Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1924-05-01
When The Grape Hangers
A3HaMsed Mr.. Fnrqa1hn2


trees of the tropics and trees OF Marv-
land, growing together pleasantly and
naturally. The spring flowers and the
tall flowers were all in bloom at the
one time. | heard birds singing, but l
could not see them-which bothered
me just little, for their notes were
new to me, and l thought l knew
most of the birds. After a while I
walked about, but I met no living
thing | felt that I was in heaven. al
tho there was no one to tell me. Some
where-l do not think it was heaven
| met with many strange animals =
immense, fantastic creatures, such as
are said to have lived on the earth
ages ago. found mo- harm in them.
We were just interested in each other.
in the .friendliest sort of way. I found
myself wondering why such wholly
amiable animals were given such tre-
mendous jaws and such thick horny
armor. I, tapped the covering of what
| took to be dinosaur and Judged it
would turn even highpowered bull
ct.
I returned to the earth from the
skies and went on with some work
that I had been doing-work that seem
ed in need of Urgent attention. A few
weeks before that day in January I had
been talking with President Harding
about the care of crippled and dis
eased soldiers.
1 had opposed as vigorously as
could the erection of special hospitals
or institutions to house them. For
many years I had been president of
hospital and was thoroughly familiar
with the routine. I had told the Pres
ident that felt sure there was ample
room for ali of the soldiers in good
hospitals already built, and that the
men would get far better care in es-
tablished institutions than in new and
special ones, and how hard it would
be to keep profiteering and political
influence out of special government
homes
Some time later the power ot speech
came back to me although I did not
know where l was or that anything
was the matter with ME. Only at
times felt curious haziness.
l had intended going to Europe with
committee of the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States of which
l am vice-president and particularly I
wanted to go to the session of the
international Chamber in Rome. So
| went. We had good voyage, and
| made quite speech in Rome. The
physicians told me afterwards they
stayed to listen to it. Then I went to
Nicnna, Berlin, Brussels, Paris and
London and met with a great many
men and heard a great deal about
European politics and finances. We
were all busily working toward find
ing some way out of the frightful fl
nancial chaos.
Then was little boy again in the
old home at Sandy Springs, Mary
land, and my mother was bathing me.
"I am too heavy for you to bathe,
mother, I said. ':Why don't you let
Joe do it."
"No my child" she answered, at
like to-"
looked at her closely. A kind of
fog I had half sensed but had not
seen, lifted little. The face was not
as familiar as it had been. "You can
not be my mother. She is dead. I re-
member kissing her in her coffin
many years ago. Who are you?"
mo, am not your mother, but I
will try to act as she would have act
ed I am your nurse"
"My nurse? Where am II"
You are in John Hopkins Hospi-
! tai"
"What happened to me?" How long
have I been here?"
"You were hurt by an automobile.
You have been here several months. .''
The doctors came. I talked with
them. They began to test me. One
asked:
"How much is one hundred minus
seven?"
answered correctly, They ran on
down the whole scale to zero. They
asked me what I could remember. I
told them could remember every-
thing, and I told them. word for word
most of what they had said about me
in consultation offered to repeat anv
one of number of poems; they tried
me on Gray's Elegy and I recited ev-
cry word. The doctor who held the
book said I made but one error. I had
rendered the line:
| Where heaves the turf in manv a
moldering heap.
The word, he said was "clay" not
"turf"
That can not possibly be" ans
wered. "I have been in the Stoke Po-