PRIVATE BRAVE’S ADVENTURES
THREE weeks later, a soldier with one arm and his very attentive sister
were looked upon with much interest by the other passengers on a
steamer going to New York.
[Illustration: A SOLDIER AND HIS VERY ATTENTIVE SISTER]
Ima stood the journey well, but when they arrived at the station, Shesa
decided to take him direct to the Dolls’ Hospital to rest instead of
home, where he would be under a good deal of excitement.
So it was in the Dolls’ Hospital that the Brave family came together
again, rejoicing in the escape of their soldier. Even Mike, the dog,
was allowed to come, and no one greeted him with more joy than did
their family pet.
Private Brave didn’t mend as well as the doctors and nurses had hoped.
Within a week after his arrival at the hospital, an abscess developed
on his left forearm, which caused everyone to worry, and another
operation was all that saved poor Private Brave from losing his only
remaining arm.
The assistant nurse dressed and bandaged this abscess with—
ROLLER BANDAGES
(_See Reference List_)
Roller bandages are usually made of long straight
pieces of gauze. This material “gives” to the form of
the arm much better than muslin. Never put a bandage on
wet, for it shrinks and is too tight when dry.
You will be interested in seeing a picture on page 99
of how a roller bandage is applied to an arm or leg.
This picture shows one of Mary Frances’ big dolls
bandaged in roller bandages.
The two-and-a-half-inch wide roller bandage four or six
yards long is the size most used for grown-up people,
although narrower ones are needed for fingers.
On the doll’s body inch-wide bandages were used, and
the ends were sewed in place. To prevent slipping,
strips of adhesive plaster were placed over the folds
of the edges.
Under the assistant nurse’s kind care, Private Brave soon grew better
and was able to take an interest in the other patients.
[Illustration: ROLLER BANDAGES]
He begged to be allowed to visit the boys’ ward, where he wouldn’t be
so lonely.
There was great excitement among the boys in the ward, none of whom
were very ill, when a real soldier came to visit them.
They coaxed him to tell them about his adventures.
They liked best the story about how he lost his arm, and this one about
the stolen baby:
THE WAY PRIVATE BRAVE SAVED A BABY’S LIFE
“We were riding along one day, when I thought I heard a baby’s cry.
None of the other boys seemed to hear it, and as we were not riding in
order, I headed my horse toward the sound. I had about concluded that
I was mistaken, when the horse stopped short. The crying had ceased by
this time.
[Illustration: WE PUT THE BABY INTO HER ARMS]
“I looked down, and there among the sage-brush, at the horse’s feet,
was a little baby about a year old. How it came in such a place, I have
no idea. There was no house within forty miles, and we hadn’t met a
soul.
“I got off my horse and picked the little thing up and rode with it to
our captain. It appeared to be half starved and surely could not have
survived much longer.
“We carried it with us into camp, fed it and took care of it as best we
could.
“On making inquiries, we found the baby had been stolen from some poor
white settlers. Who did it or why, no one ever found out.
“When the poor mother came into camp and we put the baby into her arms
she was the happiest woman I ever saw.”
“Wasn’t that grand!” cried Bobby to Sammy, the little lame boy in the
next bed. Sammy was the plaster-of-Paris doll Mary Frances had bought
for a nickel at the children’s fair.
All the patients were sorry—and the doctors and nurses, too—when the
time came for Private Brave to leave the hospital.
He had been so bright and cheerful that they would miss him greatly.
He felt sorry, too, in a way, for so many interesting things had
happened; for instance—but perhaps you would rather hear the story of
the mad dog as Private Brave told it to his family.