The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-08-15
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, AUGUST IS, 1914.

everything worth while should a girl
like Miss Carmichael want to be an
angel? Isn't womanhood good enough
for any woman?
| became thoroughly and unreason-
ably indignant over it all, as inyari-
ably do when | see something ga5ng
wrong and | am forced to stand by
and watch for the crash. And this
looked like a crash, all right-the
crash of a wrecked life. Worse than
a wrecked life-a wrecked career!
The girl is simply impossible!
Down the corridor from the auditor
ium came the long string of guests,
their voices high-pitched, their faces
shining. 1t was hot in that room.
let most of them sweep by me, nod
ding now and then to perspiring
colleague trying to look human in a
clawhammer, bowling awkwardly to
the women I knew-not so many
in dinner gowns of startling hues
and terrifying shapes.
They're going to feed the animals, !"
Garrity whispered in my ear. And
we have you down for an after-dinner
talk
81 don't want to talk and l don't
want to eat. But"-and the idea came
to me in a fiash-'I want to get a
seat next to one of the graduates;
her names Carmichael, I think.
Manage it, will your"
l could have bitten the stubby fin
ger that Clarity shook under my nose.
You hoary old reprobate, Farra-
day! Carmichael, Ell? Well, you GER
tainly show taste. All right, I'll try
to fix it,
And the fool did Ten minutes
later, winking so knowingly that
longed to floor him on the spot, he
led me to the head of one of the long
tables. We all sat down. On my
right were motley collection OF
guests-most of them former patients
at the sanitarium who looked as
though they needed further treatment;
and on my left, all in a prim, i'm
maculate row, sat the graduates
And thrilled like a schoolboy, as
| thrill again at the memory of it
nearest to me was Miss Carmichael.
Ordinarily I'm a death s-head at a
banquet. Eating is eating and talking
is talking, and l don't believe in mix
ing the two necessary evils. But to-
night | spread myself. / went out
of my way to dominate that table
And before we had finished our oys
tiers l had dominated it. The little
college professor on my right, after
telling some fool joke about brick
layer and an air-gun, lapsed into
academic silence; and | had things
to myself Here was row of young
fowls on my left that had to be i'm
pressed; and | was old cock enough
to know how to go about it. The
girls laughed and talked back anC
egged me on; and | more than me-
them half way.
And so the supper-that's what they
call it at the Krodin Sanitarium-Wen
gaily on. And all the time, at the
back of my mind, was fussing ovel
the case of that tall, golden-haireG
girl whose hand | could have touched
as it rested daintily on the white
cloth or toyed delicately with forl
and spoon. Toyed? Well, yes; bu
Miss Carmichael didn't precisely toy
with the eatabres. Like all nurse!
have ever met, she displayed al
ample appetite. This candidate fol
the Sisters of Charity didn't Intend
to specialize on religious starvation
A Sister of Charity! l couldn't be
lieve it, really. Why the girl was {
wonder. She could keep up her enc
of the conversation, no matter wha
topic was broached-and | made +;
point of introducing more topics thar
the average graduate nurse usual.
hears about. Miss Nolan was right
Miss Carmichael was indeed bubblins
over with talent
With the coffee came the speeches
and that brought about a slight chang,
at our table. The college professo
excused himself and left early-fo
which may he be pleased to accep
my thanks. Then the girl sitting
next to Miss Carmichael got a tele
phone call and didn't come back
bless her little heart. The result wa
that Miss Carmichael and l were iso
lated from the other diners, and il
the rather lengthy intervals betwee
the formal speeches we had yer
satisfactory tete-a-tete.
Well, | didn't lose any time.
leaned heavily on the table-there i
a good deal of me-and devoted my
self to her directly and unsparinglJ
| got right down to brass tacks.
Miss Carmichael | said, mis-
Nolan happened to be speaking G
you this evening. She said ever S
many nice things, of course. But sh
said one thing that isn't nice at all.
The girls eyebrows went up a trif1t
though a smile played about her lip
Yes" | went on, 1T sounded nc
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