Montgomery County sentinel., 1931-04-17
ROCkvllLE. MARYLAND FRIDAY MORNING. APRIL H. 1881
Years Of Service
TO Others
By HELEN ST. BERNARD
....s.. s...s.s..,..4.......s.*.s..s..,s***S*s ) !.
&c 1891 Mcclure Newspaper svndicateN
tWNU Service.l


&c 1891 Mcclure Newspaper SyndicateN
tWNU Service,l
TEN minutes to six. The dawn,
L SIrraking the eastern sky with
dasIlrs of color. stole through the win
dows 0f st. Agnes iospital and with
II came signs of awakening. Alice
Lee finished her report and turned
out the light above he hall desk. DR..
Robert BahcOck came down the nall
and stopped beside hel
"Wcll we lost the fight. I'm sorry
We could not save that little mother"
Alice Lee looked mp into the kindly
lined face and smiled.
You did your hest I1oct"i BaD, kou
always do always have And | am
sorry wont be Here 70 help fight
any more battles with you after :
teen years am through today"
"Through today, after fifteen yeal
OF service" he repeated slowly. "And
what in heavens name am ! going to
do without you. Alice Lee?"
"There will be plenty of others to
take my place, younger and more efli-
cient ! am getting old, Doctor Bah,
and tired after twenty-five years OF
nursina fifteen of hem right here In
st. Agnes"
"Twcnty-five years of service 20
twenty-five years. full life
devoted to the needs of people. Surely
the flowers in that little garden around
that brand new bungalow should be
more beautiful, more fragrant, becn'
hands that have done kind and beau
tiful service to others have planted
them"
There were some special breakfasts
to order that morning; room to he
made ready for an incoming patient; ;
various duties And then Alice Lee
was ready to leave st. Agnes after
fifteen years.
"Nothing but rest and sleep and
read" she repeated over and oven in
answer to the eager queries Of the
nurses who gathered about her to say
good.by. "My dream bungalow is wait
ing, my garden is planted. and | just
plan to grow old and gray, resting.
Her last call was TO the nursery
There were four babies in there this
morning. Two had gone home yester-
day with proud parents. and several
small cribs were cOnspicuousiy empty
The small bit Of hrmanity In the first
crib neal the door was crying Justify
and Alice Lee leaned ever and deftly
turned II on its side, patting the tiny
back materially. The cries ceased nj.
asleep, and the fourth lay looking
about her with big blue eyes, tiny
pink thumb between her lips.
"Poor little girl-at the mercy Of
the world" whispered Alice as she
bent over the crib. "Just three weeks
old with O life of heartaches ahead,
No one who cares And in n few years
you will be lost in the whirlpool Of
ife, just like your little mother who
died last night"
The baby looked Up her sOlemnly
and kicked both feet. Alice Lee gently
pulled the little thumb from the mouth
and as she did so four small fingers
closed about one of hers and held II
tight II seemed ms though those blue
eyes were looking straight 'nto hers.
In an instant the baby was In her
arms. the round head smuggling into
her neck.
Doctor BabcOck vas putting on his
Overcoat preparatory to leaving the
hospital when Alice Lee came into his
office. her eyes shining, her face
flushed.
"Doclor Babl ! want this baby
and this baby wants meT
Doctor BabcOck sat down In the
nearest chair. his arms hanging limp.
Suffering jack rabbltsl" he ex-
claimed most unprofessionally. you
have been talking for months about
II long rest-about being tired Weeks
and weeks of sleeping, reading an
being lazyl And now you come in
here and tell me you are going to
take a three weeks old baby. You
are crazy. Alice Lee"
mo, Doctor Bah, not crazy. Just a
lonesome woman who wants to keep
right on being of service to others,
who wants some one to love, who
wants some one to love her ! want
this baby, and am going to have her.
| know now what that new bungalow
and garden out there needs. And
need her. too. | have already named
her--afier you Roberta BabcOck Lee
And Roberta goes home today"