Evening star., 1929-05-19

And Mrs Coates was alone. For littls
Katies sickness proved to be scarlet
fever and the house was quarantined.
Marice couldn't move back, Tom
couldn't come home week ends, Betty
couldn't come for Thanksgiving. Even
Mr.. Coates had to board out. Poor Mrs.
Coates was left all alone in that house
with q child that grew sicker by the
day
III say for her that she certainly
rose to the occasion like a soldier.
Little Katies mother couldn't come on
account of the new baby. There ara
plenty of women with a child as sick
as that who would have packed her or
to the hospital. But not Mrs. Coates.
She didn't even get nurse, took every
bit of care of that child herself, day
and night.
DR.. Horne told everybody that Mrs.
Coates was an angel, if ever there
was one on earth. He only hoped her
health would stand the strain. I felt
nearly as worried and responsible for
her being there alone as Marice did,
and watched with anxious eyes. Mrs.
Coates would come to the window on
our side and talk to me.
Little Katie had the fever terribly
hard; there were three days when she
hovered between life and death. But
Mrs. Coates pulled her through. DR..
Horne said it was nothing but the won-
derful nursing that ever did it.
The day after the crisis was passed
noticed something queer about Mrs.
Coates as she came to the window.
She looked pretty tired and drawn, but
suddenly I realized that she looked
different. She had lost that suffering
ghost look she had had ever since she
came back home. In spite Of showing
that she hadn't had any sleep for two
nights, it seemed to me that she actu-
ally looked happy.
X * X
THE day quarantine was lifted. ]
went in to take jar of jelly and
a doll for Katie. Thin and pale, she
was having a tea party in front of the
open fire Her aunt was hovering over
her, waiting on her as though she was
the Shah of Turkey, or whatever he Is
Shah of. And she was looking at the
little girl In the loving, indulgent way
she had used to look just at her own
children.
AS watched her, bustling about with
the little teapot Marice and Betty had
used to have, I realized that hadn't
been mistaken that other day. Mrs.
Coates was her old self again, wiry.
overworked, sunny.
Katie was going to have long, slow
convalescence, Mrs. Coates told me.
cheerfully, and she was sending for the
next older sister to come on and go TO
school in Montrose this Winter, to keep
Katie from being lonesome, seeing that
Betty's room was empty. And she didn't
know, she added, but that she might
take one Of the boys, too. There was
Toms room. Their mother was having
terrible time with so many children
and just a small income.
Every one in Montrose thinks It's
awful, of course, for poor Matte Coates
to be taking on another family, just as
she's got her own so nicely of her
hands and should be having an easy
time. People say they suppose she'll
wind up by having all eight OF her
nieces and nephews on her hands, two
or three at a time, working her fingers
to the bone for them.
Mrs. Coates doesn't deny this. Just
smiles her old patient, sunny smile.
She says she wants to help her sister
all she can. All that worries her Is
that she doesn't seem to find time to
help Marice as she'd like to. Mr.. Coates
doesn't mind bit, he's so relieved to
have her happy again.
And, as viii says, it's probably all
for the best. It's oinch that even
Mrs. Coates won't be able to ruin
eight!
Copyright, 1920