Miss Shippen waited a full minute before answering quietly and
slowly: "It was cruel, it was unjust, it was horrible, it was
wicked, that you should have been made to suffer so; above all, Aunt
Dalmanutha, it was unnecessary. With a little knowledge, and proper
food and fresh air, your daughter's life could have been saved; with
knowledge and proper treatment your sons need not have died of
dysentery or typhoid or even diphtheria; with knowledge your
blindness itself, which is no curse, but would as surely have come
upon you had you never lost Evy and never rebelled in your heart,
need have lasted only a few months. For these are cataracts that
you have on your eyes, and nothing would have been simpler and
easier than their removal."

Amazement, incredulity, almost horror were written upon Aunt
Dalmanutha's countenance as she heard these quiet words.

"Where do you get your authority over preachers, woman?" she
demanded, leaning fiercely forward,

"I get my authority," replied the trained nurse, firmly, "from my
knowledge of modern medicine and surgery; I get my authority from
things seen with my eyes and heard with my ears during days and
nights of duty on the battle-line between life and death; I get my
authority," she continued more solemnly, "from Him whose spirit of
freedom and tolerance has made possible the advances in modern
science; who is the source of the rising tide of helpfulness
manifest in human hearts everywhere; who, when he was on earth, went
about doing good, and proclaiming not the hate, the vengeance, the
cruelty of God, but His mercy, His kindness, His pity, His fatherly