Red Pepper's Patients / With an Account of Anne Linton's Case in Particular

She peered anxiously at the tray being borne toward her by Selina Arden, most scrupulously conscientious of all

urmured Anne in

owing her perfect white teeth-and showing also her s

tray at close range, "have enough just to dull these pangs a little? No

shall have a pretty good-sized portion of beefste

gulp it-the way a dog does. I always wondered why a dog has no manners about eating. I know now. He is so hungry his eyes eat it

last mouthful had vanished she set her eyes upon the clock-the little travelling clock which was Miss Arden's and which had tic

only two hours and forty minutes to the next refreshment station.

ke you forget how long two

e bloom, at the smell and touch of which she gave a half-smothered cry of rapture, and buried her face

and smelled of the cool white and green branches as if she could never have enough of them. Into her eyes had leaped a strange look, as if some memory were connected with these outdoor fl

e pallor and wanness from that face. At the moment, under the caress of the lilacs and the surprise of the impending note, it was showing once more a de

empty tray, and remained away some time. Miss Arden,

te rea

or, 10:30 A.M.

nly drag for you as they do for me, and my idea is that we ought to establish some sort of system of intercommunication. I have an awfully obliging nurse, and a young man with a fiddle here besides, and I'd like to send you a short musicale when you feel up to it. Are you fond of music? I have a notion you are. Franz will come and play for you whenever you say. But besides that I'd awful

to how you come on. You certainly seem to be coming on now. Please keep it up. I shouldn't dare ask you t

der the s

an K

voice from the doorway. Anne lo

won't you please stand quite still

he pale gray and white of her summer clothing, with a spray of purple lilac tucked into her belt, she was a vision to rest the eye upon. "You are looking e

Anne. "I never thought I could wear pink with my carroty hair. But M

hade of pink tones in with it beautifully. What a glo

e. They came from Mr. King," said Anne frankly. "And a note from him says he's here in

, restless for want of occupation. Still, he keeps his time pretty full." And Ellen proceeded to recount the story of Franz, and of ho

nt to say very much, and so far the Doctor hasn't let me. But I'm quite strong enough now to begin to make plans, and one of them is this: The minute I'm able to leave the hospital I want to go to some inexpensive place where I can stay without bothering anybody.

had yet shown, and her eyes were glowing, eyes of such beauty as are not often seen. But for all that, she seemed l

you go off into some place alone before you are fully yourself again? Not a bit of it. As soon as you can leave here you are com

strange expression on her f

inute, and the Doctor is waiting by now. Good-bye, my dear." And before Anne could protest she was gone, having learned, by experienc

morning, Anne asked for pencil and paper. Miss Arden, supplying

he said, "though it is the thing they all want to do

plied, "just a hail to a fellow sufferer.

n this girl was so surely as a letter, no matter how short. He had been sure he recognized education in her speech, breeding in her manner, high intelligence as well as beauty i

s me that you are fast improving and that soon you will be about again. Meanwhile you are turning your time of waiting to a glorious account in teaching poor Franz to speak English.

Schubert "Frühlingstraum"-how I should love to hear it! As for your interesting plan for relieving the passing hours, I sho

rees at one side of a garden I used to play in-I shall never, never forget what that fragrance was like after a r

best of g

Lin

he shut it away in a leather-bound writing tablet which lay by his side. "Franz," he said, addressing

ing accents, before he succeeded in making it intell

e responded joyously, and mad

pital did not belong exclusively to King-strange as that might seem to Franz who worshipped him-it was immediately comprehended. Without raisin

l in a haunting sort of way, I imagine, to a girl like her, and I don't know but it would be to m

o himself, it had been her own garden-only she would not tell him so lest she seem to try t

of this intention, so she had two hours of anticipation-a great thing in the life of a convalescent. With every bronze lock in shining order, with the little wrap of

lescent has less appeal for a doctor than a young woman of less good looks in strapping health-naturally, for he gets quite enough of illness and the s

een more beautiful eyes

he said, and went his way, havi

obediently lain still and silent for two long hours, was permitted to si

I could run down by and by and be with people. Then a storm came on, and I lifted my face to if and loved it, and when it died away the stars were shining again between the clouds. Somewhere a little bird was singing-I opened my eyes just there, and your Franz was looking at me and smiling, and I smiled

od music with some sort of understanding of what it means to those who really care, as Franz does. To me, after all the emotion, my tray looked like

re was no attempt at a portrait, yet somehow Franz was there, in the very set of the head, the angle of the lifted brow, the pose of the body, most of all in the indication of the smiling mouth, the drooping eyelids. The second picture was a funny sketch

n, "that's artist work, whether she knows it or not. She must know

rden and showed

she said. "They look like a chi

der at such sketchy outlines than at the finished product. To know how to get that impression on paper so that it's unmistakable-I tell you that's training and nothing else. I don't kn

turing to ask more of her than one exchange a day

eant you. I gathered that he had been not ill pleased with his visit to you, for he proposes another; in fact, I think he would enjoy playing for you every day if you should care to hear him so often. He does not much like to perform in the wards, though he does it whenever I suggest it. He has discovered that though they listen respectfully while he plays his own beloved music, mostly they are happier when he gives th

icture of that row of white lilac trees at the edge of the garden where Anne used to play. It was two days before he got this, and meanwhile

gth he saw it all-the garden with its box-bordered beds full of tall yellow tulips and pink and white and purple hyacinths-it was easy to see that this was what they were, even from the dots and dashes of colour; t

t of house, or wall, or even summer-house, sundial, terrace, or other significant sign. Yet it was there, and he doubted if Anne Linton knew it was there, or meant to have it so. Perhaps it was that lilac hedge which seemed to show so plainly