The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-04-05

The Nurses Story


By TEMPLE BAILEY

She sat up in bed. "How can 1
helpT" she asked. feverishly.
you must kiss him three times in
the morning and every time you must
say love you"
"And then VIII he be just the sameY'
she asked, las he used to be when
he wasn't hiding anything from me?"
He will be Just the same"
In a little while she was asleep and
there was the faintest shadow OF a
smile on her lips.
Then / went to look for her nus
band and found him sitting in front
of a dying fire in the library.
I sat down opposite him and asked
abruptly: What are you keeping from
herr"
For a moment he stared at me, and
then he said, somewhat haughuly.
why should l tell your"
Because | am here to help cure
your wife, and | cannot cure her until
l know the truth"
He gripped the arms OF his chair
with tense fingers q haven't told a
SOUL" he said, but every one will
know, presently. am a ruined man."
You mean that you have lost your
money!"
YES"
Go to her tomorrow morning, and
tell her" l said
And kill her? She has never
known what it was to live without
luxury. And when the truth comes
out, | shan't have a cent"
You have youth and strength"
said.
He drew a long breath, as if he
squared his shoulders to meet the
future.
"And you have love-" l continued
But you won't have love long unless
you tell your wife the truth"
The next morning my patient was
awake early. DO you think it will
really break the charm II kiss him
three times?" was the first question
she asked as bent over the bed.
Surely. And now while am comb
ing your hair 1 will tell you a story"
She had wonderful hair, fair and
ripping, like ripe wheat in a field
when the wind blows over it. l put
1t up for her in soft puffs and tied a
ribbon around it Of palest pink. and
while I worked l talked.
"Once upon a time" l said, there
was prince who married a lovely
princess. Now the princess had al
ways lived in a beautiful castle and
the prince took her to another castle
Just as beautiful And the princess
had everything that heart could
wish"
"Oh, you mean me-" she breathed,
and her eyes were shining; tell me
some more, nurse"
And one day the prince learned
that wicked wizard had put charm
on him, and that he would have to
leave the beautiful castle and go and
live in a little, little. hut, way back in
the woods, and that he would have to
work until his hands were hard and
his back was bent. And so he didn't
dare tell the princess, because he
knew If he told her she would want
to go, too, and she would have to
wear shabby clothes, and sweep the |
little hut, and prepare the plain food,
and perhaps her lovely hands would
get hard and her slender shoulders |
would also bend with the burdens. So
the prince kept silent about the spell |
that was to come upon him, and the
princess grew Jealous, and said to her
self He doesn't love me any more"
She clapped her hands. Just as |
said it."
"Yes. And she wondered If the
prince loved any one else, and she
wondered and wondered until she fell
sick, and-and the prince, looking at
her, thought his heart would break,
but still he didn't dare to tell her
about the hut in the forest"
l had finished tying the pink rib
bons and she reached up and caught
my hands in hers Nurse, nurse"
she gasped, was that all-oh, was
that all-that he had just lost his old
And when l told her the truth she
cried in my arms. Then she sat up
and made me put on her prettiest
pink komono, and she walked weakly
from the bed to a big chair in the
window. And when he came In she
held out her hand to him.
"Oh," she cried, I'm going to get
strong right away-and then we'll go
ana live in the hut in the forest"
He looked at her with puzzled eyes,
until said: Il told her fairy tale
about the prince who had to take the
princess away from the beautiful
,astle."
His arms we're about her and |
leard her say as l went out of the
'oom. You must kiss me three
ines"
And that night, DIR. Hearn said in
Iatisfied way, I'VE shan't need you
much longer here, nurse. told you
t needed a woman with imagination
o take this case"