The Hospital Murders

ct-terr Eth-err-ridge Ste-earling

y rolling the laundry bin halted to listen and expectorate. Four floors above, Cub Sterling pulled in his long stride and reached for a nurs

Junior, is answering from

e of the oper

Ste-earlin

were closely allied. He c

what

ed several octa

r Sterrling. Docterr

voice i

over to Weber’s and telephone m

floor of the Medicine Clinic of the Elijah Wilson Hospital, gave a vacant nod to two inte

folded himself into a t

rside

ng fingers manipulated a cigarette. He

diatrician-in-Chief of the Elijah Wilson even before he was born, have

r invaded h

ckel. Five ce

gy legs began untw

ait a m

e door of the b

nickels, q

sor to the staff of the Elijah Wilson when Cub Ste

e, C

rtender a boyish grin and arrayed the nickel

a dollar don’t you interrupt me. This is W

ainst the

ngs are! Tha

response and Dr. Barto

ub

ssi

Sterling

ssi

ble mess, son. I need your help! If I take time to

s ear a violent shake and transferred the receiver. He

cked. Today the Governor gave a political barbecue at his camp. Half an hour ago, while returning, Herb had an automobile accident ... out on

Herb could ‘hush’ it locally, but the A. P. man refused to kill the story nationa

... must be intact. Will you take her under an assumed name ... in case she dies? Say her father is a friend of yours, and you recognized he

ote Cub had never heard in Bart

the long hill. Cub’s cigarette was adding anothe

ad its steel under which

is occupied except a dying patient room off Ward B. Will the

e ... you know MacArthur and Herb adm

ibrated down Cub’s

ave it that way? Hear an ambulance now! R

when Dr. Ethridge Sterling, Junior, flu

, Cub!

plodded into the booth, picked up three nickels, stomped

etcher from a municipal ambulance. One of them ceased pullin

nt over him

accident out the

em dolls in the wax-wor

oulder rose abruptly.

easy ... easy ... t

ridor, Cub lurched into both accident rooms, saw that

es. Just got a telephone message. Father’s a friend of mine i

rderly stepped briskly. The orderly gripped the handle bar of a swishin

hed Dr. Ethridge Sterling, Junior. Upon either side of him, li

calle

what?” the one wit

s hand forwa

er firema

say, Doc, he promised us a new stretcher, but he

nced out of sight. Cub Sterling m

han necessary. Send it down in the elevator as s

, head nurse, accosted Dr. Sterling. The pompadour w

dence of a poodle, a fat intern

on, Dr. Sterling, so I brought the interne from A.... And am I correct in und

voice was cri

Two. Y

. Ethri

nflate. His reply c

you later,

elevator, Dr. Sterling and the interne followed. Dr. Sterling,

e most interesting things in Internal 16 Medicine. Possible

many decompressions?” Gosh! Those older fellows hadn’t performed many ... yet.... Lucky! Had wanted to go to the Thursday matinee h

orner of the oblong room was a stationary washbowl with chromium fixtures. Over this basin was a glass shelf. Upon the shelf was a stack of paper towels. Two

tient bed was visible to a standing nurse. On the room side of

fs of his white hospital coat. Then he took a cake of soap and lathere

t sterilization in the world. Af

full of conscious strength; the joints were oiled with mental precision. Occasionally his teeth measured the outer rim of his controlled

nurse in

nt is read

thumbs together, rocking his hands to and fro th

ishness, and ta

oulder, which he raised in the way s

pencil. Sterling was crazy as a

y began the manual examination

filled with sunshine. Skin so transparent you could almost poke your finger

ed a li

lips that curved that way.... She was too swell to be tr

drew his right forefinger down the cheek, as though examining the jawbone. The motion was s

lesh and blood perfect person, his dictatio

sts, and decided it was time to pull himself together. She probably murdered the

hen he felt for torn tendons. The girl

eneral you are! I’ll slap your face

r; the floor nurse was busy at the ward telephone. Cu

or relaxed his brittle body. He came back to the bed and squeez

er and whispered

, kiddo! But for G

shortly at the downy patches where the calves curved behind the

He lifted a foot and laid it from the nape of his palm to the ends of his fingers. It was half an inch short of his

and Dr. Ethridge Sterlin

wice she cried distantly, and he decided the best thing to do was to put her out of 20 her pain. The heart a

nary. She was in shock, of course. But an accident coupled with an endeavor to make old Herb Barton keep his distance.... That recollection killed h

eturned simultaneously. Dr. Sterling resolutely rep

Acute pain is from strained ligaments and bruises. Nurse, give her an eighth of morphia injection. Doctor, keep

s flat voi

u wish a night nurs

Let you kn

exit. Her voice

to complete her history. They said Miss Kerr told

d glanced swiftly over

myself.” Then he shot at the mouse-haired woman

would be no decompression. By now the blood sugars would h

began his rounds and gave his instructions. At the pat

hat thyroi

ver to the bed, took the woman

g splendidly.

