Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1941-09-19

rustling in her old-fashioned black,
and weeping unashamedly. ooh, Miss
Elinor, she's gone. !"
"What?" Elinor sat up in bed.
"Your dear aunt. Mrs. Welman.
My dear mistress. Passed away in
her Sleep"
"Aunt Laura? Dead?" Elinor star
ed. She seemed unable to take it in.
Mrs. Bishop was weeping now with
more abandon. "To think Of it," she
sobbed. after all these years!
Eighteen years I've been here. But
indeed it doesn't seem like it. :"
Elinor said slowly: $50 Aunt Laura
died in her sleep-quite peacefully
What blessing for her!"
Mrs. Bishop wept. $50 sudden. The
doctor saying he'd call again this
morning and everything just as US
ual."
Elinor said rather sharply: "It
wasn't exactly sudden. After all,
she'd been i'll for some time. I'm just
thankful she's been spared more suf-
fering."
Mrs. Bishop said tearfully that
there was indeed that to be thankful
for. She added: who'll tell Mr.. Rod
erick?"
Elinor said: 81 will"
She threw on a dressing gown and
went along to his door and tapped.
His voice answered, saying, "Come
in" She entered.
"Aunt Laura's dead, Roddy. She
died in her Sleep"
Roddy, sitting up in bed, drew a
deep sigh. "Poor dear Aunt Laura!
Thank God for it, / say. I couldn't
have borne to see her go on lingering
in the state she was yesterday"
Elinor said mechanically: 81 didn't
know you'd seen herr"
He nodded rather shamefacedly.
''The truth is, Elinor, I felt the most
awful coward, because I'd funked it!
I went along there yesterday evening.
The nurse, the fat one, left the room
for something-went down with hot
water bottle, I think-and I slipped
in. She didn't know I was there, of
course. I just stood bit and looked
at her. Then, when heard the nurse
stumping up the stairs again, I slip
ped away. But it was-pretty ter
rible!"
Elinor nodded. eyes, it was"
Roddy said: "She'd have hated it
terribly-every minute of it'll"
"I know"
Roddy said: "It's marvellous the
way you and I always see alike over
things"
Elinor sad in a low voice: eyes,
it is"
He said: "We're both feeling the
same thing at this minute: just utter
thankfuIness that She out of it all. ;"
n
Nurse O'Brien said: "What is it,
Nurse? Can't you find something ?"
Nurse Hopkins, her face rather red,
was hunting through the little at
tache case that she had laid down in
the hall the preceding evening. She
grunted: "Most annoying. How I
came to do such thing can't ina
gine!"
"What is it?"
Nurse Hopkins replied not very in
telligibly: "It's Eliza Rykin-that
sarcoma, you know. She's got to
have double injections-night and
morning-morphine. Gave her the
last tablet in the old tube last night
on my way here, and I could swear
had the new tube in here, to-"
"Look again. Those tubes are so
SMALL"
Nurse Hopkins gave final stir to
the contents of the attache case. "No,
it's not here! ! must have left it in
my cupboard after all! Really, I did
think that I could trust my memory
better than that. I could have sworn
I took it out with mel"
"You didn't leave the case any
where, did you, on the way here?"
"Of course not!" said Nurse Hop
kins sharply.
ooh, we'll, DEAR" said Nurse O'Bri-
en-, sit must be all right?
ooh, yes! The only place I've laid
my case down was here in this hall,
and nobody here would steal any
thing! Just my memory, I suppose.
But it vexes me, if you understand,
Nurse. Besides. shall have to go
right home to the other end of the
village and back again."
Nurse O'Brien said: "Hope you
won't have too firing day, dear,
after last night. Poor old lady. /