart
me off to the dust heap. Don't you |
forget. now. 1t may come in handy I
yet he looked up at her again.
and Winked solemnly-"to help build |
that house, you know"
Alice blushed, and wondered how |
he knew about the nest building, and |
old Limpy thought how sweet and /
friI1ed white cap. Once back in the /
past there had been a girl sister of
his over in Scotland, little girl named /
Jeanne, that had died young, and she |
nearly forgotten her. while he worked (
at the hard game of getting a living
out of the world. He smiled for the |
first time in years. slow, panied, one
sided smile, and whispered that he
wanted to speak to the doctor What
he told Meredith even Alice did not
know until later Good naturally. for
he knew that Limpy was already in
sight of the Detachable Hills. Meredith
came. and bent down to hear the last
message. And he smiled too, for he
believed the old man was dreaming.
Don't you forget, now, Doc said
i'm Ia /
to take it home with her. and ask
herself if old Linpy wasn't good for
SOM thing after all. She's a fine lass.
Doc Got a hand like thistle-dowa-
used to chase thist1edown back in
Glengarie. seventy years ago..
All right. old chap Go to sleep
and rest now I'll tell her" Burton
promised. to satisfy him.
But after it was over. and in the
still night watches they had carried