The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1914-02-05
TALE OF A GOOD
HEARTED MAN
What Came of an Impulse
to do a Kindly Act.

on train and every morning | pass
a box in the station on which is Il
notice, Drop your papers for patients
in the hospitals" | passed this box
often without paying any attention to
it, but one day was obliged to go to
a hospital myself to undergo an opera
ton, and after being discharged the
first time l 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 will soon come when you
will be discharged, as l was few days
ago. God keep you.
| 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. l con-
fess | was disappointed when | saw
a mans name. The note read:
You have no idea what pleasure your
CHEEKY note gave. On opening the paper
my eye fell at once on your note on the
first page. | am sure that a man with
as much kindness as you have displayed
In this matter must be a good fellow to
know, and l would like to know you.
FREDERICK HUDSON
studied this letter carefully to find
some trace of a 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
a mans name to 1t was not borne out
by any sign, wrote a 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
hospitals and would be pleased to talk
over with him the best method Of pro-
cedure.
To this / received a reply that the
writer had very little hope of being
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 WIS.,
itor he would let me know and l could
use my own pleasure in calling.
replied that | would be happy to
call and thought no more about the
matter for some months, when l re-
ceived another note from Mr.. Hudson,
as follows:
am recovering from a case of diph-
iberia caught from a patient at this hos
pital. AS soon as l 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
patient had been exposed to con-
sympathy for him in this additional
misfortune, which | expressed as well
as l knew how, though fancied the
effort was rather lame. However. in
this case / must have succeeded pretty
well, for my note brought the follow
ing reply:
You must be a brick Not one man in
a hundred would take the trouble to ex-
press sympathy for a stranger as you
have done. I am feeling all right now
though little shaky on my pins. Come
round here tomorrow evening at o'clock
and I'll put you in a way to do good work
in the hospital line
II 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 private parlor at the far
end of which sat trained nurse about
like a convalescent, but her cheeks
took on very rosy hue the moment
entered. Indeed, she was blushing like
a schoolgirl. Holding a paper before
her eyes, she began to read:
My experience in hospitals both as stu
dent and graduate has called. to my no.
tice-
zone moment" interrupted. "Are
you Frederick Hudson?" H."
Eyes. but | usually spell my first
name with an IA 1t is Frederick.
The "a must have been left off,
How the mischief did you contrive
to write those manlike letters?"
81 didn't. got a man to write
! them
"And make up all there was in
them?"
Their contents are true"
THE diphtheria
II volunteered for that service"
81 have been disappointed"
81 have done very wrong in deceiv-
ing you"
"Not bit My disappointment was
in receiving reply from man instead
of very lovely girl
She made another effort to go on
with her paper on hospitals. did not
interfere with her. but gradually her
voice weakened. and she finally stop
ped and looked at me in dire confu-
sion. | concluded to help her out:
"After all, have to thank you for
very pleasing incident. While you