The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-02
EVENING STORY
Miss Cheer Up.
BY CLARA DAY.


The older nurses declined, but with
Betty it was a necessity. She had
been in Boston eight weeks already
and nothing had turned up for her
but a couple of measles and one pneu-
monia, so, as she told her roommate
while she threw things into a steam
er trunk. she would have gone right
up in the sky to nurse Angel Gabriel
if he had needed her rather than face
another week of idleness.
It's too bad this isn't typhoid,
dearie," Miss MacLain told her when
she wished her goodby. Hes rich
and they always propose 10 their
nurse after the crisis is past"
At ten the Cranston car stood be-
fore the door of the nurses registry
and Betty was whirled away to a
downtown hotel. She wondered what
in Vermont. Scared to death for her,
probably, going away down to New
Orleans 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. Betty
brown eyes opened wider than ever as
she looked at her, she was so tall and
girlish in figure, with white curly
hair and a salmon pink negligee Betty
longed to roll up and send home to
Violet.
Il do hope you have strong nerves,
Miss Abbott" she said, looking the lit
tie nurse over carefully. Roland ds
terribly trying. I presume he should
be in a sanitarium somewhere, but ]
can't leave him. He has always been
my baby, you know. / can't tell you
what 1t meant to me when he came
back from the other side, completely
nerve Facked. He was wounded twice
and gassed slightly"
IL thought Miss Galbraith called
it a chronic case" Betty ventuFed.
"Oh, it 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 i'll anything.
The reason that Doctor Allan recon-
mended you was because he said you
were cheerful and could keep his mind
off the past"
Betty tried to keep herself very pro-
fessional, as she asked:
did Doctor Allan recommend me
HIMSELF"
"Oh, yes. was afraid you would
be too young, but he was certain your
temperament and training would OBJ
viate that. You see I cannot go with
you, but 1 will meet you later on at
Spruce Knob. From there we will go
south to New Orleans, where Roland's
grandmother lives. She longs to see
him of courae. You will get Ill your
travelling instructions from Miss KEEL
logg, my secretary, and David, Ro-
lands old colored man, will go with
him. You and Miss Kellogg will be to-
gether and send me wires every night
and morning. Miss Abbott, won't you,
and let me know how my darling ts
progressing
Betty never forgot the first time she
n - - -
playing cards with his doctor and q
couple of friends from Harvard. His
hair was towsled, a half-finished box
of cigarets stood on the stand beside
him, and over his shoulders was
thrown a dressing gown OF tawny yell
low silk that made his tanned skin
and black eyes seem darker than ever
II thought you said q malo~ nurse,
Doc" he said in an undertone that
she caught. Gee, I've had enough OF
mollycoddling from mother"
Betty's lips set in a close, belliger-
ent line Of defiance, as she looked, not
in her patients eyes, but at Doctor
Allan's laughing face.
ITS all my fault. Rolly." he said.
1T ordered her as good medicine
What you need, lad, is cheering up,
and Betty here is our cheer up girl
I'll see you at Spruce Knob tomor-
row."
If Roland had expected any tender
care from the new nurse he found out
his error before the week was up
Betty 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 COW
er the splendid links before the Grams
ton cottage at least once day. Final
ly 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 a few holes to-
day." he said CURLY. Wen star
about TO-"
Betty looked him over eoolly her
| self, as she handed a tray of break
fast dishes out to the porter.
II have letters to write to catch
the northern mail" she replied. II
tell David to go with you"
You played with Tom Allan.
watched you" He glanced at hei
quickly. Hes going back Saturday
| Fine chap, isn't her"
Everybody likes him." Bett!
| agreed impersonally, and went on
with her chin up. Yet she knew shi
liked him in spite Of his quick tenn
per and peevishness, Tie doctor hat
told her as they strolled back over tn,
/ INNS the NdS DclOIG now ne ndQ IakeI
one. honor after another at the front
and of horrors even his mother diC
not know he had faced and con
quered. Secretly she felt a certain re
spect for his record even while sh,
rebelled against his irritability.
He was engaged to his cousin
Nancy Deringforth, of New York, be
fore he went over" Tom added at tn,
last, She threw him over while h
/ was in the hospital and married
I Courtney Phelps, the broker. Mad
Roland sort of cynical, I presume
Cheer him up when I'm gone"
Roland watched them the night be
fore the doctor left as they strolle,
down thru the pines from the hotel
| Then he called old David to him ant
told him to get him up at for
| turn on the links.
We're going to change our gait
Davey," he smiled. We've got L
give Doc a run for his money"
-Four weeks later there came tn
! telegram announcing the coming 0
Mrs. Crankton. 1t startled them both