Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-12-13
Propinquity's
Part
~0
Copyright, 1918. by Mcclure Newspape
Syndicate
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS


"Oh. yes, I shall be brave!" Her
tone was light Her heart held tears.
II shall wait for you-always," she
said, smile as gay and brilliant as
il it played about happy lips.
'But-of course you will. girl!
You're that kind of stuff And I'll
come back to you with chest full OF
medals and arms full of love-" Her
head dropped on his khaki shoulder for
a moment while she almost gave way.
"Good-by," she whispered and pushed
him from her.
He held her for one more moment.
"Good-by, my GIRL" he said. swallow
ing the lump that almost choked him.
Then he took his cap and strobe down
the garden path, closed the gate be-
hind him and was lost to her among
the shadows Of the trees.
June twisted her handkerchief to a
hard knot, bit her lips and kept her
eyes glued to the opening in the trees
slowly, she let the tears flow down her
cheeks, threw herself into the ham,
mock and sobbed.
Capt. Teddy Blake was soon back
in his quarters with the knowledge in
His own heart that this was the last
tiIae he should see June for many a
day. That he would sail on the fol-
lowing day or the next at the latest
he was sure. 1t seemed very hard to
leave June; they had been so happy;
she was wonderfully lovely. But--he
would come back and claim her some
day. That she would not wait for
him, that he could forget-those were
impossible suggestions.
June answered the call of the Red
Cross for nurses. She felt In her first
detection and loneliness as if she must
| do something to help hasten the end of
the war that had separated Teddy from
her. She was accepted and went into
hospital for training almost at once.
She became absorbed in the work, met
| many new and interesting persons and
soon found herself quite cheerful
again. At night when she wrote hex
letter to Captain Teddy she told him
of her work, of the new faces of her
| ambition to get "over there" and help,
| and perhaps take care of him. But
| she did not weep; rather she grew
| more and more proud Of having sent
her captain off SO bravely, and con-
| graduated herself for her own cheer
| fulness.
you're going to make a wonderful
nurse, Miss Prince" one of the doc
tors told her after she had helped him
In some surgical dressing.
"Oh, am I?' she exclaimed. II love
the work"
| Doctor Buchanan watched the Won
| derful color flood her face at the COM
pliment he had paid her. He was thir-
| ty-five and had been so absorbed in his
profession that he had never taken
time to get married.
| June worked more earnestly than
| ever after that word of praise from
| so clever a surgeon as Doctor Bu-
chanan. Also she now had the temer-
| ity to smile at him when she passed
|
| upon her in the wards. Heretofore
she had never noticed any of the doc
tors, some one having told her it was
| better to attend strictly to the profess
sional side of the work and not permit
| herself to know the doctors socially.
Captain Teddys letters were filled
with interesting stories of jauntS here
| and there, when he had time to HIM
| self. He spoke more than once of the
alacrity with which he was picking up
the French language. A pretty French
girl, Jeanne de Naeyer, whom he had
met at canteen, was giving him les
sons on every available occasion. Oh,
he would come back to June quite an
accomplished French student, and he
hoped she was not being too lonely.
The war dragged on and June fin
ished her training, grew even more
lovely, with a more serious expression
in her eyes, forced there by the knowl-
edge she was gaining of the suffering
in this world.
Instead of being sent to France,
Nurse June was sent to a base hos
pital somewhere on Long Island" to
take care of the poor wounded soldiers
who were being brought home by
every boat. She had little time for let
ter writing now. Her leisure hours,
many of them, were spent with Doctor
Buchanan. studying, always learning
more thoroughly the requirements of a.
good nurse. Without having become
aware of it, she had become very fond
of the able surgeon who had done so
much for her throughout her training.
And she had not noticed that he
sought her out on every occasion.
Theirs was a serious sort of compan-
ionship and they had been drawn to-
gether almost daily in their work.
Letters from Captain Teddy, now in
action. still referred to Jeanne, the lit
tie French girl He spoke rather cas-
ually of her-rather too casually. June
thought once or twice, but she seemed
not 70 mind.
did you ever realize what dan
gerous thing propinquity isY' she
Il