Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-10-28
BLOCKING FOR JANE By L. HOLLAND. n
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By L. HOLLAND.

bubbled between the great ship and pier q blue-eyed, golden-haired little Norwegian girl. No one noticed her; no one spoke to her. She had come to the strange country to look for Jan. For long time she had had no word from him. The dear father and mother had died, so Gundrun sold the little moss-roofed home which nestled among the snow-capped hills of her be. loved Norway and had come across the sea to find the dear lover. It all almost felt she might see him stand- ing on the pier watching for her. Sure ly everyone would know him, he was so big and handsome, so good and so Kind and so wise. Oh, no one knew so much as Jan. And from her full heart there rose little Norwegian song, so wild and free. so weird and sweet-a song of Jan's, one he had taught her, for Jan could write songs, and no greater joy had Gundrun than in singing them.
 Jan was not on the pier waiting for her, and when she asked for him, no one needed her questioning.
 Oh, how strange and cold this new country was-nO one knew anyone else, everyone was in such hurry, all seemed so busy-did they ever rest? How unlike the quiet peaceful home across the sea!
 Indignation held sway among the nurses of the big emergency hospital, | for Miss Elton, the superintendent, had committed crime without prece- dent. She had received as a proba. tioner Gundrun, the little dining-room maid.
 "And if she gets through her pro- bation and is accepted, I shall go,"I declared the head nurse.
 "And shall stay," retorted the sur- gery nurse, for between them was fierce rivalry and they made it point never to agree with one another in anything.
 T suppose you think we couldn't run the place without you," sneered the first speaker. Mot quite so bad as that, dear" re- turned the other, 'but will say, there are nurses in this hospital whose res- ignation would be much more readily accepted than mine." This thrust silenced her rival, who made up her mind, however, that whatever the out come of Gundrun's probation, she, the head nurse, would remain If for no other reason than to spite "that con. ceited thing" in the surgery.
 The outcome, was in Gundrun's ia. vor. Quiet, gentle and thoughtful, she proved herself in every way worthy. of the profession and ere long not one among that blue-and-white gowned band of women who fitted about from ward to ward and from bed to bed car- rying relief and comfort to suffering humanity, but were glad to have Gun. drum their friend. Among the patients there was not one whose eye did not brighten as it 1 rested on the prettily rounded figure, the crown of golden hair, the deep blue eyes, so gentle and loving, and yet so sad. At night, in the dimly lighted halls in whose shadowy depths is needed no abnormally imaginative mind to conjure up many gruesome sight; in the cold, white surgery, where in the wee, small hours of the proceed ings of the preceding day were all too vividly pictured on the unusually acute sense; in the long wards with the narrow, white beds ranged in rows against the walls, with the dull yellow 1iUI al, on the sleeping faces, quiet and sad little Gundrun strangely harmonized, as she glided silently along the dim halls, in and out of the gloomy wards. freshening a rumpled pillow, moisten- . ing .fever-parched lips, soothing to rest with soft, caressing hand an over wrought brain and pausing to each bedside to assure herself of the com. fort of each sufferer in her care.
 "Be watchful of the man in number forty" warned the doctor as he said 1 good night. "He's threatened with a high fever and I want to check it if l can.'
 When Gundrun finished her rounds she stole into the sickrOom. On the bed lay tall, blond man, his flushed, heavily bearded face but half discern ible in the soft light.
 She strengthened the disordered bed, cooled the hot pillow, bathed the flushed face and burning hands, and then, seating herself in little, low chair at the bedside, stroked with soft and cooling hand the throbbing brow. But in vain. It seemed as if sleep would never again close those burning ] eyes. Finally she bethought herself of the little Norwegian song-Jan's song-she used to sing in the dear land she feared she would never see again. Sweetly, yet softly, her voice rose and fell, and as she sang her thoughts were over the sea.
 Unheeded lay the sufferer at her side, unheeded the shadowy halls, the dim wards the great. strange city l