The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-11-15
The Girl Who Said
Bad Words
By r. A.

cnildren TO a certain behavior, try
Ing to keep them up to a certain
standard OF morals, often produce a
Numerically contrary effect.
When l was a boy / remember one
day passing a girls school just as
the pupils were starting out to walk
under the supervision of a couple of
as Notwithstanding teachers as
ever / beheld. One little girl about
seven years old, with heavenly blue
eyes, arrested my attention.
A few days later I walked by this
school again. This time the children
were playing in the grounds at recess.
The school vas surrounded by a high
wall, the only opening being the gate
way.
One Of them must have offended a
playmate, for suddenly there came
forth. In the sweetest of voices. a
volume of rough words which quite
shocked me.
I passed on to the gateway and
these children were chasing each
other In the same direction, for I saw
them pass, and one of them let forth
at the time a harsh expression.
Horror Of horrorsl She was my
little angel.
When / was about eighteen I was
shocked a second time in a similar
amer. But this time the effect was
not so dreadful because / had learned
by my own experience that goodness
we attempt to force into a youngster
usually comes out badness. My par
ents were very anxious that l should
take a high grade at school. While
/ was a little fellow they let me alone
and l did ex~cellently; when / grew
older and they began to nag me l
fell off and sank TO a low rank in
scholarship, though / confess there
were other causes for my retrogres-
sion, the principal of which was the
development of a taste for literature.
Well, this second shock was this:
l had called at a house to see a chum
of mine. While waiting for him to
come down to see me someone was
practicing In an adjoining room at
singing. There was a certain turn In
the song that she could not execute
correctly. When she failed on the
sixth attempt, there vas an explosion
of vexation worthy of a driver of an
army mule team. The voice in which
the words were uttered was as sweet
as they were harsh.
When the great world war came
on my father turned out to be a paci-
fist. l. on the contrary, believed that
Ii was our duty as well as our inter-
est TO assist the allies. On the Amer
lean declaration of war he did every
thing he could to persuade me to re-
frain from enlisting, but he had made
a soldier by his very opposition to
my views. After a bitter argument
one morning I went to a recruiting
station and offered myself for a re-
cruit. The ambulance corps being
popular, / chose that branch of the
service.
One day, when we were out pick
ing up the wounded, / was hit by a
piece of shrapnel and put into the
ambulance myself. / was carried to
a base hospital, where my wound was
dressed, and l was slowed away for a
couple of months TO ecover.
Everybody knows that women of all
ranks of life went to France and Bel
GUM as well as the other countries
engaged in the war to nurse sick and
wounded soldiers. / was quite inter-
ested in noting the different women
who were nursing about me. They
were Of all nationalities and grades.
Those in the hospital where i was
were chiefly French and Americans.
The English nurses naturally went to
nurse British soldiers. The nurse
who was assigned to take care of a
part Of the invalids in my ward was
n high-bred dame working with others
of her class as well as some of less
refinement.
/ made every excuse to get her to
linger beside me and chat with me.
One would suppose by the length OF
time / thus detained her that / need
ed more attention than any other man
In the ward. However, l did not sue
coed in enticing her from the other
patients, for she served all alike, and
l verify believe that every n of them
was In love with her.
One day after a battle my Madonna
was placed in charge of the over
crowded ward. A great change came
over her at assuming the RESPONSE
bility. She showed herself a true adj
ministrator. Suddenly, when two
nurses Fastening in different direc-
lions colllded and sent hot broth over
a newly wounded man, she sent forth
a torrent of words not at all In con-
nan with her serenity and sweet
ness.
This was the third time | had heard
such words spoken In a delicious fem
mime voice. 1t rushed upon me that
the three were one.
AS soon as / could get her atten-
ton l told her the story 1 have told
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