, homey city cast its strange spell
over her heart, and claimed her for its own.

Spring came at last, not the verdant, glorious, festal virgin of the
Southland, but the hesitant, bashfully reserved maiden so typical of New
England, and Miss Merriman finally reported to Donald that their joint
protege seemed to be fairly prepared for the test which she had come so
far to take.

There are no rules, born of reason, which cannot yield to reasonable
exceptions, and, although the entrance requirements of the training
school were as exacting as its course, and as strict as its standard, a
standard which had long since made it the peer of any in all America,
some of the purely technical ones were waived upon the request of the
idolized chief junior surgeon on the staff, for Donald went personally
to the Superintendent and explained the case to her, and she agreed to
allow Rose to take a special examination; but she shook her head when he
mentioned the girl's age.

"Of course you know what the requirements are in that respect, doctor,"
she said. "We make exceptions, yes; but, if she enters now, she will be
by far the youngest girl in the school. I think that, before I give you
my decision, I shall have to see and talk with her."

Accordingly, that afternoon he took the rather frightened Smiles to the
Superintendent of nurses, and left them closeted together.

"Dr. MacDonald has told me about you, and your ambition, Miss Webb,"
said the Superintendent kindly. "You have been very courageous; but you
are very young, even younger than I thought. Now I want you to tell me
frankly just what your life has been, so that I may judge as to your
other qualifications, before deciding whether it is wise for you to take
the examinations."

Rose began hesitatingly; but, as the other drew her out with
judicious questions, she told her story with simple directness, and,
before long, the Superintendent had come to a realization that the
little mountain girl--whose life had, for so long, been one of unusual
responsibilities--had already acquired an uncommon maturity of
judgment. Although she was still some eighteen months below the
prescribed age for entering, she received the other's hesitating
permission to make the essay.

It would be difficult to decide who felt the greater nervousness during
the period of Smiles' written examination, and the time which had to
elapse before word came as to the result--Rose, Miss Merriman or Donald.
I