Evening star., 1934-09-06
CHAPTER XIV.

vt WAS Cookie, right enough; sh,
looked pale and i'll, holding thu
little pink wrapped bundle to he
Il breast and gazing, with strang,
intensity, at Or. Gillespie. II wa.
like scenesfrom an old melodrama
Mazda wondered half hysterically Il
Cookie meant to forbid the bans, lik,
the heroine Of "The Fatal Wedding. >
The whole thing smacked too much
OF the theater to be real and yet
knowing as she so strangely did Of
the fear that had brought him to the
Connell house to plead for silence
Mazda could not but wonder. She
would not be surprised at anything
Cookie did.
She looked at DR.. Gillespie's asher
face, saw him in a blue funk, needing
constant prompting before he could
even get the responses out of his
quivering lips, and she knew that
however wild her surmises, DR.. Gill
lespie was In deadly fear. At last the
ceremony was over and DR.. Gillespie
and his bride started together down
the aisle. They had, Of course, 10
pass directly by Cookie, and Mazda
swore that her arm was black and
blue for weeks from the pressure of
Bert's fingers. The bridegroom fal-
tered as he passed that pew, but after
o momentary misstep, which put him
out Of time with the music, he went
on. still, pale but with recovered
composufe.
Mazda and Bert met the other
nurses whom they knew, outside the
church, but Cookie had disappeared.
Wasn't 1t beautiful?" said Sim
mons. ct, thought DR.. Gillespie
looked awfu1ly i'll at ease. They al
ways say bridegroom loses his nerve,
but never thought he would"
"Who in the world brought that
squalling brat into the church? It
spoiled the whole thing"
why Novel" said Bert, surely
you didn't miss that juicy bit. It
was Cookie"
"Cookiel My word, whatever pos
sessed her? Whose was it?''
How should know" answered
Bert consciously.
The girls stared at her and then
xhuSiiCu dlOuu..
Go onl You've been seeing too
many movies. It's impossible"
"He didn't think SO when he looked
ut her."
That's right, he did look worried.
oh, it's too crazy, 1t couldn't be So"
But they continued to talk, with
the fearful Joy Of those on the safe
outside edges of scandal, until
Mazda begged them to say nothing
Of it at the hospital
I'VE don't any of us believe any,
thing is wrong" she pleaded. 1T
would make sensational story to tell
and don't deny it would be fun to
astonish the other girls, but we have
no right even to imply dreadful things
about Cookie. Think what it would
mean to her. No doubt there Is some
perfectly simple explanation, and we
have probably been imagining DR.. Gil
lespie's guilty looks and all that bosh." !"
They agreed reluctantly. Bets were
laid freely that Cookie would not re-
turn to the hospital, but on the next
night she appeared as 'nonchalant as
ever, and Bert and Simmons, although
they had never been friends of hers,
could not resist the temptation of
calling on her that night.
did you have nice vacation?"
''5well," said Cookie, yawning, and
inspecting her fingernails. Danced
every night. Believe me, we had
some wild parties"
"You didn't dance every night"
said Bert bluntly. 'I saw you night
before last at Gillespie's wedding"
Cookie smiled as II at some pleas
ant memory.
'toh. were you there? What did
you think Of my act?"
No one thought Of anything appro-
pirate to reply to this audacity.
Just what meant Gillespie and
the bride to think, evidently" went
on Cookie, with malicious grin.
Gosh, didn't he shiver and shaker"
Where did you get the baby?"
asked Bert, resolved to speak out, since
plain speaking was the fashion.
Borrowed for the OCCASION" an
swered Cookie with shrug
well, you're as crazy as a LOOM
Don't you see you will be. hurting
$OukScl1 y 1Ot ulOfG ttlhIl IllIl IL tIlht
story gets around? A practical joke
is all right, but what are you going
to do If you get fired from the train
ing SCHOOL,"
''They can't fire me for taking my
sisters baby to a wedding, can they?
Did ! say one word or do one thing
to make 1t out as mine? It's just
your dirty minds that make you
suspicious"
She laughed her malicious little
whinnying laugh and appeared to
enjoy their discontinue. ST was sort
of anxious to inspect that wedding to
get few tips. I'm going to be mar
ried next Summer, as soon as I finish
training. Connell knows him. think.
It is Mr.. Rudd, who was on the
pavilion a few months ago."
That bird who was always want
ing to kiss the nurses? Excuse me,
Cookie, I'm sorry said that"
"Oh, that's all right. I can man
age him. And has he got the money!
I'll be sitting pretty from now on"
Cookies practical joke had the ex-
tremely practical effect of removing
DR.. Gillespie from the hospital and
even from the city. The superintend-