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Show WHAT THE CHILDREN SAY CHILDREN are plentiful here in Lintsing and just as dear as anywhere else in the world, always remembering Dr. A. H. Smith's remark, "as to babies and toothpicks one prefers his own." The hospital is not without its quota, both in those who come for treatment and those who feel that they are a part of the institution because an older member of the family is on the hospital staff. Of the former class, the two boys in the picture are representatives, though they have never been treated for any serious illness. Dr. Tallmon and Mr. Ellis and his wife will never forget how they were called up one night (when they lived on Bamboo Street) and found the larger of these boys and a small friend out in the gate house where they were sleeping for the night, all stiff and rigid and scarcely breathing. It turned out that the trouble was indigestion, but for the moment it looked serious. It was WTan Yu's little cousin who said to him at another time as he sympathetically watched the older boy whose usually sunny face was drawn and white with pain, "Why don't you go to Dr. Tallmon ? You know she gives good medicine!" Then there was the dear little three year old who had such sore, sore eyes, and yet when she came for treatment, would hold up her little face for the nurse to apply the medicine, without any fear or even a whimper for the pain. The children we see most often about the hospital are the granddaughter of the Bible woman, the small son of the married nurse and the two sisters and small brother of the younger of the two nurses. The first little boy mentioned (lien Ch'un by name) was the first Chinese baby whom Dr. Tallmon welcomed into the world. He is not yet two years old and can not master the intricacies of the two syllables of the Chinese word for doctor, so he calls her what would be an equivalent to "Doc." He is very proud of a pair of new shoes he has just acquired, and wants to put them on every time he sees them. Once when he was making his wishes known along this line, his mother said, "What do you want to put them on for?" "Doc see," was the quick response. Children are not allowed in the hospital court unless they have an errand. One day the little three year old sister of the younger of the two nurses appeared at Dr. Tallmon's office door,- "Please, Doctor, my sister is sick and needs some medicine." The Doctor was all interest and attention and began to inquire about the matter. The nurse was sent to his home to find out the trouble. He returned later with a broad smile on his face. No one was particularly ailing. The older sister had said something about not feeling well, but the family had not sent the child after medicine, had not even known that she had gone to the hospital. Page six |