The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-08-02
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Miss Cheer Up.
ey CLARA DAN.
Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure
Navvananar< Svndfcatal

WllnB 70 travel on CHRONIC case.
The older nurses declined. but with
Betty II was q necessity. She had been
In Boston. eight weeks already and
nothing had turned up for her but q
couple of measles and one pneumonia,
so as she told her room mate while
she threw things into a steamer trunk.
she would have gone right up In the
sky 70 nurse Angel Gabriel II he had
needed her rather than face another
week of idleness.
Its too bad this isn't typhoid.
dearie," Miss MacLain told her when
she wished her good-by. Hes rich
and they always propose to their nurse
after the crisis Is past"
At ten the Cranston car stood before
the door Of the nurses registry and
Betty was whirled away to a dowa-
town hotel. She wondered what the
family would say. up at Little Falls in
Vermont. Scared to death for her,
probably. going away down TO New Or
leans with perfect strangers.
Twenty minutes later she was draw
ing off her gloves in the pearl gray
and silver suite, with Mrs. Oliver H.
Cranston herself receiving her. Bet
tvs brown eyes opened wider than ever
as she looked at her, she was so tall
and girlish in figure, with white curly
hair and salmon pink negligee Betty
longed to roll up and send home to Vio-
let.
81 do hope you have strong nerves,
Miss Abbott" she Said looking the lit
tie nurse over cafefully Roland is
terribly trying. l presume he should
be in a sanitarium somewhere, but /
can't leave him. He has always been
my baby, you know. l can't tell you
what 1t meant TO me when he came
back from the other Side, completely
nerve racked. He was wounded twice
and gassed slightly"
I'll though Miss Galbraith called 1t
a chronic case" Betty ventured
"oh, 1t is. The doctors give me no
hope for him at all. That is, he will
never be like himself again. He doesn't
take any interest in anything. The
reason that DR.. Allan recommended
you was because he said you were
cheerful and could keep his mind of of
the past"
Betty tried to keep herself very pro-
fessional, as she asked:
Did DR.. Allen recommend me him
self?"
"oh, yes. / was afraid you would
be too young, but he was certain your
temperament and training would obvi-
ate that. You see ! cannot go with
you, but | will meet you later on at
Spruce Knob. From there we go south
to New Orleans, where Roland's grand
mother lives. She longs to see him
OF course. You will get all your travel
ing instructions from Miss Kellogg,
my secretary. and David, Roland's old
colored man, will go with him. You
and Miss Kellogg will be together and
send me wires every night and morn
ing, Miss Abbott, won't you. and let
me know how my darling is progress
ing2"
Betty never forgot the first time she
saw Roland. He was sitting up in bed,
playing cards with his doctor and a
couple of friends from Harvard. His
hair was towsled. half finished box
OF cigarettes stood on the stand be-
side him, and over his shoulders was
thrown dressing gown Of tawny yell
low silk that made his tanned skin
and black eyes seem darker than ever.
i thought you said male nurse,
Doc" he said in an understone that
she caught. Gee, I've had enough of
mollycoddling from mother"
Betty's lips set in close, belligerent
line of defiance, as she looked, not in
her patients eyes, but at DR.. Allan's
laughing face.
IT'S all my fault, Rolly," he said.
II ordered her as good medicine. What
you need, lad, is cheering up, and Bet
ty here is our cheer up girl. I'll see
you at Spruce Knob tomorrow"
If'Roland had expected any tender
care from the new nurse he found out
his error before the week was up. Bet
ty adhered strictly to routine duty.
He had hardly spoken to her for the
first three days, while the doctor had
arrived and they had managed to cover
ethe splendid links below the Cranston
cottage at least one day. Finally
Roland asked for the doctor and was
told by Miss Kellogg he had gone
horseback riding with the nurse The
) next morning Roland looked at his
nurse carefully from a new angle.
I'm going to try few holes to-
day." he said CURLY. Wen start
about ten"
Betty looked him over coolly herself,
as she handed tray of breakfast
dishes out to the porter.
II have letters to write to catch the
northern mail" she replied. IN tell
David to go with you"
You played with Tom Allan. I
watched you" He glanced at her
quickly. Hes going back Saturday.
Fine chap, isn't. her"
Everybody likes him." Betty agreed
tmpersonally, and went out with her
chin up. Yet she knew she liked him
IN spite of his quick temper and peev-
tshness. The doctor had told her as
u they strolled back over the links the
day before how he had taken one hon
or after another at the front, and of
horrors even his mother did not know
he had faced and conquered. Secret
~ she felt a certain respect for his
record even while Ashesrebelled against
his irritability.
3 HE was engaged to his coHsin,
Eency+D eringforth, Of New York, be.
lore he went owe" Tom had added at
the last. "She threw him over while
be was in the hospital and married
Courtney Phelps, the broker. Made
Roland sort Of cynical, presume.
Cheer him up when I'm gone"
Roland watched them the night be-
fore the doctor left as they strolled
down through the pines from the no.
TEL Then he called old David to him