jjTWW] # By LESLIE JAMES j | Z Copirright, 1901 , hy A. S. Richardson ( i It was the big doctor who found her, misshapen and suffering, in her fa ther's gloomy shop. In spite of its noise and dust, Jinny preferred the shop to the tiny back room, because the customers spoke kindly to her and made her forget the ache in her back. When they gave her candy enough to start a make believe shop on the nar row window ledge, she sold it for pins to the children in the dingy court, just because she loved to watch these straight limbed, bright eyed children caper about as she knew she never could. When the big doctor brought her to the hospital, he said to Nurse Powell: "I'll leave Jinny under your special care, Miss Powell. lam greatly inter ested in her case. The expense is be ing met by one perfectly able to do It, and she is to want for nothing." And thus were the gates of an earth ly paradise opened to Jinny of llorden's court. First there was the cunning lit tle room, all her own, with pictures on the wall, and the whitest of iron beds with shiny knobs on each corner, and a bright red wrapper, woolly and soft, with knit slippers to match. Then came the pretty young ladies of the Flower mission with their nodding blossoms and occasional glasses of quivering Jelly. Sometimes the big doc tor's nieces brought their dolls and spent an hour at Jinny's bedside, and happy Jinny was permitted to hold as long as she liked the marvelous Flor ette, who could walk and talk like a real baby and whose dresses really and truly came from Paris. Hut iu Jinny's mind all these things faded into insignificance when com pared with the big doctor and Nurse Powell. These two formed a Joint di vinity before which Jinny burned the sweet incense of childish devotion. Nurse Powell had obeyed the physi cian's generous instructions to the let ter—at first from a sense of duty and later because she learned to love the patient little sufferer. And the big doctor? Even Nurse Pow ell, who knew his deep Interest In his work, wondered at the uttention he lav ished on this denizen of the slums. Of ten when his rounds in the hospital were over and he had time to spare he would come back to Jinny's room for a chat, and Jinny, her great black eyes set in a face of ivory whiteness, would smile happily from one to the other, the big doctor who ordered medicine that eased the pain in her back and the nurse whose gentle hand could smooth away wrinkles in her foreheud when the pain was at its worst. Sometimes when they sat thus Jinny was vaguely conscious that the big doc tor was talking to her, but looking ut Nurse Powell. Hut Jinny did not know how, years before, when the big doctor, fresh from the medical school, had been house physician in the city hospital, he hud met a sweet faced "probe" doing her first night duty in his ward. The head nurse had looked scornfully at the slender figure and the trembling hands, but the young house physician had said: "Give her time. She'll get her bearings after a bit." Nurse Powell had been grateful for his cheerful encouragement and the many kindnesses which lightened her burden during that first awful year in the big wards, but when he asked for something more than gratitude she could not give it. Now head of the nurses' staff at a sanitarium, she some times grew a-weary and wished she had learned to love the big doctor whose brown eyes seemed still to follow her at her duties. Then her heart would say: "No, 110! Ilis work would always come first, and I would bo second. Besides, I wonder if he lias a heurt! When I see him undertaking those horrible op erations without the quiver of an eye lash, I think he lias no feeling." And so tliis nurse who could unflinch ingly assist at the same operations waited inconsistently for love to come into her life, a love that would be all tenderness and thoughtfulness, a thing apart from the scenes of suffering in which she moved. It was one afternoon when Jinny had been almost a year at the hospital. In the morning the big doctor had said: "I've changed the medicine again, Miss Powell. I don't like that rise in temper ature. If you note a tendency toward coma during the afternoon, send for me ut once." Hut Nurse Powell did not have to send for him. lie came of ids own ac cord, just as Hie afteruoou drew to a close. Jinny had been sleeping rest lessly, and when she opened her eyes with an expression of weariness that had not been there since she came to the hospital tlie big doctor and Nurse Powell were sitting 011 either side of her little bed. At the foot lay a gnyly illustrated copy of Mother Goose's rhymes, which Nurse Powell had been rending aloud before kindly sleep came to the small sufferer. Now Jinny pointed to it with a wan smile. "I've had the funniest dream! 1 went to Mother Goose's land, way, way off, an' she was such a funny ole wom an, an' she was right glad to see me! An' she says, 'Little girl, would you like to stay with me awhile?' An' I says, 'l'm obliged to you, ma'am, but I can't stay long.' An' then she brings out the purtiest dress, purtier than my red wrapper, an' she says, 'Little girl, would you like to wear that?' An' when I see the little stick nil tied with ribbons I knew it were little Bopeep's dress, an' I put it on an' chased them sheep all roun* the field, an' it never hurt my back a bit. An' I tried on lots uv clothes, Little Miss Muffett's ruffled DON'T BE MISLED By the Various Fire Sales and Clearance Sales that are being thrown out to catch your trade, but come where you will be treated honestly. We Have the Largest and Finest Lines of Clothing, Boots, Shoes, Furnishings, Hats, Dry Goods, Etc. ever shown in Freeland, all of which was received during the past few months, which is a guarantee that every article we offer you is new and fresh from the manufacturer. We have no shelf-worn or dust-covered goods to sell, therefore it is to your interest to purchase here. We are now ready and prepared to Dispose of the Entire Stock at Prices Far Below Competition Men's and Boys' Suits Hats and Caps Men's and Boys' Overcoats We can show you a line of Men's and We