Eye of the Storm (Hudson 3)

kitchen to what was once considered the maid's

quarters. I was amazed to see all the changes. The old

four-poster dark maple bed. which I imagined was

something of an antique, had

been replaced with an

aseptic-looking, metal-frame hospital bed,

mechanized to be raised and lowered by the inhabitant

pressing a button. Lamps with cold gray metal shades

had been installed in the wall around the bed. The

pretty brass ceiling light fixture had been supplanted

by a strip of neon lights, and set on the wall facing the

bed was a sizable television set.

The remainder of the room had been changed as

well. The small chair and table in the corner were

gone as was the soft- cushioned recliner. In their place

were a number of therapeutic machines and other

equipment I recognized from the hospital. When I

glanced into the bathroom, I saw it had been

completly refitted for a handicapped person. It had

railings and braces around the toilet and the bathtub. "I imagine you're very tired from your trip,"

Mrs. Bogart said.

"No," I told her. "Not really."

I caught a little twitch in her right eye as she

stiffened her posture.

"You are." she insisted. "You just don't realize

it. These journeys that are taken for granted by the rest

of us," she said as if I was some son of alien creature,

"take a subtle toll on a handicapped person. Believe

me. Miss Arnold, I speak from years and years of

experience."