The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-11
EVENING STORY
Irving, Five.
BY IzoLA FORESTER.

irving, rive
BY IzOLA FORESTER.
She was new to st. Mary's or she
never would have asked to be placed
in Irving, Five. Every nurse lodged
duty there. Just the instant you
opened the door, the rising. wailing
clamor smote your ears, and if you
had a ghost of an excuse. you fled
then and there.
But Winona never DATED an eye
lash,' as Naylor said later to the lab
oratory doctor. Naylor was on duty
daytimes, and when he entered the
ward, just for the fraction of a min
ute, the wailing turned into a shrill
cry of welcome.
ITS fierce in here-forty-seve
beds. not counting the two coolers for
pneumonias, but it's great old place
if YOU can stand it." He looked at
the new nurse critically. She was
dark haired, blus<eyed, vital-appear-
ing and smiling.
I'm not bit afraid" she told him.
land I love kiddies, especially sick
ones"
So she had stayed on, and Anthony
grew to look upon her as something
necessary to the ward. like the flood
of sunshine that poured down thru
the high south windows. or the flow
erS sent III every udy lIOLIl MI .. <1d-
dington Gray's greenhouses out on
Long Island.
Timme found out more about her
than any one, possibly because he was
her favorite out of all the children
who came and went in the little white
beds of the long ward. Jimmie was
not a temporary case. He was
chronic, and only the interest of Doc
tor Naylor kept him there on observa-
ton instead of sending him away to
one of the ''incurables," as the pa
tents called them.
the ward with his spine brace bend
ing him far back, and would make
every child. who could laugh. wave
back to him when he swung a little
flag around his head and sang:
There's the sound Of marching feet,
Coming down our village street,
And know my Billie Boy is almost
home.
When the pain grew worse after
treatment, Winona would take him up
in her arms and pet him, and it was
at these specially private times that
they exchanged condolences. Jimmie
said he was awfully lonesome because
everybody else had folks come to see
him and he never had soul. 1t
seemed there wasn't any one to come.
ut amt home case. I'm from the
Orphans he said confidentially.
She was an orphan. too, and one rea-
son~why she had taken up nursing
was because she didn't have any one
who belonged to her, either, up at the
big city on the lakes.
Wen have to belong to each other,
1 guess she said tenderly, and Tim
mics arms tightened their grip
around her neck as he agreed.
He told Doctor Naylor about it late<
when he was having an examination,
and the doctor had glanced sharply
down to the desk where she stood
And just then there came the daily
load of flowers into the ward. and
Timmie's brows drew together.
Why didn't Mrs. Gray ever come
herself to see them? he asked. Flow
ers couldn't talk, could they? And
Doctor Naylor explained with little
smile around his keen gray eyes that
Mrs. Addington Gray, was very busy,
that she lived a long way from New
York, and that he thought it very
kind of her to send the flowers in
every day.
did you tell her to send them 90
asked Jimmie with sudden suspicion,
and the doctor acknowledged that he
had, just when Winona came up with
Timmie's two little glasses of medi-
! cine and caught the last fragment of
| their conversation.
! Another bit of news Jimmie told
! helped her to understand why the
young house doctor was so beloved.
! Irving. Five, was named for his
mother, Mary Elizabeth Irving, and
had been endowed by her They were
| awfully rich folks Jimmie added
comfortably. but he never held that
against the doctor.
He's just real folks, like u.s." he
| added, and Winona smiled a bit visit
Trryn he Of NJ H., =
| brought a strange new joy into her
| life, and she hardly dared think that
/ Tony Naylor was responsible for it.
Then came day when all unexpected
ly Irving. Five, had visitors, Mrs. Nay
| Tor and Mrs. Gray. Jimmie coaxed
| Ella Kusick. a tall. thin girl of four
teen. to lift him up so he could peek
down at the street and see the dark
| blue limousine they had come in.
And Mrs. Gray turned out to be very
she walked slowly up and down with
| Doctor Naylor.
will he marry herr" asked Tim
mic bluntly. when Mrs. Naylor bent
| over his chair. Twice he had been
! taken out in the blue car with the doc
tor for a weekend at his mothers
home. and he felt he was a family
| friend. But Mrs Naylor only smiled
and patted his curly head in a way he
hated, and he was left in a state of in
decision.
| 1t was the next week that the spe-
cialist operated on him. They did not
/ tell Jimmie it was going to happen.
| but he guessed it from Winona's ten
i derness. and when he came out from
under the anesthetic he called for her
\ first. 1t was at night and she was off
| duty. but Doctor Naylor sat beside
him still. watching every change and
pulse beat. And there in the dark
ened ward he heard Timmie's broken
voice pleading for Winona.
shes all alone like me, and no
! father or mother or any one, and I
| don't want you to marry that Mrs.
Gray. want you to marry my
nurse"
How do you know she'd have me,
Timmie?" Tony asked in low tone.