The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-02-11
In Times
Like These
BY GERALD ST. ETIENNE
%3$SSS~'
Copyright. 1875 by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)

LeonOre surveyed nerSelf in the long
mirror and smiled with qualification.
She was going to make very pretty
nurse. The blue of the uniform was
especially becoming to her style of
beauty and matched her eyes wonder
fully. The white starched collars and
cuffs made her look ''just too stunning
for anything"-there was no use trying
to tell herself that they didn't. Just
wait until she had passed the proba-
toner term and won the right to wear
a cap; wouldn't she make the other
nurses fade into oblivion? What the
uniform lacked in headgear she en-
deavored to make up for in crimps to
her pretty blond hair. At last. when
everything was satisfactorily adjusted,
she started out the corridor with a
bring your-millionaires" look in her
face.
Leonore was just like lots of other
girls. She had entered the hospital to
take a course of training with the
thought that all was sunshine and
pretty uniforms. Although she would
not have confessed it, uppermost In
her mind had been the thought that
after about the first month she would
be instrumental in saving the life Of
some handsome young millionaire, who
in gratitude would throw his fortune
and his heart at her feet 1t required
the first day to take all those silly no
tiOnS ont of har haad
take those crimps out of your hair
Don't let the superintendent see you
with those. 1t is positively against
the rules" one of the nurses warned
LeonOre before she had chance to
report to the head nurse for duty.
With pout on her lips she hurried
back to her room and flattened out the
crimps with pint of water.
II don't know how to take tempera-
lures" Leonore announced to the head
nurse the first thing, expecting of
course to be put in charge of patient
at once.
Certainly you don't" the head
nurse smiled, not unkindly, land you
won't be permitted to learn for some
time, either. Scrubbing out the oper-
ating room is the first thing you win
do"
Poor Leonorel Never had she work
ed so hard as she did the first week.
Every night she went to bed too tired
to be homesick, but by the end of the
week she was taken Ill. In bed. off
duty, she had chance to think. She
hadn't as much as seen a patient and
she had been there seven whole DAYS.
She had scrubbed everything scrub
able in the place, though, she was sure
of 1T. The smell of soap and warm
water was ever with her. Her hands
that had once been lily white were
swollen and red. Her arms were
chafed right up to the elbows, and her
best uniform was ruined. She wasn't
a nurse, she was a charwoman. She
just would not stay The people at
home couldn't expect her to. The
thought of home brought the tears
that had been trying to come forth
for hours. After an hour of weeping
she felt better, but the resolve to go
home was still with her. She hated to
let the head nurse know that she had
been beaten by the work, though. She
would just tell them she was going
home for a few days.
"Why, we are so short of nurses we
can't possibly spare yeu," the super
intendent said when Leonore inter-
viewed her.
81 can't help it; am going anyway,
even If l can't come back" Leonore
started to sob. She hoped the note of
rebellion in her tone would win her
instant dismissal, but probationers
were too scarce for such indulgence
on the part of the superintendent.
Come back as soon as you are bet
ter" the superintendent gave in. But
when Leonore was gone she was al
most sure she would not see her again.
There was no one to meet Leonore
at the station. By the time she
reached home she was tired and worn
out, but not too tired to sob out the
whole miserable tale in her mothers
arms.
81 knew it was too much for YOU.
darling" her mother comforted. "You
don't have to go back to that horrid
hospital"
"Have you seen Gerald this week?'
Leonore asked as soon as she was
rested. Hasn't he been in every day?"
HE was in last evening"" her mother
answered, ''but the poor dear boy
looks so worn out"
''How does he look in uniform
wonderful-doesn't hep"
He does look fine," her mother
smiled, ''for Gerald is handsome
boy"
eyes," Leonore agreed, and he must
be having a ripping time. A soldiers
life is the life, mother. 1 wish l could
have stayed until he got in uniform.
am going out to the camp this very
Three o'clock found Leonore in the
car on the way to the soldiers train
Ing camp. Her cheeks were flushed
with the expectation of the welcome
she would be sure to get, for Gerald
was madly in love with her. But they
had quarreled. 1t was the first time
she had remembered that since she
left to go to the hospital. Gerald had
objected to her going into training:
he had said her place was at home,
and that nurses life was the life of
a dog. She had persisted that he
was all wrong and had left for the
hospital the day he was to report for
service. Now she knew that
he was right, though, and could ac-
knowledge that she was in the wrong.
Her welcome would be a pleasant one,
she felt sure of it. As the car drew
near the camp she pictured what a
fine time Gerald was Neutrality-suspicious.
paradeS before applauding admiring
people, dances, parties. receptions In
his honor and In honor of the uniform
he wore. Oh, 1t was wonderful, she
knew it was.
Leonore held her head very high as
the guard escorted her to where Pri-
vate Gerald Montgomery could be
found. She felt sure she would find
him partaking of afternoon tea with
some Of those Red Cross girls, and
smiled al the thought of the envy they
would feel when they saw him kiss
her.
"A lady to see Private Montgomery"
called out the sentinel.
"Why Leonore." 1t was Gerald, but
a very different looking Gerald than
Leonore had expected. He was in a
very untidy looking uniform and his
sleeves were rolled away up, display
ing red arms and hands. In one hand
was q knife and In the other he
grasped potato, half peeled.