The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-05-18
"Santa Claus
Joe"
He Makes a Happy Christ
mas For Two Lovers
BY ANNIE HINRICHSEN
Copyright, 1910 by American Press
Association.

Il
years old and untidy with the accu
mulated soil of all his seasons. HI
lived with his father and mother ant
numerous brothers and sisters in a di
lapidated cabin In the outskirts of thu
city.
Their neighbors were fellow expa
trlates speaking their own tongue anC
continuing their own customs, anC
Joe's only knowledge Of the world tha
lay beyond the truck farms had beer
gained when he went with his father
to peddle vegetables in the city.
A bullet intended for a rabbit enter
ed Joe's leg, and he was brought to the
hospital.
Miss Merton, a senior nurse. was his
1ady." She was with him through the
days when all his world was full oi
horrors.
She was his first nurse and the one
he first felt was his friend.
In hospital living and dying move
according to certain laws. The prog
ress Of case Is routine to the expert
enced ones. Dissolution takes place In
certain known steps.
But one element Of which no account
is taken, for which no calculation is
made, is the love Of man and a wo
man.
In the hospital life there is no place
for 1t. A nurses time and thoughts
are devoted to her work Her love
and sympathy belong to her patients.
Concerning the relations Of doctors
and nurses hospital etiquette is strict
1t demands that these relations be alb,
solutely professional. The reputation
of hospital depends on the discipline
maintained within its walls, and the
laws Of st. Anne's were enforced with
severity.
When interests quite unprofessional
drew together senior nurse and one
Of the young physicians Of the hospital
STAFF there appeared difficulties and
embarrassments, and the cOurtship, un-
der the adverse circumstances OF dis.
appreciation, conscience and lack OF
time, place and opportunity, made
slow and halting progress, with fre.
quent backward steps.
"Will you go for a walk tonightY'
asked Dr. knight one morning when
with Miss Merton's assistance he was
dressing Joe's wound.
with you"
Certainly"
And meet all the heads and a few
doctors and nursesT
There are places where heads and
doctors and nurses don't 60"
Eyes, on back streets. / hate that
sort of thing-going out alone and
meeting you on a corner and sneaklng
along back streets"
There is no other way we can see
each other. You will come tonight,
won't your"
She shook her head. II graduate
next spring" she said, little wist-
fully. Cant we wait till then to be
friendsW
What's the use of waiting? No one
win know. But If you are found out
your previous good record will save
you"
The words and tone were blunt and
careless.
Miss Merton did not answer. She
fastened Joe's bandage and left the
room.
AS she passed him DR.. Knight saw
her face, hurt. proud and angry, all its
sweetness gone.
For many days Mr. knight saw Miss
Merton only In the presence Of others.
She avoided him In the corridors and
met him only in the rooms of patients.
There was nothing he could say TO
her.
A man cannot apologize with words
for Il wordless insult and he cannot
by appealing, penitence expressing
looks affect moving, marble statue
that never sees him.
Christmas was near, and the nurses
were preparing for II. Joe was Do
litely interested in the decorations of
the ward, but he seemed unconscious
Of the reasons for them.
Those are Christmas greens, joe"
said Miss Merton in answer to his In.
Quiry.
Joe looked puzzled.
Have you ever seen Christmas
greens before, Joe|
Nom; l never seen Christmas
greens before"
but you know all about Christmas,
don't your"
Nom; l didn't never know nothin'
at all about that"
Joe, have you never heard Of Christ
masY
Nom. No one never tole me about
1t neither
"Nor OF Santa ClausT
"No'm. Who's Santa Claus? No
body never tole me about Santa Claus.'
Have you heard of Christ, dear?"
"No'm."
Nor Of God?"
Joe pondcrCd He believed he had
heard something about God.
In words simple enough for the child
to understand Miss Merton told him
the story OF the Christ Chnd.