OCR Text |
Show UIUUjllllllllllllli:imillllllllMIn.n-MHnn,H,n,,,1,l,1,:,1I.1; r,,.,, I The Married Life of Helen and Warren I n . ATART7T Originator of 'Their Married y LXLnJDCL, Life Author of "The Jour- HERBERT URNER of a N" LWife" "The Woman Alone, Etc EVEN A SERIOUS ILLNESS DOES NOT DIVERT HELEN'S MIND FROM PETTY DETAILS (Copyright. W17, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) a strongly assertive air. Glancing down at Helen with a patronizing smile, she gave her entire attention to the doctor. They had stepped Into the next room, and again that maddening low-voiced mumble. "I'll be back about noon," in slightly slight-ly louder tone. "Have those prescriptions prescrip-tions filled soon as the drug ' store opens. I want her to hare the first dose at eight." The doctor gone, Warren again took up his post by the bed, "Is it appendicitis?" Helen clung to his hand with feverish intensity. "Will there have to be an operation? Oh. toll me what he said !'" "He thinks you'll be all right if you keep perfectly quiet. Now I'm going out for those prescriptions," glancing, at his watch. "Oh, must you go?" clinging to him "Can't you send a messenger?" "No, we want some other things a couple of ice bags and absorbent cot-tan. cot-tan. I won't be long the nurse is right here." With an unreasoning depression Helen heard the door close after him, "The first thing we'll have some air in here," announced the nurse with disconcerting dis-concerting briskness, as she threw up the shades and opened both the windows. win-dows. "Oh, leave the shades clown," protested pro-tested Helen weakly. "They can see right in." "Not with this out," switching off the light by the bed. But Helen shrank from the cheerless morning light. She wanted the become ing glow of the rose lamp by the bed. She resented the intimation that the room was not well aired, for both windows win-dows were down from the top. "No no, you can't turn on you side ! You must keep that ice in place, That towel's wet where will I find the clean towels?" "In the hall closet the third shell from the bottom," murmured Helen, with a growing antagonism for this nurse's assertive personality. "Oh, a cat! How it frighcened me? Oh, no, you can't have her on the bed cats are most insanitary." And with firm authority, unheeding Helen's protest, pro-test, she drove Pussy Purr-Mew from the room. It was a trivial thing, but it con. tributed to Helen's increasing aversion. Her drug-distorted thoughts were inflamed in-flamed with animosity. There was also a childish desire to have her own way, to be humored and indulged, a desire always paramount when she was ill. WTith tremulous relief she welcomed the slamming door and Warren's quick step in the hall. "More pain?" Giving the packages to the nurse, he stooped over her. Helen shook her head. Then as Miss Saunders disappeared into the bathroom bath-room she whispered a quivering : "Oh, I don't like her ! I can't bear her ! If I must have a nurse I don't want her." "Now none of that," with a note of sternness. "You mustn't get any of your foolish prejudices." "I can't help it she antagonized me the moment she came into the room," and with sick, childish resentment Helen sobbed out the incident of the shades. "That's easy," Warren rose, pulled down the shades and turned on the light by the bed. "Better?" Then as the nurse came in. "Mrs. Curtis prefers the shades down." Miss Saunders, bending over, adjusted adjust-ed the ice bags without comment, but Helen saw the obstinate set of her mouth. When she again left the room, Warren, pushing up the lace sleeve of Helen's gown, rubbed her soft white inner arm with an anxious: "Now, Kitten, you're not going to be difficult, are you? Your job's to lie quiet and get well. Never mind about the nurse. You don't have to like her but don't give way to any foolish prejudices. That'll make it hard for everybody." "Oh. you know I don't want to make it hard but I can't help " "Yes, you can," as he stooped to kiss her. "Now don't talk doctor wants you to sleep. That pillow too high?" To be looked after and waited on by Warren was a sensation deliciously new. The very warmth and security of his hand on her arm held a magnetic soothing. Her attitude toward the nurse seemed suddenly small and childish. "Oh, dear, I'll not even think of the nurse !" "That's the stuff," as he smoothed her hair. "You're not