The Washington times., 1931-04-03


trell, with all of his daddy's
wealth and his own social
graceS, wasn't going to be much
consolation in the lonely days
ahead, and Babs Baldwin knew
it then and there.
Lots of water went over the
dam before she saw him again,
even at that. It takes time,
and lots Of drag, to get rushed
through a training school for
nurses, and still more to keep
getting transfers into battle
sectors where particular diviS-
ions are assigned.
Sometimes Babs B aldwin
cried herself to sleep after "a
hour stretches helping soothe
those human wrecks that came
back, all mud and bloody from
the lines up ahead. Some
times it seemed her nerves just
wouldn't stand up any more.
And yet, through it all, she
was glad. She hoped against
hope, much as she wanted to
see him, that she'd never look
on one of those round I. D.
tags and find stamped, NAL
lory, Charles D., Lieutenant,
infantry"
Bound to Happen
Then came that day she did.
And it was bound to happen
that Capt. Keith Cantrell was
brought in, too, and that Cap
tain Cantrell and not Lieuten-
ant Mallory was on the list OF
cases Nurse Baldwin drew on
her assignment sheet.
Even when, after the first
dressings, and in the four-day
interim before corps hospital
patients were evacuated to the
base, she had barely more than
five minutes with Chick Mallory
alone. Just enough to tell him
the secret that she'd carried in
her own heart all through the
war, and to see a glad sort Of
light come in his eyes when she
asked him to promise to come
direct to her, at Kensington
when the war was over and the
two of them might begin to live
normal lives again.
And after that IL years..
A Calm ScOrn
Folks at the country club had
wondered when BabS Baldwin
came back, and gave them all a
calm, cool, but effective Scorn.
Keith Cantrell gave her a ire
mendous rush, and wound up
nowhere at all. One after
another the young eligibles tried
for her attention, only to give
up in despair. Now and then
someone mentioned that Chick
Mallory had never come back
to the old home town, and
usually there were reportst that
he'd gone to South America,
that he had stayed on in the
army, that-oh, a thousand
and one things had happened
to him.
This particular night q chill
late winter wind swept down
through the canyon that is
Broadway, and across the field
Of ever swaying human grass
that is Times Square. Some
thing made Babs Baldwin stop
as she moved, subway bound,
from the Seventh Avenue side,
and watch for a moment or
two the faces of the passing
throng. And then she saw him.
Chick" she called, and when
he cast a hurried glance over
his shoulder and fairly plunged
down the subway kiosk, she for
got everything else and rushed
after him. She saw him edge
into a downtown train, and just
managed to pull back a rolling
door and get inside too. She
cornered him when he seemed
determined to go into the car
ahead.
Chick" she repeated, and
held out her hand.
He looked at her curiously a
moment, muttered an almost
incoherent hello" and dropped
his eyes. InstinctiveIy she
moved so that his back was
toward the rest Of the car,
there in the vestibule. AS the
car came to a grinding stop at
Fourteenth Street, she took him
by the sleeve and urged him to
get off with her. He seemed to
hang back, reluctant to talk,
anxious only to be up and
away.
please" the girl urged him,
and he finally took her arm In
his and moved toward the
stairs. He agreed when she
motioned toward a cab and got
in with her as she motioned the
driver to "just head up town"
"Now," she told him, you
and I have got to talk"
Nothing To TAX About"
Nothing to talk about" the
man told her, almost roughly.
I'm just one of those who
didn't settle down. couldn't find
himself. after the war. The
war. The scar-he turned his
coat collar down and in the
garish light of a street corner
lamp she saw for the first time,
a great livid line that went
from the line of his right eye
downward and backward toward
the lobe Of the ear-"makes me
look like a thug. It knocked me
out Of two or three jobs. I got
so I didn't care. I looked like
r