Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-23

at first as incapacitated as his body
but slowly he began to realize that
there was quite as much pain as pleas
ure in being remembered by Dolly Ar
a reactionary troop Of acute pains
rushed over his now burning and trem
bling body, he even began to wonder II
she had not sent her little daughter
there as Just one more way of remind
ing him Of what he had missed. He
was snappish toward the nurse when
she came in at noon to take his tenn
perature and to give him some broth
He mentally dubbed her transplant
ed scrubwoman and sneered at the
fiction writer's who have pictured train
ed nurses as a species of super women
When she offered to put the pansies IN
water, he snatched the basket from
her with such forbidding frown that
she was glad to escape before his
wrath became vocal.
Late that afternoon, John lay in a
delightful state of semi slumber. His
mind was still half filled with dream
he had been having Of weaving pansies
into a crown for Dolly Owens golden
head when from the corridor came the
sound of a voice that seemed to mt
into his dream A lady was In CONVEX
sation with Johns nurse.
quite by accident l found\ that my
nurse maid made stupid blunder this
morning and took my little girl TO
Room $50 with some flowers l had
sent to dear old Mr.. Throckmorton,
who Is the paralytic in Room $50, you
know. So l came over to see the lone
" old soul, and as saw you coming
out of 26O as I passed. I'd like to say
that I hope my little girl caused your
patient no annoyance this morning.
Well" came the nurses voice, he
did have quite a turn after she left,
but it may not have been caused by
her visit"
"Oh, I'm sorry" The lady's voice
was softly penitent. do you, think it
would be an additional annoyance II
went In now and apologized"
"Oh, no, madam, I'm sure 1t would
not" ~s r. E,.s. -s.- -.
As 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 door. She approach
ed him rather haltingly, but stopped
short when he suddenly raised himself
and held out his hands toward her,
with the one word-''Dolly!"
Before either of them had time to
think, Dolly was kneeling at the bed
side with her blushing face hidden in
his out stretched hands. A moment
later, came sane thinking into Johns
head and he sank back upon his pill
low with a groan.
Its like hitting man when he's
down, Dolly, to give me these glimpses
of the Joy that might have been mine"
"I don't understand. john" she fal.
tered. Then, recalling that he had Of
course thought the flowers and mes.
sage meant for him. she shrank from
him and covered her face with her
hands. Light also began to break up
on John and once more he raised him.
self from his pillow. ... ~. ..
I'm afraid I've been boorish about
it all, and I'm just beginning to put two
and two together and see that it's an
unfortunate accident He sighed
heavily. "Why should I ever have
thought you'd want to cheer up my
sick room?"
but | do want to, John; won't you
let me?' She looked appealingly at
him. 80 ..-u.,#sr
with your husbands full permits
sion of course retorted John sudden.
ly becoming sarcastic again.
my husband? Why John didn't
you know my husband was killed a
year ago in, fire panic in one of his
own factories?"
mo. Dolly. I was in Honolulu last
year and out of touch with" things
here"
Ten minutes later, just as the nurse,
with a warning little cough, was
about to enter the room with Johns
supper, the patient released hand
which he had been holding in his own
fond clasp and whispered ecstatically:
THAT blessed little baby! Her blum.
der has saved my life!"
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