The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-28
A Blind
Courtship
A Story of Nursing In
the Worlds War
By ETHEL HOLMES

New York Miss Aileen Van Worst re-
ceived those touches which were to en-
able her to enter fashionable society
proficient In department. Miss Van
Worst had been born with a silver
spoon in her mouth" and 1t was prob
able that she would in time feed from
golden one, for her father was rich
and getting richer every day.
One Of Miss Medbury's academical
staff was young Englishman, a grad
uate of Cambridge university, who
taught one of the higher branches. He
was singularly handsome, a British
blond, with blue eyes to match his very
light hair. Miss Medbury had hesitat-
ed in engaging him, for 1t seemed like
ly that he would turn the heads of the
young ladies, and she had done so only
after exacting promise from him that
on no account would he be aught ex-
cept man Of stone to any inmate of
her school,
How Miss. Van Worst became aware
OF this pledge does not matter. She
certainly encountered no difficulty in
learning of 1t, for 1t was whispered
among the pupils. No one could tell
how the secret got out, and no one
cared, but there was not a girl in the
academy who did not have desire to
induce the handsome teacher to break
his promise. A number of them tried,
but none succeeded. One Of them won
the Englishmans love; but, true to his
word, he abstained from confessing it
that is, SO long as he was teacher in
the school and the girl pupil.
1t was Miss Van Worst who made
this conquest, and when she left the
school she was much perturbed at not
having received the slightest sign Of
her success. But the man she had un-
knowingly conquered resigned his Apo-
sition at the time she finished her
education, and not long after she re-
ceived a note from him stating that
he was about to leave for England
and could not forbear before leaving
from avowing his love for her. He
further stated that he was without
fortune to match hers and would not
consider it honorable for him to at
tempt to win her without her fathers
consent, since he was not in a posi-
ton to ask that consent.
He made no mention Of the pledge
he had given Miss Medbury, but Aileen,
being aware Of it, admired him all the
more for having kept it and for hav-
ing refrained from mentioning it. She
knew that marriage with man who
had no fortune would have been unfor-
tunate for him and considered his ac-
ton in not becoming sutton for her
hand wise. But, being In love, she
would have thrown wisdom to- the
winds had she been given an oppor-
tunity to do so.
She had not been given such orpor-
tunity, and the Englishman had sailed
away with her heart, leaving her no
clew to his destination. Indeed, all
she knew Of him was that his name
was Arthur cambridge, for while at
Miss Medbury's school he had confined
himself to teaching and had given no
hint whatever as to who he was or
what occasioned his being in America.
Many a girl had sought to extract
the information from him, but had
failed.
Miss Van Worst in due time made
her appearance in society and was
the success of the season in which she
stepped from girlhood into young
ladyhood. Nevertheless society did
not seem to satisfy her. When the
great European war broke out she was
one of the first of American women
prominent socially to go abroad to do
hospital work. She established hos
pital of her own In France near the
junction of the French and British
lines. There she received wounded
officers and soldiers from any army,
and they were attended to by corps
Of nurses gathered for the purpose.
Miss Van Worst established her hos
pital about the time the Germans be-
gan their attacks on Verdun. During
these efforts the hospital was filed
with wounded French officers and SOL
diers. Then a portion of the French
line was taken by the British, and
since there was always soma fighting
on the British front, the places Of the
French wounded gradually becoming
vacant. they were taken by English
men.
One evening an English officer was
led into Miss Van Vorst's institution
whose eyes were bandaged. Aileen
saw him and caught at door post for
support. She had recognized her for
mer teacher at Miss Medbury's school.
He was evidently uninjured except I'm
the eyes, but the dreadful fear. came to
her that he had Joined the ranks of
those who would never see again.
Major cambridge, by Aliens order,
was given a room by himself Not be-
ing able to see, he was not aware of
this attention shown him, nor did he
know that he had fallen under the care
Of bis pupil of several years before.
Aileen took care not TO speak In his
hearing for she had reasons xyhv she