e iron gates, for on the instant trouble
barred his way. Trouble came to him wearing the blue cambric uniform
of a nursing sister, with a red cross on her arm, with a white collar
turned down, white cuffs turned back, and a tiny black velvet bonnet.
A bow of white lawn chucked her impudently under the chin. She had
hair like golden-rod and eyes as blue as flax, and a complexion of such
health and cleanliness and dewiness as blooms only on trained nurses.

She was so lovely that Redding swung his hooded camera at her as swiftly
as a cowboy could have covered her with his gun.

Reporters become star reporters because they observe things that
other people miss and because they do not let it appear that they have
observed them. When the great man who is being interviewed blurts out
that which is indiscreet but most important, the cub reporter says:
"That's most interesting, sir. I'll make a note of that." And so
warns the great man into silence. But the star reporter receives the
indiscreet utterance as though it bored him; and the great man does
not know he has blundered until he reads of it the next morning under
screaming headlines.

Other men, on being suddenly confronted by Sister Anne, which was the
official title of the nursing sister, would have fallen backward, or
swooned, or gazed at her with soulful, worshipping eyes; or, were they
that sort of beast, would have ogled her with impertinent approval. Now
Sam, because he was a star reporter, observed that the lady before him
was the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen; but no one would
have guessed that he observed that--least of all Sister Anne. He stood
in her way and lifted his hat, and even looked into the eyes of blue as
impersonally and as calmly as though she were his great-aunt--as though
his heart was not beating so fast that it choked him.

"I am from the REPUBLIC," he said. "Everybody is so busy here to-day
that I'm not able to get what I need about the Home. It seems a pity,"
he added disappointedly, "because it's so well done that people ought
to know about it." He frowned at the big hospital buildings. It was
apparent that the ignorance of the public concerning their excellence
greatly annoyed him.

When again he looked at Sister Anne she was regarding him in
alarm--obviously she was upon the point of instant flight.

"You are a reporter?" she said.

Some people like to place themselves in the hands of a reporter because
they hope he wi