Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-14

to the operating room" she ordered
| the attendants. Stay with her, Miss
| Johnston. You'll have to be the scrub
| for any one who takes It,"
She turned to Mark rs they bore
Dora. down the corridor.
DO you want DIR. Lebcovic TO
operator"
ANY one you trust"
I'm see if she can"
She ran down the stairs. leaving him
standing in troubled distress. What
was he thinking? / wondered. as he
waited her return. Was his desire
to save Dora merely common honor.
or was 1t strengthened by some force
of that infatuaticn that had led him
to her from Amy? Would he he
glad, ultimately. to he free to marry
Amy, or would he choose Dora. with
her trivialities, her prettiness. her
dependence upon him? He had bocn
a coward when he had married Dora.
Would he be coward enough now 10
see nothing in her death but release?
Whatever his thoughts. he waited for
Amy in troubled silence.
She came slowly up the stairs, hold
ing the rail as if for support. Then
she faced him. "Dr. Lebcovic can't
operate" she said. "She broke down
But she must know some one" he
declared.
"Yes," she said, her voice trembling
with excitement. She knows
doctor who has never yet performed
an operation. but whom she's been
training for months"
She's here?"
Eyes"
"We'll take her"
'I don't know If she dares." she
said slowly. "She II need all her nerve
for it. and this is the one case where
she hasn't it,"
why not?"
TITS myself. Dr. Anna has left It
to me. She says that. if / feel ready.
I can take it. Do you think 1 dare?"
"But if
eff she lives" she said "she stands
between us now. IL she dies under
my knife. she stands between US
forever"
II can't tell you what to do. Amy"
He watched her with pleading eyes.
NO" she said. You can't. No
one can tell me what to do"
CHE stood moment. staring down
~ the corridor toward the operating
room. then lifted her shoulders. "All
right she said. Chin up, she re-
pcated DIR. Annals creed of crisis.
THE chances in Gods hands, and the
knife steady in my own"
From the operating room came the
sound of Dora's groans.
Coming. Johnston" Amy Brooks
called. "Get little Sawyer for the
anesthetic. Ill be there in five
minutes"
Five minutes later. swathed in the
envelopinG white apron and tight.
white cap of the surgeon. she came
back through the hall from her room.
her arms barred in readiness for the
nurses scrubbing. Not one look did
she give to Preston as she passed.
Miserably he moved after her as the
door of the operating room closed.
Wretchedly he strobe the corridor as
the minutes dragged. 1t seemed
hours before she came out, pallid as
her raiment.
"Safe." was all she told him.
A nurse came breathlessly up the
stairs. ooh. DR.. Brooks" she cried.
"a child's just been brought in with
a broken pelvis. It's another emer-
Gency operation. Do you think you
can take it?''
Yes" she said.
She stood aside as the nurses
wheeled Dora into the hall. Take
her to Al" she babe them.
She did not even give Preston q
glance as he followed Dora's bed down
the corridor, but she spoke to me be-
fore she went back to the table.
Tell one OF the nurses to take
your old woman's temperature every
hour" she counseed.
Yes, DR.. Brooks" I said, for
knew even then that the last of the
old Amy Brooks. who had played, and
strolled, and laughed through gay
days and gray with me, had died in
the operating room, instead of Dora
Preston.
Copyright 1927 Metropolitan Newspaper
Service New York