ed him to the el

e, Doctor? Will you return the blanks

rows met. Then he pushed the

to me tomorrow. The Admitting Office 22 can wait ... for onc

y of saying, “That’s all! An

cending and the girl

loor, D

appraised h

uh

’s voice

to, D

flo

s,

halted, he quick

y, how’s y

cold,

u a cold?”

ling. Thank y

e. Other opera

of nurses galloped down the hall and he realized it must be time for

o hell!” h

at Otto’s. Herbie’s hands had messed things up! Damned old 23 spider! His memory w

s left knee, the receiver wedged between his left shoulder and ear. His eyebrows were parted; he had just given his pants a comforting jerk. His mouth twitched occasionally; in his free h

s,

arkable basal. Pulse is down

se. drop around later and give her a fin

I’m hungry ..

you dancing attendance on me! Still know an operative patient when I se

right foot against the center drawer 24 of his desk and began w

ne bell jan

Yorker and read four passable cartoons, t

on’s voi

ub

ll for a certainty yet. Mostly shock. What’s that? Aw, she’s average. Kinda tinselly. By the way, better say none

coat, tore three wedding invitations on his desk to shreds, slung the shreds

hone bell followed him.

or the fourth time, and Sophie Merriweather, Newark, N. J., for the tenth time,

fill

o s

own, C

hose of a talking

vrys-asparaggus-on-toas-celler

z, blew the foam, carefully refilled them, and with a “from t

red,

ea

a stein and

the full one. Then he lifted his belly onto a stool,

night you see you haf vent viddout your supper.

mpty stein and lif

. I’ll get marrie

isengaged his stomach, threw back his head t

You don’t

n the stein

going to do ab

mself slowly erect. His w

ink, I von’

ed again

, O

lifting the food off the dumbwa

of the doctor, re-filled the emp

fin as dri

head seriousl

octor. Is that how you got

ub’s thick curly black hair and the way he jerked his head. So the internes said he was crazy! Otto rolled his own head, proudly.... You had to know Cub Ster

and started for the d

tissfact’r

his head

s. Send me a bi

Cubbie.

began strolling down Beeker Street. A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips. The recesses of his brain squirmed over the flat vacant center which was usually crowded with sick p

ain, just to keep his foot in. He turned the corner and made his way

aught, in front of him, the august figure of his head nurse, Miss Kerr, sailing toward the hospital. Walking

slung it at the light just behind. The action was involuntary and unpremeditated. It was an a

ow. He peered. His kn

ged dignity but bore no traces of fear. After a fruitless survey, s

trode through Ward B, Medicine Clinic. Beside him

ld. She’s awake and ra

el

ight nurse rocked her heels in tune wi

o back to your ward. Doctor, you may retu

tated and a fine

are you ... is there

ub’s voice was very grave, “I’ll cal

he ward. He 29 thought the student n

indow shade of the glass inset opening onto the

de with amusement, a wispy smile tracing the pale lips, was the head he

a’s understanding had flo

owly and she aske

ou? And wh

s your father, and yo

n out of her fac

please. My father

traightened a

id. Now you go

mile began sea

He did! He and she both did! Th

inflection, turned his back

oice was hus

e me a cigare

ung a

just been in a horrible automobile accident. You h

rned black wi

draw

ing your way

slowly, th

r own way, the night nu

-raisin’-hu

t his

e you bee

d voice dil

ns. I’m a newspaper

dded g

. I

sarcasm. She asked lev

? Did I lose my reputation

the foot of the

speaking

ately speaking, the

r critically. She met the look and returned it.

told each other the truth? You snap like

er him. He sat upon the

got to get out of here qui

ecated the state

en poor and discriminating?” Then she threw the g

wed twice

a friend of mine. You are recorded as the victim of a bus accident. The bus went ahead with your luggage and pocketbook. Your name is

them, cocked her head upon one side and gazed critically down her

iweather, Newark, New Jersey! I haven

from Cub’s face and hi

d Sophie you remain until you are well ... or else a famo

ing at him,

er, Doctor, if you’ll promise me that the Attorney-Gen

twitched. He rose and

r. The cigarette is forbidde

n the trash cans i

ourse not

wiggled her toes. Then her v

you have to know sometime and I guess you’d better know n

e finished, “Respect

! And you are pretty sick.

w s

! As for your bills, they are bei

w to a line,

them? The Atto

ev

his car when you wer

ly over her mouth. Sterling caught her by the s

t? Where did

er hand on her ab

efully and thoroughly. When

The bills and the pain, too. Talk about them tomorr

d charmed him when he had first seen her was gone. She lay tense and hard under his

see, Sophie, if you don’t help me, then ... if you get terribly sick and I have a consultation

er his grip. She smi

e-have-a-dri

Cub eased her into the

r, but if I hadn’t completed the sentence

gnored the rem

t comfo

Cub b

tter sense than to an

ient re

comfortable

rl ans

,” and before Cub could reply, she relaxe

. for ... tak

he switched off t

Sophie. When I look in later,

onvinced that she had been dreaming, and then