The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-11-09
Isabel's Own
Idea
BY RUBY DOUGLAS

pciuS uones teiiluS oue dSe, sulu hcr
chum.
Isabel was impatient. II know 1t
isn't. Neither Is what I'm about to
do"
'Then 1t can't be. getting married,
can itf" laughed Bess. '"For assur-
edly that is being done hereabouts."
Isabel dismissed the thought as
frivolous. II was about to say that
am twenty-five years old and that for
five years "a persistent idea has been
pestering me with Its presence In my
thoughts"
Don't you perhaps flatter yourself?'
Her chun insisted on being facetious.
"No, l do have serious thoughts,
Bess. ! have been watching mothers
and children. have helped to take
care of two sisters youngsters and
scores of neighbors' babies. / find
have great success with them"
"Well, what of 1t? Did you think
Of starting an orphan asylum? They
don't start those; they just grow out
of community of voters, and by law
and all that sort of thing, Isabel"
Bess was still unable to be serious.
mo, am not going to have an or
phan asylum. although you might be
interested to know that in the recent
reading OF my vocational qualifications
by an expert analyst got nearly 100
per cent in my ability to take charge
Of groups of children. manage home
fAr oil hal
So now. or course that only added to
the force Of my persistent idea that
could turn to practical account my
knack of keeping children WE'LL"
"Some job" remarked Bess.
"But I'm going to do it. I've made
my plans with father and mother, and
though neither Of them is thrilled with
the prospect, they're going to let me
have go at It," said Isabel, earnestly.
In spite of her levity Isabers life
long chum gave her the greatest as
sistance in carrying out her plans IL
where mothers might take their chill
dren, whom they seemed not quite to
understand, mentally or otherwise.
Isabel made a charge that could be
met by most families, and she took the
children at first only for day In
order to study them. Sometimes she
watched them with other children.
Sometimes she Played with them her
self to find out how the childs mind
reacted to certain subjects. At other
times she left them alone to see what
they would choose to do voluntarily.
Thus she studied them. She was thor
oughly practical, for she weighed and
measured them, found out what they
had been eating without offense to the
mother, ascertnined the number Of
hours they had slept and under what
conditions.
Children responded to the atmos-
phere of her big playroom and gar
den with its adjacent sleeping porch
and rest couches. They drank milk
for her when they had refused to touch
II at home; they ate carrots and
onions or they slept or played just as
she wanted them to. She had. a de-
cided understanding of children and
their needs.
It was not long before she found
that she had more than she could do,
even with the paid assistance OF her
chum. She was neither a nurse nor
doctor, but merely student Of
child life, and her scope. while consid-
cred limited by old-fashioned folks,
seemed almost unlimited.
Mothers were delighted with the
outlook the children got at life from
Miss Isabel's teachings. They went
to "visit" her every time they seemed
a little out of sorts and came home
bright and well and cheerful and up
to weight.
Isabels idea was not to keep, chill
dren for long time but to put them
as nearly right as she could in short
time so as not to let the mothers
sense Of responsibility be lessened.
She became great friends with the
visiting nurses In the various schools
in the villages. They were much in
terested In her unusual plan and its
seeming success.
~ know Of very pitiful case OF
a father in our town who is trying TO
bring up two little ones with the un-
satisfactory help of mere girl who
does housework. wish you could
have them" said Miss Hecht, nurse
In an adjoining district.
"But--why notf" asked Isabel. in
terested at once. ~
Its a. delicate. case. The father
wants to do II. He doesn't see how
inadequately he is succeeding. The
little girl is pale, thin. The boy
needs attentiop."
Perhaps I might talk to him." said
Isabel.
The nurse studied the young woman
for a few moments. A light came
into her eyes. "I believe you could"
she said. "He means the best in tn,
world but--he's not yet thirty and Is,
perhaps, devoted to the memory Of
the children's mother and hates to see
them IN other hands, w
'rm going to try" said Isabel.
BY strategic succession Of ar
rapgements, Isabel and the father Of
the children met He did not know
who she was. She did know what ne
was. Whether II was fate. whether
II was the guardian angel Of the chill
Sx~v, - rho<hse a. go fxsst vxloivs r>ld-