PRACTICE GAMES
“THAT is all the lecture part of to-day’s lesson,” smiled Miss Helpem.
“Now, for the practice.”
She made a gesture toward Shesa Brave, who came forward, and together
they lifted before the class the tiny medicine cabinet which Mary
Frances’ Aunt Maria had given her for her Dolls’ Hospital.
“Let me see,” said Miss Helpem. “Yes, we have everything here, I
believe. Girls, you may all come look.”
The dolls—I mean, girls—gathered around the little glass closet and
compared the labeled bottles and packages with the list given them in
the previous lesson.
They were delighted with the beautiful cleanliness of the closet—its
bright glass door and white shelves and shining enamel frame.
“Now,” continued Miss Helpem, “please divide into groups of two. That
will make five groups. We will play that one girl in each group is
the mother, and the other her child. The child has cut her hand while
slicing bread. Mothers, what will you do? What will be your first-aid
treatment?”
Mary Frances—I mean, Miss Helpem—was delighted with the girls’ answers
and with the way in which they sought out the iodine bottle, and
wrapped the supposed injury with narrow gauze.
[Illustration: WRAPPED THE SUPPOSED INJURY WITH NARROW GAUZE]
“In the next practice game, the ‘child’ acts as mother and ‘mother’ as
‘child,’” said the assistant nurse. “This time the ‘child’s’ clothing
has caught fire from a spark which snapped out of the fireplace.”
The girls laughed.
The nurse smiled. “Girls,” she said, “these games may make you feel
like laughing, but please keep in mind how serious the real accident
would be, and try to learn what to do. You will be so much better able
to live useful lives.”
You see, Mary Frances didn’t quite remember that they were only dolls.
Even so, they have served a very useful purpose if they only teach the
readers of this book some of their lessons.
“Ready, now, for practice,” said the nurse. “Girl No. 2 of each group
is to act as a little daughter whose frock has caught fire.”
The girls remembered not to run, and “pretended” to smother out the
flames.
“That was so well done,” said Miss Helpem, “that no one was severely
burned, so we’ll merely have to treat for slight burns.”
The “mother” girl from each group went to Shesa Brave for carron oil,
which she applied on gauze compresses to imaginary hurt fingers.
Then they reversed parts again, and played the “child” had frosted her
fingers. The “mother” girls rubbed the fingers with imaginary snow,
gradually restoring the circulation of the blood in the “frozen” parts.
Throughout all their fun the girls acted in a serious, purposeful
manner.
“I’m not so certain that boys would ‘play in earnest,’” said Miss
Helpem to Shesa.
“I think they would,” replied the young girl. “I’m certain Ibee is just
as interested as Soami,” which pleased the assistant nurse more than I
can tell you.