Love Stories

g pulse of humanity is theirs. But to some He gives only a soul, without intelligence-and these, who never grow up, but remain always H

m with, at best, a friendly touch on his shoulder. No man shook his hand in comradeship. No woman save the little old mother had ever caressed him. He lived alone in a world of his own

to clean and three meals a day; and there was chapel on Sunday, where one held a book-the Dummy held his upside down-and felt the

ishing the brass plates on the beds. The plates said: "Endowed in perpetuity"-by va

ose he is?" she aske

dicine closet, and for "tincture of myrrh" she wrote

r shortly. "How old? Oh, I don't kn

which, having existed from the beginning, was incredibly old. The

her great mission, this sitting in a silent, sunny ward, where the double row of beds held only querulous convalescent women? How close was she to life who had come to soothe the suffering and close the eyes of the dy

and surprised a tear on the Probationer's round young

n occasionally to juniors and probationers as a mark of approval, or when the Senior is not hung

f the battle-stretchers going up and down in the slow elevator; sheeted figures on their way to the operating room; the clang of the ambulance bell

d. "That's what you said, I think-never to

!" said t

ever happens bac

urned case." The Probationer, putting the

capital carefully. "There will be a third, of course; and we may get it. Cases always seem to run

er seniors, and inveighed against lectures on Saturday evening and other things that seniors object to, such as things lost in

n his soul, where there was nothing but kindness, there was even a feeling of tenderness for the Avenue. Once the dog had been bitten by a terrier from one of the houses, and a g

the door. His walk was a patient shamble, but he covered incredible distances. When he

d that before you was brought in," she called to Old Maggie across the ward. "Goodness knows

ere, wondering if the passers-by who stared at her knew that she was a part of the great building that loomed over the district, happ

, isn't it?

oner stoppe

any place near where I c

n the wind

squares down," she said.

es

in the window, and quite unex

t she did not see the smiling girl-only, curiously enough, one day she saw the Dummy passin

ourse, there is that story about Jesus and the Avenue woman. And what is the use of going home and being asked questions that cannot be answered? So they try to put an end to things g

an elemental creature, if the object of her affections turns elsewhere she's rather apt

id or a cough, or other things, and lies alone, day after day, without visito

d along a grey hall to where the emergency bed was waiting; and the Probationer, very cold as to hands and feet, was sending ment

riously. "Take her temperature. Don't be fr

eyes shut. It was Irish Delia w

mmy!" she said.

old clothes; and there was the engineer, who brought him tobacco; and there were the ambulan

And in the holiest place, where had dwelt only his Father, and not even the superintendent, the Dummy had recently placed the Avenue Girl. She was his saint, though he knew

days, the sunlight came through on to the Dummy's polished choir rail and candles, the young John had the face of a girl, with

later. She was not unconscious and at Delia's cry she opened her eyes. The Probationer was off f

old top!" sh

n. She could open her eyes. The

ing his eyes still on her. "Must have gone

over from the next bed. "You'll get well a' right-un

d shuffled to the foot of the emergency bed. Old Maggie was of that vague neighbourhoo

her voice. "I've seen her often. I done her

in trouble now and what she was don't matter. You go back to

woman recoiled he caught her arm in one of his ugly, misshapen han

"I haven't even spoke to him and he attacked me

e Dummy on his knees polishing a bed plate, and the ward in order-only Old Maggie was grumbling and making her way back to bed; and Irish Delia was sitting up, with her eyes shining-for

nd she was moved back to a bed at the end of the ward. The Probationer sat beside her, having

under my feet," she had said-not

rve and beds to brush out and backs to rub, not to mention having to make up the emergency bed and clear away the dress

rl from the Avenue's going to get well,"

Maggie's gossiping tongue had been busy during th

back. "Why, yes; I guess she'll get well. B

tanding. In return the Dummy told her by gestures how he knew the girl and how she had bound up the leg of the superintendent's dog. The Senior was a literal pe

she observed generally. "All right, if that's the case. Come in a

n the stairs, flight after flight, to the chapel. The late autumn sun had set behind the buildings across the courtyard and the lower part of the silent room was in shadow

that to the Dummy-but Elizabeth had bee

e door very humbly and gaz