The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-06
EVENING STORY
An Emergency Call
(By Matilda Emerson)

/ Madge had been at Mercy Hospital
nearly a month as a probation nurse
| 1t was her first week on duty in the
emergency room, helping Miss Pater-
| son write the entry record of each pa
tient as the ambulanceS brought them
| in.
i 81 don't see how you can be So"
she hesitated for word that would
not hurt the feelings of the other
| nurse-'-so used to it all. Seems to
me each case is worse than the last
one"
"Oh, nearly all of you girls play
tunes on your heart strings when you
| first land here. 1t just has to be. and
you can't help it. Try to look at it in
| that way. You can't afford to be sorry
for them all. 1t uses up your nerve
force
| But she did not get used to it. Not
then, nor during the whole six months
of her probation. Miss Paterson had
taken a fancy to ner from the very be-
ginning. She was willing and we'll
educated and all of the doctors liked
her. The last two weeks of her pro-
| baton period she was placed at the
emergency desk at night. and it was
here she met Mrs. Crosby Latimer.
1t was a wild spring night in early
May. There had been heavy rain
storm, followed by a high Wind. blow
| had just stepped across the room to
close the window a sudden gust of
| wind blew n lot of her papers on the
floor, when the door was pushed open
by a woman. Madge saw at a glance
that she was not the sort who sought
the shelter of Mercy Hosp-tal. While
she wore no hat, her long broadcloth
cloak was Enthusiastically correct in its
lines, and costly in quality Her heavy
dark hair was streaked with gray and
the wind had 1oosened it so that it
| was half tumbling to her shoulders
The pallor of her face was like the
hue of a jasmine flower; even her dry
lips seemed bloodless as she moistened
them nervously, leaning heavily on
the brass grating at the entry clerk s
window. A wave of compassion
swept over Madge, as she saw the look
of utterly dazed helplessncss in her
wide, dark eyes.
IT beg your pardon" she said, slow
ly, but could you tell me who / am ?
Please, please tell me who l am. I've
walked so far and 1 couldn't fiIj any
one 1 dared to ask. I saw the light
J from your window. Will You tell me
who 1 am?
She suddenly burst into a fit of ner-
} vous weeping, and bowed her face in
/ her hands. The door leading upstairs
swung open, and little Blair. one of
the internes, came in humming.
II say, Miss Laurence" he began,
but Madge motioned him to be quiet
Mr.. Blair" size cried, pleasantly
''do you think you could take my place
for just a few moments? I want to
take this lady into the reception
room.''
Blair gave the stranger "the once
! over as he would have expressed it
| and murmured, as he took Madge':
seat:
Better land her in the dip
/, But Madge shook her head This
] was no case for the dipsomaniac ward
and she knew it. AS they stepped into
the big white marble hall together
the woman put cut her hand like q
: child for Madge to lead her, and she
j back, Blair noticed that she seemed
excited, but not one thing would sht
Y tell him, except that she had placed
the woman in care of Miss Gage, anc
$ 1T seemed only a simple case o
S illness She told him she would re
port it as soon as DR.. Akin came il
g at 6 o'clock. He was the house doc
, tor on nervous diseases.
j Just as soon as she was alone sh,
lifted the receiver from the phone.
n River, 794. Hello, hello. 1 want t,
= speak with Mr.. Latimer, please
Then after pause, rs this Mr. Stan
y ley Latimer? This is Mercy hospital
e No, I'm only the night nurse in tn
emergency receiving room. Mr.. Lati
d mer, your mother has just lyan1ere,
t in here She had lost her way,an,
her memory. No. she is not hurt
h found your name in her handbag OF
e a letter You will come at once? Yes
It l think that is best What? oh.
have the letter; there will be n
n publicity"
e About twenty minutes later
limousine passed under the red brio
o arch and Stanley Latimer jumped out
= he did not mince words at all; bu
Madge caught the relief in his eve
: and voice when he saw her
q am sure, Miss Laurence" he sal
II as they went upstairs together, 'tha
!. l need not tell you how grateful ar
II Il to you for sensing the whole emer
;. gency in this case. My mother ha
not been herself for several DAYS.
have been out of the city on duty wit
the national guard, and she mad
! some very ill-advised investment
r without my consent. I blame he
= broker far more than 1 do her. bu
= between them they lost thousands O
dollars, and I'm afraid 1 might hav
- been rather harsh with her when
q found it OUT
? Madge looked at him gravely.
IS Perhaps you did not realize tina
= she was in very low state of health
e We have only made a slight examina
+ ton. There seems to be some organi
heart trouble Don't you think Their
IS are some things more important tina
IT the mere loss of thousands of dollar:
d Mr.. Latimer?"
lie Perhaps that was why, when h
e took his mother away that night, Lati
e mer carried with him vivid mem
n DRY. No woman had ever said any
thing to him like that before. Tn
following day the superintender
called her to his office.
We're very sorry to lose you, Mis-
Laurence" he said. but it appear
there was an emergency case las
night which was not entered properl
or reported to Doctor Akin. In fac
you took it upon yourself both to ad
nit the patient and to discharge hel
You will leave the staff at the expira
ton of your probation period
She went back to her desk some
what dazed, but still she felt that sh
had done exactly the right thing. TIL
telephone rang about that afternoon