Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1916-06-29
ne BlDE's BlBNDER
ny cATHARINE cRANmER.

nospital bed ana stared at the bare /
and sanitary walls OF his boxllko
room. His drawn face showed evi-
dences OF mental suffering a. well a.
OF physical tortures inflicted by the
grippe. which had overtaken him In
late apringtime after he had success
fully evaded II all winter. Il was bad
enough to DO shut up In hospital at |
any time. but to DO thrust from ones
Pullman berth into an ambulance IN
. city thousand miles from home at
the very beginning OF q day on which
. big business deal should have BEEN
contaminated was worse than bad.
II did not add TO Johns peace Of
mind that the girl he had once loved
lived In this city, whittier she had
come At the time Of her marriage TO
q wealthy manufacturer. He had al
ways felt that her fathers rehabIlita-
ton IN business Just after her mar
riage had q direct connection with the
match which al Of Dolly's friends had
considered Q wholly unsuitable one,
owing to the difference In age and
tastes between her and the middle.
aged man she married.
He became vaguely conscious that
some object had appeared in his door
way. but before his aching eyes had
discerned that II was other than .
nurse looking In, he was greeted by
q little child's caressing voice.
Poor Mr.. Man." cooed the voice, a.
its owner, . dainty blonde maiden OF
three in q white frock and q flower
trimmed hat, tripped into the room
and approached his bedside, does 'oo
head hurt GOT Don't 90 want mo to
ture III"
With all the motherly tenderness
she would have bestowed on her fa-
vorite doll, the child patted Johns ach-
ing temples, smoothed his eyelids. and
talked an alluring prattle in the most
sympathetic Of baby voices. But the
fairy's godmother, In the guise Of o
uniformed nurse girl, appeared at the
door and summoned the little creature
from the realm Of healing.
Mercy doodness!" she exclaimed.
STOPPING down and bringing up . tiny
green basket filed with purple and
yellow pansies. "Muvver sent you
this, and I mos fordot It. Dood.by."
After the child had gone. John real
lied that the basket Of pansies ro-
NAMED in his hand. He removed q
card that peeped from the basket and
on the side that flrst caught his eye
was written: "Pansies for thoughts,
you know; 20 be assured you are not
forgotten" Turning the card me
chanically. he whistled in sudden sur
prise 90 he read the name: Mrs. Al
bert Brown Watkins" Which was
the present name Of Dolly Owen, the
girl he had loved.
A cold sweat broke over him and
with Il came q queer feeling that al
his physical mechanism had suspend
cd operation. His bewildered mind
was at irst a. incapacitated as his
body, but slowly he began to realize
that there was quite a. much pain %
pleasure In being remembered BY
Dolly.
He was snappish toward the nurse
when she came in at noon to take his
temperature and to give him some
broth.
Late that afternoon, John lay In .
delightful state Of semi-slumber, when
from the corridor came the sound Of :,
q voice that seemed to at into his
dream. A lady was in conversation
with Johns nurse.
quite by accident found that my
nursemaid made q stupid blunder this
morning and took my little girl to
room $50 with some flowers had sent
to dear old Mr.. Throckmorton. who IN
the paralytic In room $50, you know.
So came over to see that lonely old
soul, and, as ] saw you coming out
Of $50 - passed, I'd like to say that
hope my little girl caused your PAL
TENT no annoyance this morning"
"Well," came the nurses voice, he
did have quite Q turn just after she
left, but II may not have been caused
by her visit"
ooh, I'm 20 sorTy." The lady'B voice
was softly penitent. do you think Il
would be an additional annoyance II ]
went in now and apologizedf"
Az John slowly opened his eyes, he
could Just make out in the twilight the
outline Of q slender woman's figure In
white entering his room.
Before either Of them had time TO
think, Dolly was kneellng at the bed
side with her blushing face hidden In
his outstretched hands. A moment
later, came sane thinking into Johns
head, and he sank back upon his pill
low with q grOan.
"It's like hitting Q man when he's
down. Dolly, to give me these glimpses
Of the Joy that might have been mine"
He sighed heavily. why should !
ever have thought you'd want TO
cheer MP my siclEroom3" y
But do want to. John; won't.you
let met" She looked appealingly at
him.
with your husbands full permits
sion, Of course" retorted John, sud-
denly becoming sarcastic again.
MY huSbandf Why, John, didn't
you know my husband was killed .
yesr $50 IN . Are panic in one Of his
eER iactsFissi"
Ten minutes later, Just 20 the RuPsa,
With . warning little cough, was
about to enter the room with Johns
suDpeF, the patient released . hand
whInh he had ban holding IN hia Own |