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Show JIMMY'S BOSS By GLADYS PLUMMER. T"TMrmirriiiiiinm Minrnr'r' """' i Jimmy Murphy's freckled forehead assumed perplexed lines as he opened bis blue eyes and beheld a long room bordered by numerous small white licds, similar to the one he occupied, but was immediately smoothed by remembrance re-membrance as u sharp pain shot through his left leg. "A hospital," came from the thin, expressive ex-pressive lips. "Yes. dear, a hospital." Jimmy's head turned quickly to the pretty nurse sitting at his bedside. "You ran in front of an automobile and your left leg Is broken. Keep up good courage, and In a few weeks you will lie about again. I will tell the house doctor you are conscious," she continued, con-tinued, "and he will send word to your home." "He'll have a job to find It, I guess," said the boy, then adding suddenly: "I must let my boss know, though." "The head nurse will be here soon to fill out your bedside card. You give her your employer's telephone number, and she will deliver any message you wish," said Miss Ashby kindly. "I go off duty now and will see you again In the evening." The boy's Intelligent eyes watched the slim little figure of the nurse as she passed between the rows of beds and out through the large swinging doors. Jimmy's head dropped back on the cool pillow, and a sigh of momentary, physical peace escaped him. "She's just like the girl my boss always al-ways tells me about, and the tears are always hanging 'round the corners of his eyes when he talks about her," he mused. "Better today. Jimmy?" asked Miss Ashby next morning, as she placed the thermometer In his mouth. "I'm not going to whine, nurse," but his slight movement caused a barely perceptible twitching of the mouth. The nurse bent over him, her cool hands bringing a wonderful peace. "Say, nurse, you've got hair that looks like gold in the sunlight, too, haven't you?" Jimmy's eyes glistened w-ith the recollections rec-ollections of the man's description of the girl in his stories. "And eyes that look like violets growing in the fields," he continued. "Oh, Jimmy, I do hope you are not getting worse." The boy became serious at once. "Sure not," he said reassuringly. "I'm lots better. I was only thinking about a girl somebody told me about once. I'm thinking about something else, too, Miss Ashby. If I don't get to work by Monday I lose my Job. The boss he he sent word and It's Saturday now." "That's ridiculous, Jimmy. Don't worry about that." "But you know, nurse, It's an awful hard beginning to a business career to lose your job. I wouldn't lose mine for anything." "You cannot possibly go to work by that time, Jimmy. What is his address? ad-dress? I will go and see him myself." my-self." Jimmy's eyes brightened. "It's the Cumberland building, room 24. He's alone about four o'clock in the afternoon, after-noon, and that's the time I always ask favors." "All right, Jimmy ; don't worry about it any more. Good-by, and I. will tell you all about it tomorrow." His blue eyes never left the graceful grace-ful figure as she left the ward. "She's just sunshine and violets," he said to himself, and his contented brain was quiet. The next morning as Miss Ashby was making Jimmy's bed he thought the violets shone brighter than ever in her eyes. "It's all right, dear," she said. "The boss says you may stay until you are absolutely well. And, Jimmy " she was not looking at the boy now "you did not tell me his name, but I found that that I knew him very well. He did not understand about your fear of losing your place. What did you mean, dear?" Jimmy hesitated a moment, then said : "I wanted to do something for him, nurse. You see, he used to tell me a story every day when he came to bring me things, and every story had a girl in it. And one day I said to him : 'That's just like Miss Ashby.' " 'What do you know about Miss Ashby?' Ash-by?' he asked; and then I told him you was my morning nurse. " 'T used to see her real often once, Jimmy," he said to me after a while. "'Not now?' I said. 'If you'd seen her once, I shouldn't think you'd ever want to stop.' " 'I didn't,' he said ; 'she won't see me.' "And then, Miss Ashby, I lied to you. He never told me I'd lose my job if I wasn't there Monday. I kept thinking think-ing about all he had done for me, and I knew he wanted to see you badly; so I lied to get you go see him again." The blue eyes closed; gentle Hps pressed the brow. In her voice was the sweet tones of old. "He's going to be my boss, too, Jimmy," Jim-my," she whispered softly In his ear, "and you are going to live with us." Jimnay did not answer, but he knew how violets glowed when life was In them. (Copyright, 1019. by the McClure Newspaper Newspa-per Syndicate.) |