Arctic regions -- Discovery and exploration -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
"Did Miss Wakeley and Miss Thielman both go out?" demanded Lloyd
quickly. "Did they both go on a call?"
"Yes, Miss Lloyd," answered Rownie. "I don't know because why Miss
Wakeley went, but Miss Esther Thielman got a typhoid call--another one.
That's three f'om this house come next Sunday week. I reckon Miss
Wakeley going out meks you next on call, Miss Lloyd."
While Rownie had been speaking Lloyd had crossed the hall to where the
roster of the nurses' names, in little movable slides, hung against the
wall. As often as a nurse was called out she removed her name from the
top of this list and slid it into place at the bottom, so that whoever
found her name at the top of the roster knew that she was "next on call"
and prepared herself accordingly.
Lloyd's name was now at the top of the list. She had not been gone five
minutes from the agency, and it was rare for two nurses to be called out
in so short a time.
"Is it your tu'n?" asked Rownie as Lloyd faced quickly about.
"Yes, yes," answered Lloyd, running up the stairs, adding, as she passed
the mulatto: "There's been no call sent in since Miss Thielman left, has
there, Rownie?" Rownie shook her head.
Lloyd went directly to her room, tossed her books aside without removing
the wrappers, and set about packing her satchel. When this was done she
changed her tailor-made street dress and crisp skirt for clothes that
would not rustle when she moved, and put herself neatly to rights,
stripping off her rings and removing the dog-violets from her waist.
Then she went to the round, old-fashioned mirror that hung between the
windows of her room, and combed back her hair in a great roll from her
forehead and temples, and stood there a moment or so when she had done,
looking at her reflection.
She was tall and of a very vigorous build, full-throated, deep-chested,
with large, strong hands and solid, round wrists. Her face was rather
serious; one did not expect her to smile easily; the eyes dull blue,
with no trace of sparkle and set deep under heavy, level eyebrows. Her
mouth was the mouth of the obstinate, of the strong-willed, and her chin
was not small. But her hair was a veritable glory, a dull-red flame,
that bore back from her face in one great solid roll, dull red, like
copper or old bronze, thick, heavy, almost gorgeous in its sombre
radiance. Dull-red hair, dull-blue eyes, and a faint, dull glow forever
on her cheeks, Lloyd was a beautiful woman; much about her that was
regal, for she was very straight as well as very tall, and could look
down upon most women and upon not a few men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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