Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-11-28

was cupping a pipe in his hand Just
now. But Of course he was above the
rules Oh, indeed. 1t made Mrs. Sham
so wild that the raid. in another sense,
nearly passed over her head.
DR.. Manley began his night round
with Miss Vesey and gravely inspected
the chart Nurse Hanky gave him. Then
he bent over and spoke to the patient,
asking her how she was, but If Miss
Vesey heard him she gave no sign.
He turned to Nurse Hanky and said
something about "the usual" which
later on could be repeated if necessary,
and keep an eye on her, nurse. Don't
draw the curtains, she might need
some attention and not be able to ring
for you"
Miss Vesey, in her own mind said
thank you, although her lips did not
move. All she had heard was 1.-The us
ual"-those injections which lately had
become the high spots in her life. She
didn't know precisely what was in
them, but if they were meant to put
her to sleep, the effect was entirely
different. She didn't want Dr. Manley
to know that, or he mightn't give them
to her.
Last week when her sister came to
see her, Vida had said little anxious
ly: II hope it isn't heroin, May. You
might get the habit"
And Miss Vesey had replied-rather
wittily as she thought might get
the habit but wouldn't know how to
get the heroin." Vida had been shocked
l,,, hot 5o ~tN
and prim and unimaginative, whereas
May had always secretly lived in
world of her own composed mostly of
fantasy, but 1t was only lately that she
had been able to enjoy her way of liv-
ing with perfect freedom; even 1t would
seem with moral license, since it was
the doctor who ordered the injections
Both the Miss Veseys were school
teachers in a small country town, and
they lived in whitewashed brick cot
tage surrounded by an orchard with
some magnificent apple trees. Now,
when fresh fruit was hardly more than
a memory in London, and even the
hospitals could get none at all, Vida
was still able to bring her sister shiny
red apples that had been carefully
cherished through the winter, and the
i'll Miss Vesey, not caring to confess
that she could not manage to eat
apples, had made herself very popular
by passing them around the ward. But
she kept one for show on the top of
her locker: it helped to remind her of
home. Now she was wondering if she
wasn't being little selfish.
When 1.-THE Moonlight Sonata" had
given way to THE Blue Danube"
which in its turn had been abruptly
concluded by Nurse Andrews removing
Mrs. Parkes' earphones from the wall
plug, and Mrs. Sham finally emerged
from her smokingroom, Miss Vesey
tried to hail her.
1t was her intention to make Mrs.
Sham present of her last apple. but
meanwhile Nurse Hanky had given her
the injection which released her from
the narrow confines of time and To-
cality, and her purpose became con-
fused with something Of bigger and
brighter Importance; something that
seemed to turn this tortured world into
heaven, itself.
Mrs. Sham again hesitated outside
the cubicle; she wasn't really sure that
Miss Vesey had tried to speak to her,
but she thought so, and she could see
that Miss Vesey was still awake.
You all right, Ducks?" she whis-
pered. How're you feeling, now?"
There was no reply, yet in her own
mind Miss Vesey had spoken. And what
she said. had 1t been audible. would
have sounded very strange: isn't it
too wonderful the wars over? Just lis
ten to the victory guns saluting our
ship!"
But there was Nurse Hanky. inter-