Evening star., 1932-05-04
TANGLED LIVES
CHAPTER XXI.
By ANN FORESTER
Author Of "soite wife.
NUMBER 302.

THE gray Winter That was
what Joyce came to call it when
she looked back upon this time.
She could close her eyes later,
and by the very action, conture
the grim gray pile Of masonry standing
In slanting gray rain.
Rain. It seemed, looking back upon
1t. to have been always raining. Get
ting UP in the morning, looking out on
the chill court with the dimpling pud-
dies. Hearing the rain dashing against
the windows ali day. Or, worst Of all,
hearing the steady drumming OF the
rain through the long night watches.
Not even flowers could brighten the
eternal grayness Of the hospital, Joyce
thought as she put the endless bou-
ouets into water for the patients. The
perfect waxen beauty Of these florist
flowers stressed artificiality. Nothing
riotous and colorful about them. These
long-stemmed roses-the perfect white
and yellow chrysanthernurns, surely
they didn't grow in the wind and the
sun like other flowers. they were languid
beauties forced into bloom for this
house Of pain.
Pain that was the keynote OF 1t
all 1t was the pain she saw all around
her that was wringing the girls heart,
making her white and thin-painting
violet shadows under her eyes.
Joyce was not fitted by nature to be
a nurse. Her very sympathy told
against her. She could not take the
calm, detached, competent viewpoint Of
the trained ntirse A patient was never
malaria case" or "tonsillotony' to
Joyce. He orss she was a human being
feeling pain--and thereby causing her
vicarious pain as well
1. al s,-.~ -, lnlA tAar
open to frequent rebukes from the head
nurse. Susan Morrow had no senti-
mental nonsense about her. A patient
was only human being suffering from
disease--the human part far less in
teresting to Miss Morrow than the dis
ease. She was eterna11y nagging at
Joyce for spelling" the patients. A
nurse must be brisk -eff1cient-- putting
hospital rules above the troublesome
human element.
But Joyce could not be brisk and
efficient with poor old Mrs. Connolly
who did not know-though all the
doctors and the nurses did that she
was never going to get well. Even crazed
old Mrs. Schnell, who insisted on get
ting out of bed and walking home,
could always get Joyce's sympathetic
attention though the other nurses re-
fused to answer the call bell when she
rang.
The climax came on a day which
ended a week Of rain. To Joyce, pre-
pairing to go on night duty, it seemed as
though there was no beauty or COM
fort In the world. There was nothing
but long bare corridors, tired feet, eter-
mai cali lights over ward doors
Joyce was standing before the white
bureau in her room, struggling into
clean starched uniform. As her bronze
head emerged above the cracking blue
chambray she found herself thinking Of
Nadine. Nadine, beyond all doubt, was
at that moment stretched ott on the
day bed, swsthed in perfuf11ed chiffon
else dining at some expensive cafe with
Len Bates.
Joyce thought of the white satin dress
hanging unWorn in the cloSet-she
thought of jeff Therruld and she
laughed, laugh that turned into a
dresry little eroak.
They put people in asylums for do
ing thatl" said Kitty's voice behind
her a trihe tartly.
Kitty. too, was dashing in to change
to fresh uniform. Joyce looked at
her. Something disturbing about Kitty
tonight. She tried to avoid meet
Ing Joyce's eyes. Two angry red spots
6ahAAG0 Oil IAIIIS C1ACCAo anu A4CA O4uC
eyes we're swapping.
TITS that Morrow. Honest that
woman gets my goat! For two pins to-
night I'd resign and walk out of here
body can only stand SO much, and
she'll find some Of these days she's
showed me too fart" she finished darkly
Joyce listened to her woes sympathe-
tics1iy Joyce had made discovery.
Kitty had a tender admiration for DR..
Morton-one of the staff physicians,
handsome, rather pompous man of so.
It was a secret and modest passion
which asked nothing further than to
be allowed to work on her idols cases.
But even this small boon was denied
poor Kitty.
"Takes me off Morton's case, she
does" said Kitty with flashing eyes,
and puts me on 302-a crabby old
paralytic-one Of Rogers cases. And
simply because she's so crazy about
Morton herself Shes jealous of any one
he gives bit of praise tot"
Kitty pulled button SO viciously it
flew off.
she lies in wait for him in the lower
hall so she can talk to him when he
comes in!' Kitty went on in TRADE,
running up an askin' him the SIM
plest questions, child would know the
answer to. Layin' the blame on me