The Irish standard., 1919-02-15
The Man From
County Cork

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The clock was striking seven as
tired, but smiling, Sister Evangelista
went to the doorway Of the old mans
ward and stood there quietly. waiting
for Sister Imelda. whose turn 1t was
to be on duty for the night.
It was five or six minutes before
Sister Imelda came almost running
down the corridor. Somehow, the
dear Lord doesn't give me the grace
to be on time." she painted laughing
". Then she added In apology: Il am
very sorry to have kept you waiting.
After we finished washing the dishes
l went to play with the kittens, and
forgot to watch the clock"
Like every one else in the house
Sister Evangelista loved merry-heart-
ed Sister Imelda quite as much for
her childish lapses as for her very
real virtues. She smiled with no trace
of annoyance as she answered teas
ingly: SISTER, if you ever come as the
talk of impossibilities!"
With hardly pause, she added
more seriously: 1--WE have a new
charge-an old, old man from County
Cork, Tim is the only name he seems
to have. l gave him the third bed on
the window side. Such helpless old
man he is-thin, and tired, and sad,
and penniless, and pathetically
ashamed of having broken down. He
does not talk much, but two or three
times the poor dear said that he de-
serves all his misfortunes and has no
right to complain"
God help us all If we were to get
what we deserved" Sister Imelda
chimed in. Silence was the least of
her virtues.
II do not think he means his pow
erty-but must 60 or shall be late
for Office. Tom Shea is to have his
medicine at ten and at two If he is
awake"
Half an hour later when Sister
Imelda passed down the ward she
looked curiously at the newcomer, a
frail old man with thin gray hair and
beard. Seeing that he was not asleep
she spoke gently to him, asking if he
was comfortable. To her surprise he
started violently Instead of replying
he stared at her, bewildered, for a
few moments; then, with little moan,
he turned his face and closed his eyes.
With a feeling of compassion for
the queer little ways of advanced age,
Sister Imelda passed on. BY the time
she made her second round he had
fallen asleep. She stopped at his bed
side to look, not into his worn, lined
face, but at the rudely chained old
beads which were twined about his
right hand, such beads as she had not
seen since she was girl in Ireland.
They vividly recalled cabin Of a
winters evening, with her stalwart
father giving out the Sorrowful Mys-
teries--it was always those that he
had said. whatever the day of the
week, her frail mother kneeling be-
side him, but little nearer to the fire
and grouped irregularly around them
her four brothers and her restless,
sleepy little self. Obeying a sudden
impulse she stopped and kissed the
old beads and two tears fell .on the
coverlet. "God bless them ALL" she
murmured and the old man stirred in
his sleep.
AS the days wore on Tim failed
fast. He never complained and was
pathetically grateful for the least
kindness, but he was silent and sad
and evidently did not feel at home.
He made friends of none of the other
old meh and seemed not to know one
Sister from another. One day, how.
ever, when Sister Margaret gave him
his dinner he smiled wistfully at her,
saying my wife's name was Marga'
ret, only it was Maggie we called
her." and he appeared to be glad
when on Wednesday and Saturday
nights it was Sister 1melda's turn to
be on duty She would find him awake
and watching for her almost every
hour; and once, very timidly, he asked
II she would sit beside him awhile.
81 feel weak and strange tonight, and
your bright face, IL like to see it,
he said. "You see, it's lonely here
and Ireland so far away"
"It's Gods own country!" Sister
Imelda exclaimed understandingly
and added: "1'll sit beside you if you
close your eyes and try to go to
sleep. We don't want Sister Evange
tlista to scold US both tomorrow morn
ing"
He agreed, but instead of shutting
his eyes, lay looking contentedly al
3.her until she shook her finger and
1 went away.