The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-12-11
Hospital Room
No. Ia
BY WILL 7. AMES

TO- Is2o by Mcclure .evspap4t tss.ud lcatel
| Miss MrcIintuck. tie huanr4aliEr
| Canadian superN isor, found Nurse l'nd-
| get coming out o. the diet Kitchen with
| breakfast tray dust ned for room II.
Nurse said the supervisor ~ her
lihpcrSonnl military manner "ynu are
relieved Go t. tho dnlmiralA now
"hd nc seven report a. Might super
visor Henry. You arc to take <urs"
Bourd"tt"'s place in tic vuHca's ire"
whrd. she is called brmr by Il sud
den Illness of has tloDhcr ! viii tat"
The tray Who is il furY
'lt"pn II. Very wen. super, scr T.
Superiluous conversation between
nurses nnd suporors WAS discouraged
IN the hospital particularly ~, dis.
cuSsion of explicit orders So Nurse
indg"t. surrendering the napkin COY
the long corridor aud The long stair
why ANA straight to her tiny room
IN the detached dormitory.
Evelyn Iadgct WAS in the last year
OF her training course. As she sat ut
her window nbstrnctcdly gazing out
over the city, spread clean IN the morn
ing light on three sides Of Hospital
ilill. II occurred to her that her new
detail carried with il something very
Hike IN honor. for Mazda Eourdet'c was
head nurse in the womans free ward.
tnd 4 twn-yenr graduate and never
hotor" since Evelyn had boeu IN The
hospital had Il trainer been rrt IN
charge Of any ward. oven fl any cmcr-
gency.
II suppose | ought to be grateful to
old McClintoclt." e"lilouuilcd the girl
Then she proceeded to demonstrate
her delight by doing something that
threc-yclr trainers nrc supposed to
be all through with she began 70 cry.
quietly but earnestly
For ten days Nurse Pndgct had been
toking care of Hugh Norris. otherwise
and professionally designated as room
II. Hugh had brought bncIt from
France, silver Of shrapnel mixed ny
with the muscles of his neck.
Lately the silver had been acting
queerly. ana Norris doctor had decid-
ed that II had best come out of that
before II made serious trouble for the
ex-soldier's vertebrae SO there had
been m operation. with much subse-
quent fussing with bandages, etc. and
with the collateral hunger for cod
ding which every big boy marooped
on bed Of convalescence experiences.
Ten days is not long in the view
point Of n geologist or of mn anti
luarIsn society. But IN the st. Mi
hiel salient. or I'm the life Of n lad
changes. Yesterday Room Fourteen
had said:
Nurse. do you know whom you re-
mind me Of? Well. it's my mother
her picture when she was girl" And
he had been very serious and earnest
about it, too. though MS matter of
fact Evelyn resembled that long-go
mother not at all.
Evelyn's heart had jumped right up
into her throat when Room Fourteen
can't analyze the meaning Of this par
ticular compliment. She had laughed
lightly and replied: Does that mean
you want sugar on your bread and but
teri Well. you can't have 1t unless
the doctor says sol"
And she got herself quickly out Of
the room with the luncheon things
but In the long. deserted corridor she
hastily kissed the corner of the nap
kin he had wiped his lips with.
And now Room Fourteen would be
going out. certainly inside Of n week
and what chance was there of Bour.
dette's returning within that time |
None. of course. She would not be
abIe to sec him again. The rigid hos
pital discipline would prevent that
and even II this were not so. how
could a self-respecting girl 90 throw
Ing herself In n patients way without
genuine reasons i'm the line of duiy2
II only Mazda Bourdettes mother had
taken some other time to be III
At this thought Evelyn sat np very
and very straight. Maidn had
10 mother She was m orphan nnd
herself had told Evelyn that she had
not been on speaking terms with her
'tepmother for two years. There was
queer then. about this sud
len absence of Nurse Bourdettn
Nurse Pndgets little head oil ut once
became perfect whirI Of exciting
peculations. MS the result of which,
lfter she had thought and thought till
lmost noon, Evelyn took her courage
n her hand and went to see the super
-isor.
At one o'clock Miss McCIintock wired
certain Mrs. GeorgiaDa Bourdette In
neghboring state: rs your illness
erious enough to require presence Of
aughterY' At four came this reply:
Have no daughter. Wouldn't let Ida
!. touch me If | was dying"
At 4 80 Miss McClintock, stern and |
sat In her Office with I
'nreo uoIih,Irtpn the Drettiest girl