"But, Kit," stammered the mystified man, "how--why--what?"
"O," she laughed a little sheepishly, "that rude, out-spoken creature in the wheel-chair by the window where you left me told me that I ought to adopt him, and I"m not sure but that she is right."
"She is not rude," the doctor suddenly contradicted, a vision of the brown-eyed idol of the hospital flashing up before him. "She merely believes in voicing her thoughts; but she is the essence of compa.s.sion and love. She would not want to wound another"s feelings for anything in the world."
"Well, anyway, she certainly can wake folks up," the woman insisted.
"Thank G.o.d for that," said the man under his breath, and leaving the nurses to rescue what of the luckless postage stamps they could, he conducted Keturah and happy little Billy Bolee to his car, waiting at the curb.
CHAPTER XV
THE RING THAT BUILT A HOSPITAL
It was a hot June night. Not a breath of air was stirring, and in the great Danbury Hospital every window was opened its widest. Yet the patients lay panting and sweltering on their cots. Peace, in her room, tossed and turned restlessly, dozed a few minutes, then wakened, changed her position, trying to find a cooler spot, and finally in desperation, raised her hand and jerked the bell-cord dangling at the head of her bed. She could hear the answering whir in the hall outside, but no one came to minister to her wants, and after an impatient wait of a few seconds, she repeated the summons.
Still no one came.
"What in creation can be the matter with Miss Hays, I wonder," she muttered, and savagely pulled the cord for the third time.
There was a faint patter of rapid steps through the corridor, and the night nurse, flushed and perspiring, flew into the room. "What is it?"
she asked crisply, mopping her warm face after a hasty survey of the small patient.
"O," exclaimed Peace in relief. "It"s you at last! I thought you were never coming. Is it hot outside tonight, or is it just me that"s hot?"
Poor, hurried, steaming Miss Hays glared down at the tumbled figure on the bed, and snapped, "It"s _me_ that"s hot! Did you chase me clear down two flights of stairs just to ask that question?"
"You _do_ look warm," said Peace in conciliatory tones, not quite understanding the cause of Miss Hays" evident wrath.
"I _am_ warm,--decidedly warm under the collar!" Suddenly the funny side of the situation burst upon her, and she laughed hysterically. It was utterly ridiculous to think of the haste she had made to answer the frantic summons of that bell!
Then, with an effort she controlled her merriment, and asked soberly, "Was there anything you wanted?"
"No--that is--Hark! What is that noise? It sounds like a little baby crying. That"s the third time tonight I"ve heard it squall."
Miss Hays obediently strained her ears to listen. "It does sound like a child, doesn"t it?" she admitted, as the plaintive wail was repeated.
"Who can it be?"
"Seems as if it came from the other part of the building," said Peace, peering across the moonlit court toward the windows of the opposite wing.
"But there are no babies over there," the nurse objected. "Nearly all the patients in that section are old men, and the nurses" rooms are on the top floor."
"Well, that"s where the crying comes from anyway," Peace insisted, as another low, persistent wail rose on the midnight air. "Are you _sure_ there ain"t _any_ babies over there?"
"None that I know of. I"ll go investigate. It"s queer that Miss Gee did not mention it to me if any new patients were brought in there today."
Puzzled Miss Hays turned to go when Peace stopped her with an imperative, "Wait! There"s a nightcap sticking out of a topfloor window.
I guess it"s going to holler."
"Nightcap? Where?" demanded the nurse, again staring out over the court toward the other wing of the hospital.
"It looked like one, but it"s gone in out of sight. O, I know I saw it.
There! What did I tell you!"
Peace was right. From an open window in the nurses" quarters a white-capped head slowly protruded, followed by a huge pitcher. There was a sound of splashing water, a startled caterwaul from the lawn below, some excited spitting and scratching, and two black shapes streaked across the court to the street. The wailing ceased. Silence reigned.
"Cats!" exclaimed Miss Hays in disgust.
"Making that crying noise?" demanded incredulous Peace.
"Yes."
"Not babies at all?"
"No."
"Well, I"ll--Say, that water splashed in through the window of the room below. Listen to that man--swear! He"s saying dreadful things! Can"t you hear him?"
"I must go," the nurse e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, when a swift survey of the windows opposite had proved that the child"s observations were correct; but even as she darted through the doorway, the buzzer in the hall whirred viciously, and Peace heard her mutter, "My sakes! but the old gentleman is mad!"
Once more quiet descended over the great building, and for a long time Peace lay chuckling over the night"s unusual adventure. Then in spite of the heat she at length fell asleep. Nor did she waken until the sun was high in the sky and the bustle of the busy city floated up through the open window.
The first thing she was conscious of was the sound of Dr. Shumway"s voice sharp with bitter disappointment, and by craning her neck almost to breaking point, she could catch a glimpse of his coat-tails through the open door, as he said to some invisible audience, "No, we can hope for absolutely nothing from that source now, and we do need that addition so badly. Why, man alive it would mean a chance for hundreds of helpless babies. We simply haven"t the room to accept charity cases now.
Every bed in the inst.i.tution filled this morning! What a record! But we have had to turn away ten cases this past month because we were too crowded to take charity patients."
"What did the old codger have to say to the committee?" asked another voice, which Peace recognized as that of Dr. Race, though she could not see him.
"He wasn"t even _decent_ about it. Said if his father had seen fit to spend half his fortune erecting this hospital, it was no sign that he intended to follow his example. What is more, he declared that we never would see another red cent of Danbury money if he could help it. Called his father an old fool and every other uncomplimentary name he could think of."
"Did you remind him that his father had intended to build this addition that we are so anxious for?"
"Yes, and got laughed at for my pains. If only old John Danbury could have lived to see his building completed! He used to say he cared for no other monument than Danbury Hospital."
"Do you know," said a new voice thoughtfully, "I think he recognized the worthlessness of his profligate son, and planned to sink his whole fortune in this inst.i.tution? Money has been the curse of Robson Danbury"s life, and his father knew that the only hope of making anything like a man out of him was the cutting him off without a cent, but the Death Angel claimed him before he had finished his plans."
"Well, that doesn"t help us out of our predicament," said Dr. Race in his crisp, curt tones. "How are we to get our addition built?"
"Go to the Church for it,--that"s our only course now," suggested Dr.
Shumway resignedly.
"The Church! Good gracious, man! The church is bled to death now with its collections for this and subscriptions for that," declared Dr.
Rosencrans impatiently. "They won"t listen to our cry for help. I"m sorry this hospital is a denominational inst.i.tution. It is a serious handicap."
"It ought not to be," said Dr. Shumway stoutly. "Our people should be proud of the chance to give to such a cause."
"But the fact still remains that they raise a howl or have a fit every time they are asked for a copper," returned Dr. Rosencrans pessimistically.