Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-01-25

Az afsot she did not 60 home. She
sat On the edge az her narrow, white
Led and soaked her aching feet in hot
water and witch,hazei. and practiced
taxing pulses on her ~ slender wrist.
with KS little watch.
Gu. OF all the long. hot cays, two
periods stood out clearly, 20 be waited
:or and cherished. One was when.
early Ia the afternoon, with the ward
Ia spotless order, the shades drawn
against the August sun. the tables coy
cred With their red covers and the
only sound the drone Of the banda.e-
machine as Sidney steadily turned it.
Doctor L passed the door on his
way 10 the surgical ward beyond, and
gave her a CHEEKY greeting. At these
TIRES Sittney's heart beat almost In
time with ;he ticking of the little
watch.
The other hour was at twilight,
"!cn, #ork over for the dag. the night
nurse, with her rubber-soled shoes and
Hreh eyes and Jantl!ng keys, having
reported and received the night orders,
the nurses gathered In their small par
ier o prayers. 1t was months before
Sidney got over the exaltation of that
tHiiist.. hour, and never did it cease
TO bring her healing and peace. In a
way, II crystallized for her what the
days work meant: charity and its sis
Ter, service. the promise Of rest and
peace. Into the little parior filed the
nurses, and knel., folding their tired
hands.
The Lord Is my shepherd read the
Head out Of her worn Bible; II shall
not want"
And the nurses: "He maketh me ia
lie down In green pastures: he leadeth
me beside the still waters"
And go on through the psalm 10 the
assurance at the end, "And l will dwell
III the house of the Lord forever"
Now and then there was a death be.
hind II Of the white screens, I,
caused little change in the routine. of
the ward. A nurse stayed behind the
screen. and her work was done by the
others. When everything was over,
the time wa recorded exactly on the
record, and the body was taken away,
AT first 1t seemed to Sidney that she
could not stand this nearness to death,
She thought the nurses hard because
they took 1t quietly. Then she found
that 1t was only stolcism, resignation,
that they had learned. These things
must be. and the work must 20 o
Their philosophy made them no less
tender. Some such patient detachment
must be that of the angels who keep
the Great Record.
On her first Sunday half-holiday, she
was free In the morning. and went to
church with her mother, going back to
the hospital after the service. So /,
was two weeks before she saw Lie
Moyne again. Even then, 1t was only
for a short time. Christine and Palmer
Howe came in to see her, and to In.
spect the balcony, now finished.
Bat Sidney and lie Moyne had n few
words together first.
There was a change In Sidney. l..
Moyne was quick to see it.. She was Il
triile subdued, with a puzzled look in
her blue eyes. Her mouth was tender,
as always, but he thought 1t drooped,
There al Il new atmosphere of wist.
f~ulness about the girl that made his
heart ache.
They were alone In the little parlor
with Its brown lamp and blue silk
shade. X. eve smoked In the parl0r,
but by sheer force Of habit he held
the pipe In his teeth.
"And how have things been goinc?'
asked Sidney practically.
"Your steward has little to report,
Aunt Harriet, who left you her love,
has had the complete order for the
Lorenz trOusscau. / thought I'd ask
you about the veil. We're rather in
n %quandnry. DO you like this new
fashion Of draping the veil from be.
hind the couture In the back"
Sidney had been sitting on the edge
Of her chair, staring.
"There," she said--"I knew It! This
house is fatal! They're making an old
woman Of you already" Her tone was
tragic.
He sucked calmly at his dead pine,
"katie has a new prescriptlon--rec.
ipe--for bread. It has more bread and
fewer airh0leS. One cake Of yeast
Sidney sprang to her feet.
ITS perfectly terrlblew she cried,
because you rent q room In this house
Is no a why you should give IN
your personality and y%our--your intel.
ligencc. Mother snys you water the
flowers every morning, and lock IN
the house before you 70 to bed. IL
never mennt you to adopt the family ~
X. removed his pipe and gazed eur.
ncstly into the bowl.
"Blll Taft hos had kittens under tho
porch" he snid. "And tho groceryman
has been sending short weight. We've
bought scales now. and weigh every.