The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1925-07-30
Sing Me
To Sleep

wont, which was rather often, for he
| was a favorite of hers.
The men surgical ward was full of
cases just then, of winch No. Fl was
the most critical. The amputation
would not have mattered so much If
there had not been something suspi-
cious about the heart action which had
made the doctors glance meaningly at
each other when he was a long time
in coming out of the ether. But since
! the operation he had rallied we'll and
the occasional spasms of pain in his
breast were growing fewer and less
severe.
He was such boy, hardly 20, Nurse
Williams thought, as she stopped be-
side him again and smoothed back the
wayy. dark hair from a broad, white
brow and large brown eyes, which
spoke of the idealist though his hands
were hard and roughened with manual
toll
Cant you sit down beside me few
minutes. nurse?" he asked, ut makes
me tired to see you always moving
moving, moving, so deft and STILL !
want to talk to You and see if you
are really human, or just a moving
piece of machinery, or-an angel"
Nurse Williams laughed little at
| his whimsical tone, gave No. IA dose
of medicine, rearranged No. 27's pill
lows and then dropped into a chair
beside No 81 with a suppressed sigh
of WEAKNESS.
! WELL" she said cheerily, what do
you want to talk to me about?"
No. 81 hesibated moment then ali
ruptly asked. Can you sing?"
"Sing? Why, no; I'm afraid not.
Did you want me to sing to your"
The boy looked disappointed.
There's song" he said, dreamily,
81 thing it's called Sing Me 70 Sleep
could die happy. I'm sure, if l could
hear it once more"
! Nurse Williams glanced at him
sharply. ''Nonsensei" she said with
matter-of-fact cheerfulness. You're
net gctzg to die, you know Why.
shall be teaching you to use crutches
in a few days.
{ The boy smiled mysteriously
Nurse Williams hsd an inspiration.
She opened her lips to tell the boy
about 1t, but a second thought closed
them again. She would give him
pleasant surprise.
You never told me how this hap
pened.' she said, lightly touching the
white Counterpart over the poor
stump.
Would you really care to know?
I'd have to go away back to the be-
ginning to make you understand about
it, but somehow | feel today as if I'd
like somebody to know"
wait till I fill NO. 1875 hot water
bottle, then you must tell me all about
it."
1T was more than year ago." No.
! 81 began, when Nurse Williams was
seated beside him again, that / wan
dered into church one Sunday after
noon. l did not know there was
service at that time until heard the
singing. They call it evensong. After
a little one voice rose, soft and clear
and sweet, from the others. 1t was
q contralto voice. That Is the most
beautiful kind, think | do not know
] what she sung, but know that as
listened all the padn and sadness and
work and loneliness faded out Of my
life and nothing but peace was left.
Peace, peace! ! slipped away when
she had finished because did not
want anything else TO spoil that feel
/ ing. went there every sunday after
that. The contralto voice did not al
i ways sing, but I lived for the times
when 1T did. For long time did not
want to. because was afraid it would
not be like her voice But at last
felt that l must see her, so chose a
! different seat. And, oh nurse! she
7 is beautiful as an angel, beautiful,
even, as her voice.
What is her Manner asked Nurse
Williams, a sudden possibility over
reaching her tact
Does it matterY- asked No. II,
! quietly.
mot at all" The nurse flushed at
the rebuke. II beg your pardon"
"Of course, in church she sung only
sacred music" continued the boy.
But once heard that she was to
sing at a concert and saved and
saved to buy ticket. 1t was then she
sang Sing Me to Sleep / cannot tell
you what it was like to me to hear
her sing that. he said softly. IF
only could hear her sing it just once
more
But your accident" reminded
Nurse Williams. + must go soon"
Il always wanted to do something
for her to make some return FOR all
the happiness she had given nae. But
! / never hoped to have the chance that
came to me. got a. job shoveling
snow of the street and one day / saw
her. She was sitting in carriage
talking to a man who stood on the
curb. A diamond glittered on the