Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-02-05
The First-Aid
Girl
(Copyright.)
BY JANE OSBORN


DILL OTIS, was talking emphat-
- ically over the telephone In his
private office which he, as recently APP
pointed costs expert for Walter
Dawklns, had occupied for less than
two weeks. AS he hung up the re-
celver he looked at his hand and saw
drops of blood on his fingers Then he
remembered that In the heat of his
argument he had brought 1t down hard
on the keen-polnted paper spike
"Anyone got any cotton for ban
dages here?" he asked of a young
clerk who happened to be passing.
you'll get 1t from the flrst-aid girl
down at the last desk" said the clerk.
"Shes got all those things-aromati
spirits of ammonia when anyone
faints."
Bill Otis, still holding his handker-
chief firmly around his finger to hide
scarlet stains, went to the last desk
in the large main office. A young girl
who seemed to be very busy making
records In several enormous books sat
there and Bill hoped sincerely that she
was the first-aid girl, for he had no
ticed her several times before.
TITS just scratch" Bill said. "Give
me a little bandaging, II you don't
mind"
you'd better go back in your office"
said the girl. "Cll follow"
Two minutes later Bill was seated
in his large armchair With this very
pretty girl beside him. With immac-
ulate white and shapely hands she
was bathing the finger that had been
cut-uslng sterile cotton and little
white enamel cup. Then she took
Bills large hand in hers, and looking
at 1t almost tenderly asked him II 1t
didn't hurt. ut was a rather bad
tear" she told him. II think should
have tainted" She applied some heal
ing salve on bit of sterile cotton and
then neatly bandaged 1t.
The next day In passing the desk
Of the first-ald girl, Bill Otis stopped
to thank her for her trouble. He like
wise asked her her name. Margaret
was born nurse.
Really I'm not" she said. Eve al
ways hated anything like that. But
when l took this job the first-ald kit
seemed to go with the desk. They
said that the girl that sat at this desk
always had had It. Someone had to
be Aresponsible-and so ! took 1t.
Nothing ever happened like this be-
fore, though" she said, rather proud
that at last she had been called upon
to show her skill. you see thought
something might happen, so took an
evening course In first aid"
More than ever Bill Otis admired
this girl at the end desk and every
time he passed he made some mental
observation Of her. She was dressed
so smartly, her hair was always so
smooth and glossy and well brushed.
A few days later he sent her large
bunch of violets with card inclosed,
saying simply, "From grateful pa
tlent." BY that time the Office people
were talking pleasantly about Mar
Bill Otis tried as best he could to gain
the friendship of this young girl whom
he so much admired, but all quite I'M
successfully. Then one day, feeling
more chagrin than usual at his lack
Of success, he quite deliberately
splke-it was enough to draw one
drop Of blood, no more. He went out
to Margaret's desk and asked her for
help, displaying proudly the drop Of
blood on his finger. Margaret went
to his Office with her kit But after
that she barely spoke when he passed
her desk
Then one day something really did
happen Bill Otis In his office alone
went to raise the heavy swinging win
dow Through defect In the chain
that was supposed to hold the window
1t fell with a crashing thud on Bits
arm. As he turned to go back to his
desk the walls seemed to bend and
the furniture went swimming round
the room. Bill tried to raise him arm
and almost tainted
Perhaps spirits Of ammonia would
pull me around until got out OF
here" he said to himself and with
all the fOrtltude he could muster went
to the door and asked the girl nearest
him to ask Miss Clark to come In with
her first aid. The girl laughed and
Bill shut the door and staggered over
to his chair.
Bill doesn't remember just what
happened then, except that he made
Margaret understand that he wanted
to pull himself together so as to be
able to get away without anyone In
the office knowing that he had been
hurt. 1t was the ammonia spirits that
she mixed up that gave him the
strength he needed-that and the
promise that II he could get to the
main entrance she'd meet him there.
She came and, summonIng taxi,
drove with him to the nearest hospl-
tai, where the doctors gave him ether
and learned that he had sustained a
compound fracture of the arm.
AS Bill opened his eyes and felt the
slow, dull pangs Of pain return there
was Margaret Clark, his first-aid girl,
beside hin.
II know I'm only 1irst aid" she
said apOlOgetlcully, "but | wanted to
see you through" The pallor on her
pretty cheeks told BIll that her ordeal
had not been an easy one.
Bill murmured something. He tried