New Britain herald., 1927-01-08

Sho was only too we'll aware of
 the fact that her words carried no
 meaning for Jim. but she made 1t 8
 practice to talk to him on all occa- tions in an effort to rouse some
 spark of memory or elicit word of l some kind from him. She smiled at Jim and Jim smiled
 back. When Mollie and Nellie Dow ming had left Jim Elweli leaned back in the sent and turned his head to- ward the water.
 Perhaps something inside was struggling for expression. for his
 lips trembled again with that half
 smile that was 50 pitiful to Mollie
 Elwell. and then he would blink and
 the tears would stand out in his
 eyes.
 Presently he got up from the rustic seat and moved away. A frown
 wrinkled his features. It seemed, as he stood there. that he was in great pain or that some struggle was going on within him.
 He was all alone now. No one else even was in sight. He could hear once more the strains of the violin. playing some unrecognizable melody. Ills hands clenched and un- clenched; the lines on his face deep ened: the tears now began to stream down his face.
 Ut seems SO strange" Mollie El- well was saving to Nellie Downing as they emerged from the park and approached the nurses building where Nellie roomed, that Jim should be 80 affected by the sight of tears or the sound of music when he is unable to understand word that is said to him. Dr. Lawson said. you remember. that it was something science could not explain.
 "I wonder" she continued after q moment, If there is any chance that tho old familiar sights back home, seeing the girls once more or hear ing Betty sing. may fan into life again the smoldering embers of his mind? The doctors seem to agree that his brain, although 'blanketed' as they call it, is still alive and not at all like that of an insane person. And I once read of man whose mind had been a blank for years and yet memory suddenly was re- stored to him through fall on an icy sidewalk. Have you ever known of case like that?"
 Not personally" said Nellie Dow ming. ::'although I've seen many sol diers with shell-shocked brains and l others whose minds were numbed [ from gas poisoning. Some Of these i recovered completely in a few weeks | and some died: no two cases ever | are exactly alike. They all differ in some way
 But Jim's case is different in | many ways. In none of the others that I've seen was the victim unable 1 to oarticulate--incapable. like Jim. of talk in kind of way but the talk usually was just drivel of discon- nected words. Jinn's vocal cords. | though. as we'll as his brain, seem to be paralyzed."
 Although she had never encoUn- tered any instances of recovery such as the one Mollie Eiwell described. she had heard of them. she said But you know how such things can | be exaggerated"
 The big room which Nellie shared | with three other nurses was on tae | north side of the building, its open windows looking out over the wood ed hills separating Ocean View from the Atlantic Through these open ngs was waited a faint tangy odor rom off the ocean. but the still air If the afternoon was heavy with hu- nidity and the promise of storm. Nellie glanced at the little onyx dock on the mantel as they entered. ts hands pointed to the hour of our.
 Cold water and little eau de CO., ogne soon did their work and Mollie 1lwell once more was fresh and cool. fer headache and the traces of her ecent breakdown gone. The rum- ding of the distant roll of thunder ,ame to their ears as they left the 
 "A storm Is coming up," observed Nellie Downing. T do hope that Prof and Mike get here before 1t ,reaks."
 Mike Hennegan was coming over