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the red cross girl-第4部分

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understand the ministering angel part of it; but youI'm not
talking about anybody else; I'm talking about youyou are
too young! Somehow you are different; you are not meant to
wear yourself out fighting disease and sickness; measuring
beef broth and making beds。〃

Sister Anne laughed with delight。

〃I beg your pardon;〃 said Sam stiffly。

〃Nopardon me;〃 said Sister Anne; 〃but your ideas of the
duties of a nurse are so quaint。〃

〃No matter what the duties are;〃 declared Sam; 〃You should
not be here!〃

Sister Anne shrugged her shoulders; they were charming
shouldersas delicate as the pinions of a bird。

〃One must live;〃 said Sister Anne。

They had passed through the last cold corridor; between the
last rows of rigid white cots; and had come out into the
sunshine。 Below them stretched Connecticut; painted in autumn
colors。 Sister Anne seated herself upon the marble railing of
the terrace and looked down upon the flashing waters of the
Sound。

〃Yes; that's it;〃 she repeated softly〃one must live。〃

Sam looked at herbut; finding that to do so made speech
difficult; looked hurriedly away。 He admitted to himself that
it was one of those occasions; only too frequent with him;
when his indignant sympathy was heightened by the fact that
〃the woman。 was very fair。〃 He conceded that。 He was not
going to pretend to himself that he was not prejudiced by the
outrageous beauty of Sister Anne; by the assault upon his
feelings made by her uniformmade by the appeal of her
profession; the gentlest and most gracious of all
professions。 He was honestly disturbed that this young girl
should devote her life to the service of selfish sick people。

〃If you do it because you must live; then it can easily be
arranged; for there are other ways of earning a living。〃

The girl looked at him quickly; but he was quite sincereand
again she smiled。

〃Now what would you suggest?〃 she asked。 〃You see;〃 she said;
〃I have no one to advise meno man of my own age。 I have no
brothers to go to。 I have a father; but it was his idea that
I should come here; and so I doubt if he would approve of my
changing to any other work。 Your own work must make you
acquainted with many women who earn their own living。 Maybe
you could advise me?〃

Sam did not at once answer。 He was calculating hastily how
far his salary would go toward supporting a wife。 He was
trying to remember which of the men in the office were
married; and whether they were those whose salaries were
smaller than his own。 Collins; one of the copy editors; he
knew; was very ill…paid; but Sam also knew that Collins was
married; because his wife used to wait for him in the office
to take her to the theatre; and often Sam had thought she was
extremely well dressed。 Of course Sister Anne was so
beautiful that what she might wear would be a matter of
indifference; but then women did not always look at it that
way。 Sam was so long considering offering Sister Anne a life
position that his silence had become significant; and to
cover his real thoughts he said hurriedly:

〃Take type…writing; for instance。 That pays very well。 The
hours are not difficult。〃

〃And manicuring?〃 suggested Sister Anne。

Sam exclaimed in horror。

〃You!〃 he cried roughly。 〃For you! Quite impossible!〃

〃Why for me?〃 said the girl。

In the distress at the thought Sam was jabbing his stick into
the gravel walk as though driving the manicuring idea into a
deep grave。 He did not see that the girl was smiling at him
mockingly。

〃You?〃 protested Sam。 〃You in a barber's shop washing men's
fingers who are not fit to wash the streets you walk on I
Good Lord!〃 His vehemence was quite honest。 The girl ceased
smiling。 Sam was still jabbing at the gravel walk; his
profile toward herand; unobserved; she could study his
face。 It was an attractive face strong; clever; almost
illegally good…looking。 It explained why; as ; he had
complained to the city editor; his chief trouble in New York
was with the women。 With his eyes full of concern; Sam turned
to her abruptly。 〃How much do they give you a month?〃 〃Forty
dollars;〃 answered Sister Anne。 〃This is what hurts me about
it;〃 said Sam。

It is that you should have to work and wait on other people
when there are so many strong; hulking men who would count it
God's blessing to work for you; to wait on you; and give
their lives for you。 However; probably you know that better
than I do。〃

〃No; I don't know that;〃 said Sister Anne。

Sam recognized that it was quite absurd that it should be so;
but this statement gave him a sense of great elation; a
delightful thrill of relief。 There was every reason why the
girl should not confide in a complete strangereven to
deceive him was quite within her rights; but; though Sam
appreciated this; he preferred to be deceived。

〃I think you are working too hard;〃 he said; smiling happily。
〃I think you ought to have a change。 You ought to take a day
off! Do they ever give you a day off?〃

