Molly Brown's College Friends

night nurse. A letter must be written for a poor Gascon who had lost his right arm; a Bedouin chief must be watered every five minutes; a little re

is a very difficult proposition, and the little nurse sometimes felt her burden was greater than she could bear. There was so much to do for these sick soldie

ad whispered to the one American who was gett

ches, but who was to make love to the pretty night nurse

o-night. Don't forget! You must be alm

in the covers here, plumping up a pillow there. The Bedouin was watere

end of the great salon. "If it is writing a letter, thank goodness, it won't have to be in the second person singu

etter for me. I want you to read some. But first I must know your rea

y Gr

Not r

the matter with my name. It is

-but-the other! Never m

many a day. I think Grubb is especially nic

ping out every now and then. Do you know, I have a friend who lives in Kentucky, and when the war

unt to much. They will just make you look interesting. Your eyes will be well, I just know they will. Look at this long scar that

s packet of letters before I decide something. You had better begin or that big, black, bounding beggar over there will begin to whine

packet of little blue letters, t

me while I was in the trenches. They still mean a

they love

n't let anyone but you read these letters, but my eyes are too punk to read them

f father confessor and what one

am not thinking o

nking of you

the packet and turned it over.

w my name, eith

you are too well to waste a chart on. We nurses call you t

them to me, just say so. Maybe you are tired. Of course y

not tired! L

e dropping off to sleep one by one. Even the Bedouin chief had stopped rolli

ar Go

sement I saw in a New York paper, headed Fairy Godmothers Wanted, that I happen to have you and you hap

things. You are my Godson and every day I am going to pray for you and think about you. I am going to send you presents and write you long letters and send you newspapers. The only trouble about it is by the time I get hold of English papers they will be

the husband used to take his bride in the old English prayer book: "With all her debts and scandals upon her." The worst of it is that she is ignorant what those debts and scandals are. I don't even know what kind of smoke to send you. Are you middle-aged and sedate

y do. I said in the beginning that I was homeless. I am not really that, but the trouble is I have too many homes. I must spend the winter with Aunt Sally and the spring with Cousin Kate. Cousin Maria and Uncle Bruce want me to take White Sulphur by storm with them as chaperones; and so it is from one year's end to the other, kind relation

nds that I am headstrong and difficult. You see my mother was also of independent means and character. Also (I whisper this) she was not a Southerner. That is as serious in a Southerner's eyes as not being British is in yours. They think it is very f

ith me. If my dear Godson likes "eatin' tobacco," he shall have it. If you don't indulge in it, give it to so

e of the duties of a Fairy Godmother is not to worry her charge, and I don't want to worry you but to help you. I think of you in those damp, nasty ditches eating all kinds of food, served in all kinds o

ctionate

y Ne

er and slipped it back in its blue envelope. She

over? Don't you think

t say it

to me. Of course, I am not the homeless Tommy she thought I was. I fancy I have as m

ot an orph

enough, but I am related to half o

your Fairy G

he would stop being my Godmother if she found out I w

either," and the night nurse curled

h about myself. I did let her know I am an American. I am going to write her a letter just as soon

night nurse slip

ar Go

I am becoming very restless. I have thrown the bomb in the camp of the enemy, my kin. They are shattered into smithereens. I am going to enter a hospital, take training, and just as soon as I am capable go to France with the Red Cross nurses

the war and all the soldiers, and then I began to feel that maybe I, insignificant little I, might be of some use to those poor soldiers, some use besides just knitting foolish caps and mittens and sending the Saturday Evening Post and cigarettes. I only wish I could go immediately. My training begins to-morrow. Aunt Sally an

sents exerted a poor moral influence on my dear Godson. Would you mind just dropping a hint as to what kind of presents would be most acceptable? I have never been in the habit of giving presents to men and the kinds of presents some of m

ionate Fair

y Ne

letter and Stephen Scott reached out for the packet

to make fun of t

just thinking what funny p

en biscuit. She had lots of imagination in the presents she sent and the blessed child never did burden me with a work-b

ou? Well

r because somehow y

e you se

ch she wrote to me, only I was not quite so frank, I am afraid. She told me everything about herself while I told her only my thoughts. I never did tell her I was not a homeless sold

now w

ve a little tin," and he held one of the

ences and so were all that followed. The tone of them became more intimate and fri

as so sweet and so girlish-I did not say so for fear of scaring

afr

t you

hould

as the war is over I am going to find her and tell her the same thing. But, somehow, I was loving her only on paper and in my mind; but you-you-I love you w

ters!" she cried. "Is th

o me and still do, but they ar

Don't you think it is possible that she may have treasured your letters, especially the pretty warm one

I began to feel that she must be much-younger-somehow, than you. You are so capab

one-but the w

ok old-I just mean y

s Nelson

. But suppose you read the last letter. And couldn'

red the scattered letters. Leaning over may have accou

time at first. I think she writes a rotten fist, although

tell her that if I were you-I mean

please, and say-couldn't

mant and drew herself up ve

ar Go

the first place, you don't know me from Adam or rather Eve. I may be a Fairy Godmother with a crooked back and a black cat, who prefers a broom-stick to a limousine; I may have a hare-lip and a mean disposition; I may write vers libre and believe in dress reform. In fact I am a pig in a poke and you are a very foolish person to think you want to carry me off without ever looking at me. I won't say that I don't want to see you and know you, because I do. I have been very honest with you in my letters because, as I told you once, it has seemed almost like ke

ut you to protect you. There are times when I almost wish you could be safely wounded. Th

m instead. I have cajoled the papers from her and am leaving in a few hours. Aunt Sally and Cousin Kate, Uncle Bruce and Cousin Maria are half demented. They don't know how I worked it or I am sure they would have the law on me for perjury. I a

ctionate

ve with anyone else until she looks me over, and think what I have done! What must I do? I am going to try not to tell yo

ty to forget what is in them, and I am going to do it,-I have done it. All I can say is that you might give Miss Polly Nelson the chance to find someone else she likes better than she doe

n't fair. Please be good

ed in spite of herse

orked yourself up into an abnormal pulse

But I forgot! I am not going to make love to you until I can let my Godmother know. Maybe she has met some gra

t in love with two

ded rapidly over the charts. She had no light but that of a guttering candle, carefully shaded from her patients' eyes, but Scott could see her well-poised head and fine profile as she bent over her writing. How lovely she was! Would she ever listen to him? How she stood up for her sex,-and still she did not ex

hen left the ward for a moment. When she re

just come for

did! Will you

ot possibly see t

but I'd ra

otten fist of those

I-I-believe I can see

bling a little and so was his. She brought t

ere in

ar Go

r the first time. Dear Godson-- I have not kept my word. They say a man falls in love with his nurse often because of the feeling he has for his mother. She makes it seem as though he were a little child again. I reckon a nurse falls in love with her patient because he seems so like a little b

you, my de

wa

iry God

is an A

signature. Then something happened that made him sit up very straight in his cot a

at tear dropped! Dry ink would not float off like

tle Fairy Godmot

y one America

id your nam

place I got with the Red Cross. Do you know, you hurt

ined and roughened hand in his, wondered

e just one girl, a

e to stay by the bedside of the convalescent American and one to make out the