Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02

"And then" he said, "I took 3 back-6ip
into eternity That's Just what it felt like
prodigious back-dip down and through
eternity"
When he returned from this interesting voy-
age he was dryad petrified in tree. He
was all Of stone, and the only part of him
he could move was the lid Of one of his eyes,
which he could Just barely raise. And across
this slit OF vision something was passing to
and fro like the wing Of gull. White, light,
fitting, like the wing Of q gull.
It became q cap. The cap passed to and
fro. It vanished, returned, vanished. Sudden
ly it reappeared, very large now, quite near,
and voice sweet as q chime Of low bells"
(that is the expression he used, Mr.. Sam
Nolan) sounded q phrase, "Are you in pain?"
Immediately he tried to reassume the pose
which had been his last effort els it out?" he
asked, in a manner jolly and brisk-and was
shocked to hear only sort of dismal muir
muring.
"Yes," said the voice sweet as chimes. TITS
all over. But are you In pain?"
gentle solicitude was about him like q
haze; he did not want to show off at all now;
he wished to answer with faith and with
truth. Was he in pain? Was this pain he
was feeling? One fact was evident; he was
stretched out like the four points of the
compass in the exact center Of q clearing
under broiling sun, pinned there by stake
driven through his body. A long moment Of
fixed thinking rid him at length of the clear
ing and the sun. He was not in clearing,
beneath the sun; he was in the hospital, be-
meath roof. Back in his bed But to that
bed he was pinned like butterfly; nailed by
a spike that went through him, the mattress,
and down into the floor.
mot so much PAIN" he answered, "as some
sort of very certain discomfort"
He Immediately became very proud Of that
phrase. lie had pronounced it just right with
an English accent.
WHEN Sam Nolan had reached this point In
w the recital of his adventure (men get their
adventure as they may be abruptly stopped
and looked at me with hi good honest,
slightly bullying eyes. We had begun lunch
late, that by now we were nearly alone in
the big darkiSh room. els all this any good
to you?" he asked anxiouSly. "Are you get
ting anything you can use? Shall go on?"
And saw that what he had told me so far
was not what he had been eager to tell me. He
had thrown it In for good measure out of q
desire that should miss neutrality-suspicious.,
also, as delay. What he really had been
eager to tell me he had come to now. But
he had fallen into the throes Of doubt, Of
an embarrassment. his honest face was
flushed; he smiled In forced way.
why, you are giving me lot" cried en-
eouragingly. "Please go onI"
1t was hard, I could see that. But finally
he had leaped the hurdle. WELL" he said
"I found out something else which might be
OF use to you. 1t'S-you know, how in the
papers, every now and then, you read about
a man falling in love-in love with his nurse.
Well, that's it. think know pretty well
how it happens when 1t does happen"
was looking at him steadily, and he made
g sudden little gesture Of denial half fright
ened, half violent. mot that did, of counsel"
he cried stoutly. "I didn't fall in love with
my nurse. Mol I'm an old married man. You
know, John, how close Glare and are. But
you understand that mean-you see it In
the paper every once In while-how some
man falls In love with his nurse. Well, while
was in the hospital a little thing occurred
which gave me somewhat of an idea as to
how that sort Of thing might happenl
"Its partly the DOPE" he went on hurriedly.
'"The DOPE Of course, has a lot to do with it.
You see, you're pretty full of morphine after
an operation. And it's also the temperature:
you nearly always have temperature. You're
sort of out Of your head, you're not normal
that's how it happensI Oh, I've got pretty
good idea Of how it happens, when it does
happenl"
go on" said.
He went on. That first day after the opera
ton had been hard one He had suffered dis
comfort and pain and semi-delirium.
II kept making rule in my head, over and
over again. A rule for future guidance. Do
you know what it was? No operation, how
ever successful is worth the trouble I kept
saying that to myself over and over again.
II kept doing something else, too. My watch