The Press., 1917-05-10
A Blind
 COurtship A Story of Nursing In the Worlds War
By ETHEL HOLMES

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, 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 It seemed like Nv that he would turn the heads of the young ladies, and she had done so only after exacting a promise from him that on no account would he be aught ex. cept a 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 a desire to induce the handsome teacher to break his promise. X number of them tried, but none succeeded. One of them won the Englishman's 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 a pupil.
 It 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 pO- 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 1t honorable for him to at tempt to win her without her fathers consent, since he was not in a posi- tiOn to ask that consent.
 He made no mention of the pledge he had given Miss bTedbury, but Aileen. being aware of 1t, admired him all the more for having kept 1t and for hav- ing refrained from mentioning 1t. She knew that a marriage with man who had no fortune would have been unfor- tunate for him and considered his ac- tiOn in not becoming a suitOr 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 oppOr- 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 BaInbridge, 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 a corps of nurses gathered for the purpose.
 Miss Van Worst established her hos Dital about the time the Germans be- gan their attacks on Verdun. During these efforts the hospital was filled with wounded French officers and sol diers. Then a portion of the French line was taken by the British. and since there was always some fighting on tho 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 bandnged. 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 in the eyes, but the dreadful fear came to her that he had joined the ranks of those who would never see again.
 Major Bainbridge. by Aileen's order, was given a room by himself. Not be- ing able to see, he was not aware of know that he had fallen under the care of his pupil of several years before. Afleen took care not to speak in his hearing. for she had reasons why slie did not wish to be known to him. As soon as she could secure the attention of surgeon she sent him to the wounded man and waited with bated breath for his report.
 Bainbridge had suffered not from poison gas in his eyes, but one eye had been completely knocked out by q bIi of shrapnel. The report of the surgeon was InaT OOtn eyes nau been injured beyond reparatiOn.
 Curious are the changes, the antithe ses, that come over human beings. When Aileen Van Worst had desired tC win her teacher It was for the satis faction of making him break his prom ise for love of her. When she had re ceIved his note resigning her on ac count of his poverty she considered his decision wise and had taken no steps to change 1t. And now she was plan ming to induce him to permit her to as sume the care for life of one who would forever be shut out from the visible world.
 To do this she must not reveal hel identity to him. Having refused to ae cent the position of poor husband to .