Dominican College of San Rafael - Firebrand Yearbook (San Rafael, CA)

Page 109 text:

(As Harry is about to answer, a muffled groan is heard from the fourth bed.) Harry: (Whispering) Hey Mike, what ' s wrong with the kid? He ain ' t said a word since we got here. I guess he ' s taking it kinda hard. Sure wish we could get him interested in some cards or somethin ' . Mike: (In a sad, slow voice) He wants to die. (Kline puts down his book and looks at the huddled figure. He passes his hands across his eyes, leans back on the pillows, and stares at the ceiling, on his face the sad look of knowledge of what the boy is going through. The door on the left opens, and a stern look- ing middle-aged nurse comes in. She goes directly to Harry ' s bed and takes his pidse.) Nurse: (With dry humor) What ' s the matter with you, Mr. Blain, lose at cards? You look like you ' re ready to be buried. And what about these pills? You should have been out of here ten days ago. You ' re using up the taxpayers ' money and taking up space. Why, you should be out there now, running one of those night clubs, and keeping poor men ' s minds di- verted from these times. Here, (she shoves a ther- mometer in his mouth) and keep still while you ' ve got it in there. Harry: (Muttering) Hard hearted female if I ever saw one. 105

Page 108 text:

Revolutionary War on. If you are very careful and promise not to crease the pages— I simply cannot tol- erate creased pages— I ' ll lend it to you. Mike: Thanks, Mr. Kline, ah . . . but ... I was never too good at history and, well . . . ah . . . Harry: Ya know. Prof, what I read in the noospaper the other day? It was about this professor, see? And he kept givin ' his students homework, homework, and all the time more homework, see? He kept forcin ' more and more on them all the time, see? Ya know what happened? One day they found him down by the crick (he looks menacingly at Henry) all in little tiny pieces. See? Mike: Golly ... Henry: Well really, absurd. (He shrinks down in his blankets after a quick glance at Harry, and re- sumes his reading.) Harry: You cut, Mike. (He picks up his cards.) Ya know, I really can ' t place no blame on them kids. I couldn ' t stand homework either. I always had a mind for the business world. Boy, I let ' em know too, and walked out of school and left ' em flat in the second grade. Henry: (Looks up from his book.) I might be bold enough to add that, for once, your story is not hard to believe. 104

Page 110 text:

(Nurse pays no attention and walks briskly around to Mike ' s bed. Mike ' s eyes follow her with a sheepish look. Nurse looks at him quizzically.) Nurse: And what ' s the matter with you? Now what have you done? You look mighty sheepish to me, son. Let ' s have a look. Mike: Nothing ' s wrong, honest. Miss Scott. Nurse: Hm . . . we ' ll see. (Takes his pulse and tem- perature, and examines the bottles on his table.) Well, young man, I don ' t see that bottle of cod-liver oil. You don ' t by chance know where it is now, do you? Mike: C-Cod-liver oil? No, sir, I mean, ma ' am. Nurse: Oh, is that so! Well then, what is this? (She pulls the bottle from imder his pillow.) I ' ve been here a mighty long time, son, and I know all the tricks. Now (in a stern voice) sit up and take it. (She puts a spoonfid in his mouth, and puts her hand over his mouth until he swallows it.) Harry: (With the thermometer still in his mouth) Female beast. Henry: (Complacently) Heh, heh, a just recom- pense if I ever saw one. Cards and story telling, yes, indeed, a just recompense. Nurse: (In a loud voice) And what is it you ' re mut- tering about, Mr. Kline? I hear tell that you ' re ruin- ing your eyes reading all those history books, taking 106