〃Next Saturday;〃 said Sister Anne。 〃Why?〃

〃Because;〃 explained Sam; 〃if you won't think it too
presumptuous; I was going to prescribe a day off for
youa day entirely away from iodoform and white enamelled
cots。 It is what you need; a day in the city and a lunch
where they have music; and a matinee; where you can laughor
cry; if you like that betterand then; maybe; some fresh air
in the park in a taxi; and after that dinner and more
theatre; and then I'll see you safe on the train for
Greenwich。 Before you answer;〃 he added hurriedly; 〃I want to
explain that I contemplate taking a day off myself and doing
all these things with you; and that if you want to bring any
of the other forty nurses along as a chaperon; I hope you
will。 Only; honestly; I hope you won't!〃

The proposal apparently gave Sister Anne much pleasure。 She
did not say so; but her eyes shone and when she looked at Sam
she was almost laughing with happiness。

〃I think that would be quite delightful;〃 said Sister Anne;〃
quite delightful! Only it would be frightfully expensive;
even if I don't bring another girl; which I certainly would
not; it would cost a great deal of money。 I think we might
cut out the taxicaband walk in the park and feed the
squirrels。〃

〃Oh!〃 exclaimed Sam in disappointment;〃then you know
Central Park?〃

Sister Anne's eyes grew quite expressionless。

〃I once lived near there;〃 she said。

〃In Harlem?〃

〃Not exactly in Harlem; but near it。 I was quite young;〃 said
Sister Anne。 〃Since then I have always lived in the country
or inother places。〃

Sam's heart was singing with pleasure。

〃It's so kind of you to consent;〃 he cried。 〃Indeed; you are
the kindest person in all the world。 I thought so when I saw
you bending over these sick people; and; now I know。〃

〃It is you who are kind;〃 protested Sister Anne; 〃to take
pity on me。〃

〃Pity on you!〃 laughed Sam。 〃You can't pity a person who can
do more with a smile than old man Flagg can do with all his
millions。 Now;〃 he demanded in happy anticipation;〃 where are
we to meet?〃

〃That's it;〃 said Sister Anne。 〃Where are we to meet?〃

〃Let it be at the Grand Central Station。 The day can't begin
too soon;〃 said Sam; 〃and before then telephone me what
theatre and restaurants you want and I'll reserve seats and
tables。 Oh;〃 exclaimed Sam joyfully; 〃it will be a wonderful
daya wonderful day!〃

Sister Anne looked at him curiously and; so; it seemed; a
little wistfully。 She held out her hand。

〃I must go back to my duties;〃 she said。 〃Good…by。〃

〃Not good…by;〃 said Sam heartily; 〃only until Saturdayand
my name's Sam Ward and my address is the city room of the
REPUBLIC。 What's your name?〃

〃Sister Anne;〃 said the girl。 〃In the nursing order to which
I belong we have no last names。〃

〃So;〃 asked Sam; 〃I'll call you Sister Anne?〃

〃No; just Sister;〃 said the girl。

〃Sister!〃 repeated Sam; 〃Sister!〃 He breathed the word rather
than spoke it; and the way he said it and the way he looked
when he said it made it carry almost the touch of a caress。
It was as if he had said 〃Sweetheart! or 〃Beloved!〃 〃I'll not
forget;〃 said Sam。

Sister Anne gave an impatient; annoyed laugh。

〃Nor I;〃 she said。

Sam returned to New York in the smoking…car; puffing
feverishly at his cigar and glaring dreamily at the smoke。 He
was living the day over again and; in anticipation; the day
off; still to come。 He rehearsed their next meeting at the
station; he considered whether or not he would meet her with
a huge bunch of violets or would have it brought to her when
they were at luncheon by the head waiter。 He decided the
latter way would be more of a pleasant surprise。 He planned
the luncheon。 It was to be the most marvellous repast he
could evolve; and; lest there should be the slightest error;
he would have it prepared in advanceand it should cost half
his week's salary。

The place where they were to dine he would leave to her;
because he had observed that women had strange ideas about
clothessome of them thinking that certain clothes must go
with certain restaurants。 Some of them seemed to believe
that; instead of their conferring distinction upon the
restaurant; the restaurant conferred distinction upon them。
He was sure Sister Anne would not be so foolish; but it might
be that she must always wear her nurse's uniform and that she
would prefer not to be conspicuous; so he decided that the
choice of where they would dine he would leave to her。 He
calculated that the whole day ought to cost about eighty
dollars; which; as star reporter; was what he was then
earning each week。 That was little enough to give for a day
that would be the birthday of his life! No; he contradicted
the day he had first met her must always be the birthday of
his life; for never had he met one like her and he was sure
there never would be one like her。 She was so entirely
superior to all the others; so fine; so difficultin her
manner there was something that rendered her
unapproachable。 Even her simple nurse's gown was worn with a
difference。 She might have been a princess in fancy dress。
And yet; how humble she had been when he begged her to let
him for one day personally conduct her over the great city!
〃You are so kin
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