Twenty tales by twenty women: From real life in ChicagoAnonymous
General
Twenty tales by twenty women: From real life in Chicago
Anonymous
Chicago (Ill.) -- Moral conditions; Prostitution -- Illinois -- Chicago
“At last she fell asleep, I suppose, for she ceased her ravings. When I
took her breakfast to her the following morning I found her prone upon
the floor, with hands clinched together as if in mortal agony. I was
horror-stricken. I had never seen her like this before and had never
heard that she had spells like this.
“She looked like death, and without regard to the strict orders we had
had, never to call in a stranger, I fairly flew to the nearest doctor’s
office.
“He responded at once, and after heroic treatments revived her. He asked
to see the medicine we had been giving her. I showed it to him and he
examined it critically, then looked grave.
“‘This is a drug which should not be administered except in an extreme
case and then only in small doses,’ he said.
“Then I explained to him how her father had been there and how Lita had
acted, and that it must have been necessary or he would not have given
it. He told me I must not give her any more of it for three days and at
the end of that time he would call again.
“After he had gone I went in to see Lita and she seemed brighter than
I had ever seen her. On the evening of the second day she showed real
interest in things and had a good appetite. There was a faint tinge of
red in her cheeks and she was almost pretty.
“She asked me who I was and what my name was.
“‘I am your nurse, and you have been very ill, but are getting better
now,’ said I, ‘and my name is quite a little like yours; it is Anita.’
“I was so delighted at her apparent improvement that I determined to
write her father the good news, but on second thought concluded I would
not, as he had said he would come out often.
“On the third day the doctor called and was greatly pleased at his
patient’s progress. ‘Just continue to give her this tonic and keep the
other away from her,’ said he.
“‘I think you had better not tell her father what we have done if he
calls soon; better wait a couple of weeks and surprise him.’
“Then I thought of my orders not to call in a stranger and told the
doctor about it. He passed the matter by as a trifle, saying: ‘They
probably feared the excitement.’
“Two weeks passed and no Mr. Leighton and no word from Dannie. I was
getting desperate at Dannie’s neglect and telegraphed him. The telegram
came back, so I knew it had not found him. Mr. Leighton came the same
afternoon and found me a pitiful looking object. My eyes were red and
swollen with weeping.
“‘What is the matter with you, little daughter?’ said he, kissing me on
each cheek.
“I told him about Dannie and he begged me not to worry; that he was
probably out of town in the oil fields and too busy to write.
“We went in together to see Lita, and she acted as she had done on the
previous occasion when he called. He did not stay long with her, but
devoted most of his time to me, trying to cheer me up, which he certainly
knew how to do. He remained to dinner and brought out some of the wine
which we kept for Lita’s use.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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