The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-12-02
TALE OF A GOOD
HEARTED MAN
What Came of an Impulse
to 90 a Kindly Act.

Every morning come into business
on a train and every morning / pass
box in the station on which is a
notice. Drop your papers for patients
; in the hospitals" l passed this box
often without paying any attention to
it, but one day was obliged to 20 to
hospital myself to undergo an opera
| ton, and after being discharged the
first time passed the box put in my
paper. | had written on the margin:
Good morning, patient. l trust you are
feeling much improved this morning and
that the time win soon come when you
will be discharged, as 1 was a few days
| ago. God keep you
l. gave my own name and address.
but did not think it likely would ever
hear from the message since it was ad.
dressed to no one in particular. Still
there is sufficient romance in every
mans nature to fancy that some fair
girl, etc.
| did receive reply, and my first act
was to glance at the signature. / con-
fess was disappointed when saw
a mans name. The note read:
You have no idea what a pleasure your
CHEEKY note gave. on opening the paper
my eye fell at once on your note on the
first page. l am sure that a man with
as much kindliness as you have displayed
In this matter must be a good fellow to
know, and would like to know you.
FREDERICK HUDSON.
studied this letter carefully to find
some trace of woman in it, but there
was none. No woman would have
used the expression. "a good fellow to
know" besides there were no feminine
peculiarities about it. No, my suspicion
that woman had written it and put
mans name to it was not borne out
by any sign. wrote simple reply
that when Mr.. Hudson left the hospi-
tai would like to see him at my office.
as had resolved to take an interest in
over with him the best method of pro-
cedure
TO this / received reply that the
writer had very little hope of being
discharged. having been in hospital five
years. He said, however, that this long
continued residence would enable him
to give me many points connected with
these homes for the sick, and some
time when he felt like receiving a WIS.,
itor he would let me know and could
use my own pleasure in calling.
l replied that l would be happy to
call and thought no more about the
matter for some months, when | re-
ceived another note from Mr.. Hudson.
as follows:
j am recovering from case Of dph-
iberia caught from patient at this hos
pital AS soon as | am perfectly restored
! will keep my promise to send for you
and give you the points with reference to
the management of hospitals
replied to this note that there must
certainly be room for Improvement in
the Institution where he was since "A
patient had been exposed to con-
taGious disease. l felt good deal of
sympathy for him in this additional
misfortune. which | expressed as well
as knew how, though | fancied the
effort was rather lame. However. in
this case l must have succeeded pretty
WELL for my note brought the follow
ing reply:
You must be brick Not one man in
hundred would take the trouble to ex-
press sympathy for a stranger as you
have done l am feeling all right now.
though little shaky my pins, Come
round here tomorrow evening at 8 o'clock
and III put you in way to do good work
in the hospital line,
If | had any lingering doubt that
my correspondent was man this note
dispelled it. | was in no hurry for
his points on hospitals. but concluded
to keep my appointment, dropping in
to see him on my way to an engage
ment half an hour later. | WAS ush-
cred into Il private parlor at the far
end of which sat trained nurse about
twenty-five years of age. She looked
like convalescent, but her cheeks
took on very rosy hue the moment |
entered. Indeed, she was blushing like
a schoolgirl. Holding paper before
her eyes. she began to read:
My experience in hospitals both as stu
dent and graduate has called to my no.
tice-
"One moment" | interrupted. Are
you Frederick Hudson?"
Yes, but \ usually spell my first
name with an "a 1t is Frederick
The "a must have been left off,"
How the mischief did you contrive
to write those manlike letters?"
81 didn't. l got man to write
them"
"And make UP all there was in
them?"
'"rheir contents are true"
''The diphtheria?"
al volunteered for that service"
II have been disappointed"
81 have done very wrong in deceiv-
ing you"
mot bit. My disappointment was
h receiving reply from man instead
0f a very lovely girl"
She made another effort to go on
ith her paper on hospitals. l did not
Interfere with her. but gradually her
voice weakened, and she finally stop