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is the worst of all. Everyone's so impatient to get out and doesn't
ever seem to appreciate what a person does for him.

The sound of heavy footsteps shook her out of the reverie into
which she had sunk. She turned and was only slightly surprised to
see Dr. Wilson confronting her. He was the favorite of the whole
town, but in particular, of Blue Eagle Hospital. After forty years of
service he was still going strong. In fact, rumor had it that he was
planning to open up a new clinic soon. In all her dealings with Dr.
Wilson, Julie had never found cause to dislike or distrust him. She
had and always would think of him as a 'father,' or even more, as a

very sincere friend.
"Oh, Dr. Wilson, you're just the person I was going to see. Mr.

Worden in Room 613 is upset about his meals. He says the food he's
been getting doesn't correspond with his diet."

"Don't worry about him. I've checked on his meals more than
once and they're exactly right. He's just going through a persnickity
stage common to many convalescents. See what you can do about
calming him down and that ought to be enough for the time being.
I'll visit him when I have a free moment in the morning. You can
tell him I'll be up if you think it would do any good."

"Yes, Dr. Wilson," she replied as she again began her walk down
the hall to make her nightly check of the convalescent ward. "Al-
ways catering to people," she muttered softly and was surprsied to
find that she had spoken out loud, Dr. Wilson had heard.

"Julie, what was that?" Immediately she felt ashamed of what

she had said. He was continuing:
"Surely you understood when you entered nursing that it was a

life of constant service-of putting others' welfare before your own.

What's changed your mind?"
Desperately trying to think of anything to get out of this awk-

ward situation, she half stammered: "Well, I know, but I'm tired of
it now. It's a twenty-four hour jo band there's no reward at all. I

want ... "
"But that's just where you're all wrong," Dr. Wilson interrupted.

"Maybe there's not much of an excess tangible reward but if you
would only stop and look around you, Julie. See what a wonderful
satisfied feeling you could get if you only tried. Notice how the pa-
tients' faces light up when they see a smiling nurse come into the
room. Of course it's up to you to be more than a nurse-you must
be a friend, companion, and morale-booster, too. For little children
you must be a second mother: You'd like the children's ward, I know.

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