Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-09-28
Five Thousand
for an Ear
BY ANTHONY REIMERT
(@, 1923, Western Newspaper Union.)

%, 1923, Western Newspaper Union.)
EoRGE, the elevator boy at the
~ hospital, has a very pretty car,
delicately shaped like a girls. On
the other side he wears his long hair
brushed low.
Miss Van Dyce, the society beauty,
had shell-like ears, like Georges.
Van Dyce home is not far from the
hospital. Everybody knew the beau
tiful Miss Van Dyce, who used to
drive the powerful car. She is driv-
ing it again, by the way.
Miss Van Dyce was brought into the
hospital unconscious. She had been
doing social work, had gone into a
factory, and had piece Of her scalp
torn away by a machine to which she
stood too close. The ear was missing,
too. The girl was disfgured for life.
Can nothing be doneT asked the
distracted mother.
The doctor shrugged his shoulders.
The ear had not been found. Every
one knew where it was, before they
stopped the machine, but UNLESS
up an ear"
81 would pay five thousand dollars !"
exclaimed the distracted mother. The
beautiful Miss Van Dyce without an
ear was simply unthipkable.
There's George. He has ears of
the exact shape" said the nurse.
Somebody broached the subject to
George. "F1ve thousand dollars,
George, and you can wear your hair
long. 1t won't matter in a man."
give thousand nothingl" said
George stoutly.
"You won't eh, George? Don't
blame you," said the surgeon.
"Sure you can take me ear-both
ears-for her." responded George,
"but won't take no money for it."
A volunteer had been found. The
mother was strictly cautioned not to
let her daughter know that it was a
strange ear she would be wearing on
her head when she came out of the
ether. To her dying day Miss Van
| Dyce was to be ignorant Of the heroic
Georges sacrifice.
The day came when George, feeling
| the ether cone upon his nose, put his
right hand up to his ear in last fare
well.
| happy! Two weeks later he was run
ming his elevator up and down again,
| and his hair was growing nicely. He
was the hero Of the hospital
Once, ON one wonderful occasion,
passing the passage, he peeped into
the room in which Miss Van Dyce sat
with her head bandaged. She was in
a chair, reading a novel Of heroism
and young love. She did not even
glance up when George passed. She
was never to know anything about 1t.
George was a willing martyr. The
! thought that he had contributed to
Miss Van Dyce's continued social
/ career was infinitely joyous to him.
He went about in an ecstatic dream.
The day came at last when Miss
Van Dyce was to leave the hospital.
George had been fully informed of the
progress Of the illustrious patient.
She was doing very nicely indeed,
the ear had grated quite well and
| now formed an integral part Of Miss
Van Dyce's physical mechanism.
Best of all, the ear resembled Miss
Van Dyce's private ear so closely that
1t was practically impossible to see
any difference between them.
Now Miss Van Dyce emerged from
( her room, walking a little weakly
; still, but radiant at the idea Of going
home. With her walked her mother.
The nurse pressed the elevator bell.
! George, below, flew up on wings.
He knew that 1t was Miss Van
Dyce, ready to depart for home.
The door was opened. Miss Van
| Dyce and her mother stepped into the
elevator. Georges hand trembled SO
that he could hardly pull the rope.
He shot a shy glance at his divinity.
but the divinity's eyes were upon the
ground. The mother, who knew all
about George, of course, and was
afraid he was going to ask for the five
thousand dollars, kept her eyes on the
floor of the car.
! George stole a look at Miss Van
Dyce's head. There was his ear, her
ear now, growing nicely, and looking
. particularly pink and shell-like.
Conscious that George was looking
at her ear, Miss Van Dyce looked at
Georges. Suddenly she screamed:
"Oh, mother, take me away, take
me away! That boy has only one ear !!
1t oughtn't to be allowed in a public
hospital. l shall get father to write
to the directors"