Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-08-26

VI way JOull Ilusneu TO the nalT. lie
turned to the other girl.
You there" he shouted. Look
alive with those sponges!" And he
caset quick glance toward the visit
tors, as II to see whether they ap-
preciated his harshness.
look of chagrin came over the
dark k-haired girls face, but she ran
TO obey and dropped the wet sponges
INTO the bichloride with shaking
llhsers. At the same moment tho
swing door opened and the stretcher
with the patient appeared, wheeled by
the orderly. Behind 1t walked the
head nurse, still maintaining her
crouchlng attitude as she moved. The
stretcher stopped inside the theater
and head nurse and orderly lifted the
man who lay upon it on the glass
table.
He mumbled and tried to raise him
self. The nurse put her hands about
MS shoulders, pressing them down,
while the orderly held the body, pro-
testing against the indignity about to
be offered to It, to which ii had en-
phatically not consented whatever ar
rangement had been decreed by the
brain. Lancaster's harsh voice doomed
thru the theater:
That's no way to bring patient
here, Miss Symonsi Deen aneetho-
STAT
The head nurse lifted her face for
an instant. There's history Of
nephritls, DIR. Lancaster" she said.
- he pulse is $50. and Doctor Nc
pherson said"
who's running this business ?"
shouted Lancaster, striding toward
her; and Joan was sure that lie
! looked out of the corner of his eye
toward the visitors.
He snatched the green ether bottle
out OF the nurses hand and poured IL
quantity of the fluid upon the mask.
The struggles ceased. the man sighed
deeply, and his limbs relaxed The
nauseating stencil of the ether fumes
made Joan's head reel. 1t seemed to
fill the thcater Miss Symons. flustI=
irg, but displaying no resentment,
took the bottle from Lancasters
hand and resumed her position. hold.
ing the patients wrist and peering
into his face. the green bottle up
raised. Lancaster went back 10 the
foot OF the table and the visiting sur
geons clustered about him. Joan
had never found him so detestable as
at that moment
The girl who was in charge of the
sponees whispered bitterly to her:
'He doesn't know how to treat n
woman-not a lady. He isn't our
kind. My, he must have been on a
terrible racket last night! He can't
J keep up that gait much longer un-
| less he gives up his work here"
Joan ignored her; she had concen-
| trated all her attention upon Ian
casters probable demands; she was
resolved not to he found wanting. II
was said that Lancaster was abso-
! II tely merciless and had ruined many
! n girls career by refusing to allow
her to complete her graduating
/ course. He was tYrannical, over
looked nothing. and never appreci-
atcd good work Rumor went that
when certain nurse had once
handed him benzine instead Of alco-
| hol he had taken her by the should
ers and run her bodily out OF the hos
pital, forbddinG her to show her
face there again
"lIe can't last long II he leads that
sort of life" the dark-haired girl re
peated. you'd think he'd he old
enough to have learned how to pre-
tend 20 be gentleman, iven II he
isn't one"
Joan shook her off mentally as one
chasas away a persistent fly For the
| tenth time she counted the instru-
ments In the tray Lancaster picked
up n scalpel. and MACPHERSON and
Ivers took up their positions. one on
either side Of him. The operation
was beginning.
The visiting surgeons watched, with
an occasional whispered remark. Ihe
| assistants already were swapping the
little forceps upon the ends of di-
yided arteries Lancaster issued his
commands from time to time without
looking back:
i "Spongesl'
"One-tNo," whispered the dark
haired girl. 'ThreoLfour--five--'
"Bistoury. Scissors. Dilator. No. q
Simms."
loan never faltered. She felt
easier in her mind; her quick hands
found the Instruments in the tray the
moment Lancaster demanded them
Meanwhile the dark haired girI
never ceased counting the sponges;
n-eight-nine--"
Suddenly Lancaster stopped, wheeled
and turned fiercely upon her. For
Gods sake, stop that clatter!" he
cried.
The girl let a sponge fall, snatched
ii up, and shot an apprehensive glance
at him. Joan saw that she was losing
her nerve in spite OF her brave talk OF
a few minutes before. She redoubled
her eagerness, but Lancaster's treat
ment of her companion was now be-
ginning to frighten her. 1t was the
critical time of very dangerous and
difficult process She tried to pull
/ herself together.
|. Yet without looking up she realized
that q sense of general apprehension
had stolen thru the operating theater
The nurse at the head of the table
looking like n yelled vestal, had not
shifted her position since the begin
ming of the operation except thai
from time to time her hand shifted
slightly as she let one or two drops OF
ether fall upon the mask. MacPher-
son and Ivers stirred busily theiT
heads bent level with their CHIEFS as
they moved to and fro at their work
The patient began to mutter again
Then hand. upraised in weak pro
test, struck clamp from lvers' fin
gers. 1t ratified upon the floor
Keep him quiet, Miss Symons, con
found you!" shouted Lancaster.
Doctor Lancaster the pulse" she
began.-But, after a quick glance al
the head surgeon, she shrugged her
shoulders, tilted the bottle, and de-
liberately poured out nearly all the
ether remaining in 1t. Tho renewed
stencil OF the anesthetic filled the
room. Joan saw the benches swing
the craning faces seemed to become
multiplied; Lancaster and the two as