OCR Text |
Show The Cake Lady By Mildred White I (. I lJ-0, U'eaiei n NeWNpupur L' niun. ) j i ESSIE LOUISE was making mak-ing a grunt deal of troth ble. From the time her invalid mother had brought Tessie to the city hospital to be treated for her spine, the golden-haired golden-haired baby had been the pet of the nurses. And as her stay was prolonged, pro-longed, pnrtly because the uiollier was too ill and too poor to yet understand (he enre of her child. "Whnt In the world," asked the autocratic au-tocratic young house doctor, "does that child want?" "Tess-'ese wants a Nora Christmas doll," the nurse said eagerly. Doctor Brucewrlnkled his brow. "What does she mean?" he asked. "Miss Nora Dean," the girl answered, an-swered, "Is a young woman who vis-Its vis-Its the children's ward and hns been much Interested In them. She lives In a cottage out on the lake shore, and Inst summer she enme In nnd took two cf our little convalescents for n month's stay there. Tessie Louise was one, and she so fell In love with Miss Dean at the time that we could hardly coax her back. But it was necessary that she should come. Yesterday, Miss Dean came to the hospital with a basket bas-ket of Christmas cakes, made like dolls, with currant eyes, and colored frosted dresses. The kiddies were so pleased ; they call her the Cuke Lady. Doctor Bruce frowned. "That's had practice," he complained, com-plained, "allowing women to come in here and feed our patients. I did not suppose " The pleasant nurse hurried to champion cham-pion her friend. She has helped us In many ways. 1 should call Miss Dean a philanthropist if she were not " The plensnnt nurse paused, "in humble hum-ble circumstances herself." "Tke young woman you speak of lives on the lake shore?" the doctor asked. The nurse nodded. "Lier uncle was an old sea captain," she told him. "Miss Nora made her home with this uncle and aunt when she was as small as Tessie here. "Now she lives on In the house at the water's edge to take enre of her aunt, who Is old and crippled. And still that girl" The pleasant nurse choked up unaccountably. unac-countably. "Well, she's always trying to do things for others." she finished; "that is the wny Nora Dean finds happiness." happi-ness." "Great Scott!" Inierrupted the do tor, "there goes Tessie again; that noise must be stopped. She must not disturb the sick ones." The prettiest nurse came hastily. "Tessie says she won't stop until she is taken to Miss Nora. 1 really wish we had made arrangements yesterday to have her driven out to the lake shore for over Christmas." "How far out is It?" Doctor Bruce asked briskly. "I'll take her tn my car," he explained. ex-plained. "It's closed and comfortable." comfort-able." Donald Bruce sighted the cottage as he brought his car to a stop in the msm roadside. Then he gathered his small charge in his arms and made his way to the white door. "Come in," Nora greeted cheerily, "the nurse phoned me of your coming. There's a new Christmas doll for Tessie Tes-sie Louise in the oven, and a lot morn to take hack." It was a broad, white kitchen, redolent redo-lent of sugar and spices, and an old lndy in a rocking chair near the window win-dow relieved Tessie of her wrappings. "You must give the doctor a cup of coffee, Nora dear," the old lady said, "before his cold drive back to the city." But Donald Bruce seemed In no hurry to return. "This," he said musingly, "smells like my grandmother's kitchen. Used to spend our Christmas with grandmother grand-mother when I was a hoy." "We are going to have a roasted chicken for dinner," the old lady suggested sug-gested tentatively "1 wonder if It : might not seem just n hit like heing at grandmother's if you'd stay nud eat with us?" It was remarkable how swiftly 'he afternoon hours tiew in the lakeside cottage, "I'm so glad," the old lady whispered whis-pered at parting, "that you decided to wait to take Tessie back with you. It has been a happy Christmas for Nora. 1 can see It In her eyes: and usually happiness Is only Nora's through the giving. She's the dearest dear-est girl In the world!" i "She Is just that !" Donald Bruce answered solemnly. His eyes were on Norn, ae he laspeti he oi l iIy's hand. |