THE BOOK OF THE CLASS OF NINETEEN-ELEVEN 121

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* THE NURS

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he BY A PATIENT SENIOR

 

 

  

 

VEN at first I thought this subject
attracted me. It had such dramatic
possibilities. The brilliant throng

before my mind’s eye was worthy of my
best efforts. I saw myself composing a
masterpiece which should treat first of the
Amazon. Indeed, a literary work which
introduces “the Amazon” takes on an
almost epic grandeur. It becomes vast,
Hellenic, Amazonic.

The scenes through which that great
figure moves are drawn from life. Vainly
—_—— — a the impotent creature struggles against her

fate. Should a tear fall from her eye the
tragic remark (inspiring pity and fear) is made: “I was very successful with insane patients
in Dr. X ’s private sanatarium.” The pill goes down. When you come to think of it,
the pill always does go down when an embodiment of fate (height six feet four or thereabouts)
stands over you while you take it. I once threw a small pill out of the window. I felt
that I was indeed flying in the face of Providence. Although the flight did not send me
out of the window after the pill with a consequent $5.00 fine to pay, I realised that the
only reason it didn’t was because the gods were merciful and let the incident stand as
an exception to the rule that you can’t side-step fate.

This event has universal significance, as in fact any has that is connected with that
heroic character. The fact that I do not at the moment remember her name, and so
cannot record it here is a matter of slight importance. That she stands in my mind simply