Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1921-09-01
Plain Nurse
Gregory
By HAZEL BLAIR
%. 1921. Western Newspaper Union. }

Miss Gregory said the man on
the bed petulantly.
Nurse Gregory approached her pa
tient. Patients always were petulant,
even the best Of them, the day after
an operation especially when, as in
this case, there was only small hope
that the eyesight would ever be re
gained Thirty-dve years Did ana
| blind She shuddered to think OF
this strong man perhaps condemned
to a life OF inactivity and wrelchrd-
ness.
"You want some orange Iuice? she
asked
mo, | want TO talk to you, nurse
You know, during the two weeks rha
I've been here before my opera iop
never seeing the light and hardly hop
ing to, 1ve-well, you've become som
Of necessary to me-"
Nurse Gregory smiled softly II
was nice to be necessary to anyone.
She was necessary TO none except
for the sake of her skilled hands and
shrewd intelligence. And this man
Arthur Graham-had none to care for
him. He had lived a single life, alb
sorbed In his work as painter OF
stained glass, until the explosion OF
chemicals that wrecked his studio and
blinded him.
"Do you think I'll ever recover my
eyesight?" asked the patient
uNN, h,t.a en tTba ,lnotnr so 90. ,J,o,
is a lighting chance He'll know when
the bandages are removed next Tues
day"
"Mayn't | raise them ever so slight
ly nurse? ! want to see what you
look like"
mo" She cried ia alarm
Nurse Gregory SAT down by his bed
side. Suppose | talk 90 you instead,
she said
When she had lef the hospital
and gone to her room in the nurses.
home, she wept bitterly She had
grown to care for this patient Of hers
more than for any man she had ever
known, and she did not want him to
regain his sight.
No She wanted him always to be
blind, SO that he could be dependent
on her and so that he should never
know 1t was the worst thought that
ever came to her She fell on her
knees
Dear God, forgive my sinful wish
and make him well again" she prayed
Even though | must lose him--yeS,
even though | must lose him.
Plain Nurse Gregory, they called
her at the hospital, and, for the mat
ter of that everywhere. She was one
! OF those women whose beauty is in the
soul
The days passed. The man on the
bed was We'll; there was only the for
mality of raising the bandage to be
gone through the next day
Nurse said the man on the eve
ming before, "sit down a moment |
want to tell you something. Pm in
love--in love with you. +"
"lf YOU talk like that | shall leave
you" said Nurse Gregory quietly,
though her heart was nutterlng.
But the man only laughed, and then
stretching out his hand suddenly, he
found Nurse Gregory's and took it
in both his and raised It to his lips
Nurse" ne said, "do you know
what will be the first thing that |
shall do wheu | am We'll? II will be
to ask you" he held her hand tight
~ in hiS-''to ask YOU to be my wife,
When on The following morning the
doctors had assembled in Graham'S
room Nurse Gregory was as serene as
ever The patient sat in his chair
toward the light, his head upturned;
only the clenching of his fingers show
ed the tension of his nerves AT the
doctors bidding Nurse Gregory un-
fastened the bandages. One turn
auother-another, ana they fell from
his eyes, and the man leaped up and
stretched ont his hands to the sun
light
The miracle had occurred
but why won't you go back?" ia
quired the doctor, half an hour later.
"He is calling for you. You won't re
fus" TO say good-by to him? | thought
you got qlong so well together"
With shaking knees Nurse Gregory
Went back into the room Graham was
standing his baggage packed, ready 20
leave Very mlserably she held out
her hand
"Good-by" she whispered
He caught her iu his arms and