Evening star., 1914-08-17

SHE HAD GIVEN HIM THAT PLEAS
ATTEST CORNER OF THE WARD.
She never tumbled everything into the
box at once. and she never said
The white-capped nurse did not un-
derstand why her patient should cry
when she brought him his dinner. and
she promptly made matters worse by
telling him mot to be a baby"
Now any one who knows anything
about boys who are seven years old
knows they are not babies. but little
men, on whose shoulders grave cares
saysntnts. have ssttled; and to whom wonderful
boy turns his head in to the pillow and
cannot stop the heaving of his shoul-
ders. then Is the time for his mother,
or nurse with smily eyes, to take a
Fortunately this is what just hap
pened. Somehow. even before she laid
her hand on his shoulder said. mo
bad news from the front, I hoper the
the smily eyed nurse who bent over
him. and she listened gravely while he
told her about the gunner.
Holding one OF his hot little hands In
her own soft. cool one she fed him the
to help straighten out the box. and
see that the wounded men received at
tention. She was as good as her word,
and after the tray had been taken
away. Indians were assorted from
horses. and Rough Riders from guns
and things. It was her smily eyes that
spied half Of the little brown gunner
In one corner of the box first. But be-
fore she could cover his twisted body
from sight the commander-in-chief had
discovered the disaster. and the little
hand seemed almost to burn her cool
one; She saw his lip CULVER. but her
smily eyes met his blinking bravely.
out
chokily.
isn't it lucky he's in a hospital"
she answered cheerily, as her fingers
closed over the small boys wrist and
she noted with dread the rising tenn
The smily-eyed nurse was The head
OF the children's ward. This small boy
had been brought in SO crushed, both
In body and spirit. that even the wee
spark Of hope of saving his life was
almost drowned by the weariness Of
his little soul. AS she attended the
doctors who stitched and bandaged the
child's body, she was filled with re-
which he had had to fight his small
way, and a fierce desire to help him
live. She had given him the pleasant
est corner in the ward. and her -smil-
ing eyes had been the first he had
ness. She had brought him this won
derful array of soldiers and tents; and
every day stole a few moments from
her busy life to sit beside him and hear
news from the front"
Occasionally he showed her giimpses
OF his short. hard life in the city, but
at such times she always told him
stories Of green fields, baby cows and
horses. and she showed him a snap
shot Of some small. inquisitive pigs,
that lived on the farm she called
home"
The destruction of the last little
brown gunner had q decidedly depress-
ing effect. Not even the news that a
dozen downy chicks all yellow and
black" had made their appearance on
the farm reused the little chaps inter-
est. and as his dark head sank into the
pillow she could almost see him Slip
ping away from her. She motioned to
an attendant. spoke few words. never
taking her eyes from the little white
face, nor permitting the smile to die
once from their gray depths.
1t was only a few minutes before
the biggest doctor came hurryinE in.
The boy felt his hand on his head.
but did not open his eyes.
II have q new patient for you. doc
tor" she said. Its an operation and