confident that her skirt
clears the ground. Her keen, light-colored eyes took in at a glance the
condition of every patient, the occupation of every nurse.

There had been a smallpox epidemic in Chicago, and three of the nurses
in ---- Hospital had taken the disease, two of them lightly, one very
heavily; but all were now convalescent. The two had gone home to their
friends to recruit, but the third lay in an invalid chair in a darkened
room, looking as if the desire of life had left her. Nurse Dean came in
with a cheery smile, put on just outside the door, and proceeded to
bathe the girl's eyes with warm water.

"When are you coming out to help me, Mary? I'm sure the light wouldn't
hurt you now. I'm having too much night work, those other nurses being
gone. I thought you might begin to ease me a little with the smallpox
patients through the day."

"I don't know as I care to go on with the business," replied Mary,
sometime called Mason.

"Nonsense! You're low-spirited just now because you're not quite better,
but wait till you're on your feet and going around the wards again.
There's nothing like work of this sort to make a person forget
herself."

Nurse Dean's strong but gentle hands began to rub with oil the patient's
neck and shoulders.

"I wish I could forget myself and everybody else too. I wish I had died
of the smallpox. There aint anybody that cares whether I live or die."

"Hush! Mary, you forget Dr. Flaker."

"Aint it just him I'm thinkin' about? He came in to see me to-day for
the first time. He hates smallpox, and he smelt so of iodoform he nearly
made me sick. About all he had to say was that it was very foolish of me
to meddle with the clothes of them patients, and he could hardly believe
I was so crazy's not to be vaccinated when the other nurses were. Just
as if it wasn't him that admired my lovely arms. Look at them now!"

"They won't be so bad when all these scales are off. There! Doesn't
that feel better?"

"It feels all right enough, but you know I'll be a sight to be seen the
rest of my days. I was glad the room was dark, so's Flaker couldn't get
a good look at me. He'll know soon enough--and hate the sight of me. He
was always so proud of my 'pearance."

"But I'm sure he likes you for something else too, Mary."

"I don't care whether he does or not, he's got to marry me just the
same. I aint goin' to be left again," and the girl tried to make a
blazing diamond ring keep in place upon