to worry about anything. Just remember I'm right here on the job." rwm u o" no, wait ! " ,vr' ; ,'jj'.; moaned Helen, IfT yVrJ rocking back and , ' , fortli in a parox- i' J -vsm 0 Pul'"- "It t . ' j may wear off In ( c, 9 -,j a moment." ' f Warren, who , A; -Vt" had started to ..: 'phone for the j doctor, paused in ' V 'fpy ':v;U the doorway, a Vn')33 rumpled, paja-JSsi2x! paja-JSsi2x! ma-clad figure, WablUrbertUrner scratching his head in sleepy 'indecision, but ready for any turn. "The hot-water bottle," quiveringly, drawing the covers about her as she nat hunched up in bed. With flopping, heelless slippers, Warren shuffled Into the bathroom, reappearing re-appearing with the unwiped, air-puffed bag, which Helen, too sick to be critical, criti-cal, huddled against her. "Oh oil," at another griping pain. "Oh, do, you think it's appendicitis?" "We'll hnve the doctor and find out," turning with anxious determination to the 'phone. Even in her convulsive pains Helen speculated worriedly over the double fee of n midnight call. "Doctor Kelly? This is Mr. Curtis." Helen stopped her moaning to listen. "Mrs. Curtis is suffering with violent cramps. No, we dined at home. No no fish nor clams. As soon as you can. An Ice bag?" "Oh, is he coming?" in the throes of another cramp. "Soon as lie can get here. Where'll I find the Ice bag?" "We haven't, any," her teeth a-chat-ter. Grumbling about the things you ought to have In case of sickness, Warren stumbled out to the kitchen. The sound of a hacking ice pick, and he returned with some cracked ice clumsily wrapped in n red-selvaged towel. "Oh, that's a tea towel," wailed Helen. "Now, never mind about that. There, how does that feel?" "Oil, Warren, those shades," shivering shiver-ing tinder the icy application. "They Can see right in !" "Nobody's up, anyway," glancing at the darkened windows opposite as he jerked down the shades. "It's getting the bed wet," lifting off the ice compress. "Get a bath towel that's thicker. Oh oh," writhing under un-der another attack. "They're growing worse! Oh, why doesn't he come?" "It won't be long now he's on the vay," putting a comforting arm about iier. "Oh, I can't stand this I can't ! It's -appendicitis, I know It is." Sitting on the bed, Warren made her 'lean against him while he smoothed her moist hair. But the pain was too great. Even his encircling arms could not soothe her, and she drew away with a feverish: "Can't you do something? Why doesn't he come why doesn't he oorae?" "He'll be here now in a few moments," mo-ments," Warren kept assuring her. But there was an anguished half-liour half-liour before the clamorous bell announced an-nounced the doctor's arrival. iWith professional solicitude he bent -rver the bed. A hurried examination, (i thrust of a hypodermic, and almost nt once the sharp pains succumbed to the soothing influence of the morphine. "'Oh, will I need a nurse?" Helen raught their murmured comments. "Doctor thinks we'd better have one for a few days," soothed Warren. "It's not appendicitis?" excitedly. "I . won't have an operation?" "That's what we want to avoid," pa-cifled pa-cifled the doctor. "Now don't talk. I want you to try to sleep." A nurse a trained nurse! Helen's drugged thoughts were groping "with the difficulties and expense. Would there be enough clean linen? All nurses were wastefully extravagant with towels tow-els and bedclothes. They would have to send for Mrs. O'Grady Dora could not do all the washing. Where would the nurse sleep? Oh, they were not fixed for a nurse or for sickness. Aroused from her broodings. she stared up at Warren with an anxious, "Has the doctor gone?" "No, he's 'phoned for a nurse he's svaiting till she ccmes." Yielding to the languor, of the drug, . Helen lapsed into i drowsy stupor only on-ly to be startled by another ring, alarmingly loud in the early stillness. Warren stayed beside her; It was the lioctor who answered the door. Again that low-voiced murmuring in the hall. "Miss Sauriders'll be with you In a moment," the doctor returned to the bedside. Had the nurse gone into her dressing dress-ing room? Was it much disordered? Helen tried to remember what she had teft lying about. A rustle of skirts and the white-garbed white-garbed nurse appeared. One appraising apprais-ing glance and with swift intuition Helen knew she would not like her. She was about thirty, tall, dark, with |