ny steps with
those tired feet of theirs, and several came each evening, to chat over
my fire and make things cozy for the night. The doctors paid daily
visits, tapped at my lungs to see if pneumonia was within, left doses
without names, and went away, leaving me as ignorant, and much more
uncomfortable than when they came. Hours began to get confused; people
looked odd; queer faces haunted the room, and the nights were one long
fight with weariness and pain. Letters from home grew anxious; the
doctors lifted their eyebrows, and nodded ominously; friends said
"Don't stay," and an internal rebellion seconded the advice; but the
three months were not out, and the idea of giving up so soon was
proclaiming a defeat before I was fairly routed; so to all "Don't
stays" I opposed "I wills," till, one fine morning, a gray-headed
gentleman rose like a welcome ghost on my hearth; and, at the sight of
him, my resolution melted away, my heart turned traitor to my boys,
and, when he said, "Come home," I answered, "Yes, father;" and so ended
my career as an army nurse.

I never shall regret the going, though a sharp tussle with typhoid, ten
dollars, and a wig, are all the visible results of the experiment; for
one may live and learn much in a month. A good fit of illness proves
the value of health; real danger tries one's mettle; and self-sacrifice
sweetens character. Let no one who sincerely desires to help the work
on in this way, delay going through any fear; for the worth of life
lies in the experiences that fill it, and this is one which cannot be
forgotten. All that is best and bravest in the hearts of men and women,
comes out in scenes like these; and, though a hospital is a rough
school, its lessons are both stern and salutary; and the humblest of
pupils there, in proportion to his faithfulness, learns a deeper faith
in God and in himself. I, for one, would return tomorrow, on the
"up-again,-and-take-another" principle, if I could; for the amount of
pleasure and profit I got out of that month compensates for all the
pangs; and, though a sadly womanish feeling, I take some satisfaction
in the thought that, if I could not lay my head on the altar of my
country, I have my hair; and that is more than handsome Helen did for
her dead husband, when she sacrificed only the ends of her ringlets on
his urn. Therefore, I close this little chapter of hospital
experiences, with the regret that they were no better worth recording;
and add