Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 202, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1912 — Her First Case [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Her First Case

By JEAN M. COLMER

Elizabeth returned from her first ambulance class flushed, but elated. For the first time in her not-too eventful existence of twenty-one years, Elizabeth was roused. The call to arms was sounding; brave men flocked to join the reserve force; brave women felt the call also and did their utmost to nip their incompetency in the bud. Elizabeth, tbo, was carried away by the universal enthusiasm, and, with feelings of excitement not tmmlxed with alarm, she attended classes of “first-aid,” and rejoiced to feel herself at last a useful member of the community. Elizabeth in her ardour became even more trying to the family circle than in her previous lethargic state. No room In the home and no member of the household could escape the merciless hand of Elizabeth In all the first fire of her patriotic enthusiasm. The drawing-room, an elegant apartment upholstered in the best of taste, became littered with improvised splints and rolls of coarse material, known to Elizabeth as the “Esmark” bandage. Everybody down to the second footman had undergone his share of torture while Elizabeth, with untiring energy, did head or “cranium” bandages, and practiced also how to make a broken arm comfortable until the arrival of the doctor. Upon one memorable occasion she had improvised a splint from the board of a packing case,, and quite over-looking the fact that there were four bent and rusty nails protruding from it, she pressed with her usual vigor upon the butler’s arm, and only found out the mistake when the unhappy man cried out with pain, and displayed a hand mutilated and bleeding. This, howeevr, furnished a new and most entertaining test for Elizabeth’s skill, who did not rest until her victim retired, pale and trembling, with arm in sling, and looks which expressed the most acute suffering. On yet another occasion Elizabeth seized upon her father, who was going off in state to a dinner at which roy-

alty was expected. She insisted upon his waiting while she demonstrated to him the correct way of dealing with a broken collarrbone. A pad being necessary to place beneath the patient’s arm, and her father being in a very great hurry, Elizabeth could think of nothing better suited to her needs than a sponge. She accordingly fetched one, and plaoed it beneath her parent’s unfortunately, she realized too late that a sponge should be carefully squeezed before being placed upon a court suit of velvet. ' But even if zeal did at times outrun her performance, her intentions were undeniably good, and her family, though , not well versed themselves in the subject of “firstaid,” was justly proud of their patriotic daughter. The first course of lectures was drawing to a close, the examination w’as at hand, and what Elizabeth felt she most needed was practical experience. :—_> 1 * She roamed the park daily in search of accidents. She frequently visited the Rotten Row, and found herself fervently longing that some unfortunate individual might see fit to break a limb. Elizabeth’s search, however, remained fdr many weeks unrewarded. She became quite despondent, and indeed almost lost her faith in the deadllness of motor ’buses. Had she been able to drive her own car, doubtless her efforts would have freuently met with success; but Richards, the chauffeur, who had suffered acutely in Elizabeth’s hands more than once, was wise enough to drive even more prudently than ever. Elizabeth now never left the house without a pair of scissors and a box of safety pins in her pocket She relied upon her petticoat or even her skirt for bandage, and carried an umbrella in all weathers, which in an emergency could quickly be’converted into a'splint. At last the great day came; but unfortunately it did not come at a time when Elizabeth was-entirely prepared. She was going out to lunch, and consequently was magnificently clothed a la Dlrectoire. As it is impossible to carry scissors and safety pins in

a D’rectc’re costume, and as an umbrella would be decidedly in the way, Elizabeth was not so fully equipped for emergency as was her custom. It happened in this way. As Elizabeth passed the park gates in her motor, a young man rode out ln> to the road. His horse was nervous, add chose to take fright at' the big car. Elizabeth did not see clearly just what happened, which was not surprising, as she shut her eyes and placed her fingers firmly in her ears as the horse began to plunge. To be quite fair, however, Elizabeth recovered quickly, and flinging open the window, ordered Richards to pull up Instantly. She then dismounted, splendidly Dlrectoire as she was, and ran quickly through the mud to where the young man lay in the midst of a swiftly gathering crowd. Forcing her way to his side, she took in the situation at a glance. Pushing away the policeman who was supporting the boy’s head, she pulled off her Dlrectoire jacket, and rolling it into a ball with fine carelessness, she placed It in the mud as a support to the young man's shoulders. Imagine her surprise when, as she was about to make an elaborate “cranium bandage” upon the Esmark basis, a stalwart young woman forced her way through the crowd and knelt down at his other side with a look of great determination upon her stern features. Elizabeth was nonplussed, and regarded her rival with annoyance, which became more acute as she watched the young woman produce scissors and pins from her pocket and an immense handkerchief from her sleeve. Elizabeth got up from her knees and looked round her in dismay to have her lawful prey snatched from her thus was too much. As she stood there in great indecision, her eye fell upon another female form forcing itself to the center of the crowd. The newcomer, a fair girl of seventeen cr so, advanced rapidly and with a busi-ness-like air, rolling up her sleeves as she came. The sight of another in possession did not seem to disturb her in the least; she knelt also in the mud, and for lack of something better to do, fell to mopping the brow of the prostrate young man with a twoinch handkerchief. Elizabeth’s gaze grew wilder, she took a step backwards and turned to flee. As she did so, she collided violently with a girl who, armed with rolls of ’Esmark,” was flying towards the scene of action. Elizabeth pressed her brow in anguish. She caught the policeman’s eye—even he was was smiling, and a subdued titter went round the crowd. v With a shudder Elizabeth gathered up her clinging skirts, now decorated with huge patches of mud, and fled away through the press. With a cry of joy she saw the motor drawn up beside the curb, and with a sob she flung herself inside and slammed the door. It was only when she had left the scene of action far behind that Elizabeth thought of her Directoire jacket lying in a puddle beneath the young man’s shoulders. The thought was too much for her and she dissolved into tears.

A Subdued Twitter Went Round the Crowd.