carry what is positively the largest In this department we offer you all the Boys' Suits that is bound to give you satisfac- stock of Hats and Caps in the town, including latest styles for men and boys, including black tion. the Shield's $2 Special. and blue Kerseys, Oxfords, and Raglans in all They are well made-up and are stylish, You should look over our line before you lengths, an we stand back of every suit we sell. k U y your winter hat or cap. Finest lines of Children's Reefers that you Children's Suits in all styles. can find in lower Luzerne county. Dry Goods and Notions Furnishings and Shoes Rubber Goods For the ladies we have a pretty and well Our Gents' Furnishings department con- assorted stock of Dry Goods, from which you T'on t forget that we can fit you with any stitutes a store in itself. It is filled with the can make a selection at less cost than can be of a Rubber Boot you desire, best of the season's offerings. had elsewhere. We have the Snag-Proof, Woonsocket, We also carry all sizes of Shoes for men, We also carry all kinds of Notions, from Candee and Buckskin Boots in all sizes, women and children, all of which are sold at which you can choose useful and handsome Rubbers, Overshoes, etc., for men, women prices that can't be touched elsewhere. Christmas gifts. and children. We Cordially Invite Every Buyer to Call See Our Great Display and Learn Our Low Prices Space Will Not Permit Us to Tell You of All the Good Things in Our Store A visit to our large and well-stocked store-room will convince you that you can buy here very cheaply and receive first-class goods for your money, and that you will be dealt with honorably. We stand back of every article we sell and ask that you favor the store with a personal inspection JOHN SHIGO, 144 S. Centre Street, Freeland, Penn. bonnet, an' Mary, Mary Quite Con trary's big hat, an' the Queen of Ileurt's loug train, an' Mother Goose, she says, 'Ain't you havin' a good time, little girl?' "An* I says: 'Yes, ma'am, thankee, ma'am, but I guess I'd better be a-goln'. You see, my big doctor 'll be roun' pretty soon, an' he'll miss me If I ain't in my cot. An' Nurse Powell will bring my bread an' milk, an' there won't be any little girl there to eat it.' An' then Mother Goose she says, 'All right, little girl; jus' jump on my broomstick, an' we'll be down there in a jiffy.' An' here I am, an' I'm glad, fur the bed feels so cumfy, an', sure enough, my big doctor is here." The great black eyes glowed won drous bright as they met the big doc tor's gaze, and he spoke very gently while he stroked her hand, now thin and transparent. "Does your back your long ride on the broomstick. Jinny?" "Oh. no! The ache's all pone. There ain't been any ache nil day." The big doctor looked across the bed at Nurse Powell, but she was gazing steadily through the open window. And something bright and clear, like dia monds, shone on her long lashes. A weak, piping voice raised again. "No, I ain't achin* any place today, only I'm dreadful tired. An' every once in awhile you an' Nurse Powell go a-sllppin' an' a-slippin' away from me, an' then I feel like I was a-slippin' too. I wisht Nurse Powell would sing. Then p'haps I'd go to sleep again." Nurse Powell's quivering lips tried to form the notes of the nursery song Jinny loved beßt, but something rose In her throat nnd choked the melody. "I wisht—you'd sing—that—sleepy song." The tired voice trailed off into si lence, but not before the heavy eyes were"raised appeaiingiy ro tnose 01* tnc white capped nurse. The big doctor seemed to rouse him self as from a dream. lie leaned over and clasped Jinny's nerveless hand in his great, warm one and then iu a clear tenor voice began to sing: "Sweet and low. sweet and low, Wind of the western sea." The music floated over the cot, past Nurse Powell, through the open door and down the corridor to the ward, where other sufferers beard and mar veled, and over the face of Jinny stole an expression of infinite peace. In that distant ward men who had been battling with death turned their faces toward the sinking sun and felt that even amid pain it was good just to live, and in Jinny's little room all was silent. Nurse Powell was kneel ing beside the bed, her face hidden in the pillow. The little hand she still held was strangely limp and pulseless. | Then a strong arm raised her to her I feet, and she looked straight into the | soft brown eyes that had followed her all these years patiently, steadfastly. | "Gertrude!" "Henry!" J Later, when she raised her head, she turned from liini to flie quiet figure ou ! ' the cot. I "I almost wish she knew—she loved j j us both so well." And the big doctor whispered gen tly, "I think she did know, even be- i , fore you did." Sutherland'* Masterly Presentation. The North American is publishing a serins of letters by Hugh Sutherland on conditions social, industrial and politi cial as they are in Ireland. The first article was printed Decembers, and was followed by others which, for graphic j Queen Quality shoes for women and ! Douglas shoes for men, at Refowlch's. I I description and masterly presentation of ' farts, have no pa railed in recent n*ws j paper writing. They will continue until j the subject Is fully exploited. Mr. Su i her I and f8 familiar to newspaper readers. As c mrnlssloncr for the North I American to the Hoer republic in the I conclu i nr davs of Kruger's presidency, as a stalf correspondent for the same pa ier In the mining d stricts. In order that the truth might he known, therefore, the North American commissioned Mr. Sutherland as chief of an expedition Into Darkest Ireland, cor weeks the searchers for truth tra versed the country. They have trot, at th" heart of one of the greatest political revolutions the world has experieneeri, one that is taking place without the world being aware of it. For tunately for contemporaneous history, there Is Mr. Sutherland to write and the } North American to print, the atory. i Rpfnwlch'g $S and 810 overcoats are I the swellest iu town. They are worth I 814 to 810.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers