The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-01-16
The KISS
BY ouise v


Kathleen had never been able to con.
Qoer her fear Of the head surgeon.
But In the two years she had known
Doctor Breen he had never spoken
to her unkindly. Even when occasion
might have warranted. for there were
occasions, and mistakes due to her
huttering heart and confused brain, he
had been patience itself, a fact SO no
tceable that the rest Of the training
school first wondered. then comment.
ed. and finally gossiped.
One day the head surgeon met her
in the hall.
Doctor Breen regarded her q mo-
ment In silence, the way her color was
coming and going. the way her fingers
opened and closed.
"Why are you afraid Of me, Miss
S~tariing7" he asked finally. I'm not
such a bear. am r.
"N-now stammered Kathleen, turn
ing away her eyes.
"And I'm not very old. How old do
you think I amr
"T-don't-know."
"Only thirty. That's not old enough
to develop any fuli-sized crouch, now
is itT
"No,"
She was uneasy and wanted to get
away. The head nurse was likely to
discover that she was talking to n
Of the doctors in the hall and she
would be reprimanded.
Doctor Breen understood. "Never
mind about Miss Lownes, I'll fix this
up with her. I want to ask you some
thing more. II ever I'm sick or hurt,
will you nurse mel"
yes. Doctor Breen." Kathleen's
gray eyes were losing some Of their
fear.
Then things began to happen very
fast. The ambulance bell sounded in
the courtyard below and the nurses
and orderlies seemed to be everywhere
at once.
Doctor Breen had hurried away and
Kathleen went back to her patients
in X ward wondering what It was all
about.
"What is TT" she asked an inferno
as the elevator passed her floor slow
" with a e burden Of men on
s~tretchers.
Explosion in the Blue Diamond
mills" came the answer.
In an hour Miss Lownes came In.
"You are to 80 to room twenty-five on
the mems floor" she said icily. "Some
Of the doctors went to the scene Of the
accident and q wall fell. Doctor Breen
was hurt"
Doctor Breen hurt! Kathleen CROPPED
her way blindly to the stairs. She had
promised, and she would 60.
he was unconscious and did not
know her, however. Kathleen helped
with bandages and splipts. the doctors
and two nurses working silently and
quickly. But there was other work
to do-terrible work and they were
needed elsewhere. So Kathleen was
left alone with her patient for q
while.
He slept all the first day. The night
brought a fever and the next day de-
lirium. he began to talk.
"Prettyl Just the prettiest thing
you ever saw, but she scares like a
little gray mouse. She's sweet
sweet" he went on. "Gray eyes, long
lashes and skin like alike a tearose."
He was quiet for a while; then sudden
". kathleen, little Kathleen, don't be
afraid. I'm only thirty!"
The little nurse started and famed
red. Could he be talking about herr
He was getting very restless and ex-
cited. IT want her. Get me Kathleen.
Kathleen !" he called.
Finally she said quietly, laying q
cool hand on his. Heres Kathleen be-
side you"
kiss me, dear. Kiss me, Kath-
leen." He caught her two hands and
pulled her down. After all, 1t was
only to humor a sick man, and she
was too tired to care much what hap
pened. So her lips touched his cheek
lightly.
"biiss Startling"
It was Miss Lownes' voice. Kath-
ieen looked up quickly but f~earlessly.
There was another wOman with the
head nurse, a richly dressed woman Of
middle age. whose resemblance to the
man on the bed identified her as his
mother.
kathleen! I" called the sick nan
"You may 60, Miss Startling. There
is little to say. You are dismissed.
That's all, I believe"