The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-07-15
COPYRIGHT, 1893,
NEA SERVICE. INC.

night. Tran sworc that she would
and that she would exercise every
never giggle again, that she would
not thrust herself unnecessarily
upon the attention Of her super
iors or dash around asking un-
timely questions; and privately,
that she would shun the pernic-
ious influence of DR.. Bob Bench
lev as if he were the plague .
She would not even stop for Il
few stolen words with him in the
corridor, or to snatch a puff from
his cigaret behind convenient
screen; she would never, never
again dance with him to the
music of a hurdy-gurdy in the
street outside, as she had reck-
lessly done when they had met by
accident in the deserted service
room Of Go one fragrant May
morning.
The occasion Of that particu-
lar crime had been one that Scent
ed to call for a celebration, be-
cause Bob had just been permit
ed to perform his first operation,
under the sponsorship of DR.. Sar-
gent. 1t might easily have been
his last at Saint Vincent, for by a
bcvy of trustees, conveyed by
Miss Armstrong and the chief Of
staff, had all but walked in upon
them in the midst Of a particu-
larly exuberant routine of impro-
vised steps.
The girls solemnly registered
their oaths over an open volume
of the Matcria Medica, and felt
so upliftcd thereafter that as a
reward of virtue, Beula ate two
hclpings of everything for dinner
After all, girl must keep
up her strength.
Tran slipped badly almost at
once. When Miss Philbin came in
a few minutes late for demonstra-
ton class the day after the cap
ping, it was to find the class in
paroxyisms of mirth while Tran
as nurSc-carried on, in Miss
Philbin's own best manner, a
Rabelaisian vcntriloquil CONVEX
sation with the demonstration
dummy as patient, concerning the
stolid, pink checked Griselda's
most intimate symptoms.
But although Miss Philbin was
family pink when she finally en-
tered the room, she plunged
briskly. without comment, into
the lesson Tran sometimes
thought that Miss Philbin's dis
Greet failure to hear or see a
great deal that happened made
the world a much pleasantcr place
than it might have been.
But so far as young DR.. Bench
ley went, Tran sheathcd herself
in ice. When she met him in the
corridors, she managed to convey
by the briefest of mods that she
was bent on a mission of life and
death Importance, and had no
time for idle dalliance.
Once he did run on her i'll
Central Supplies when the grad
uate nurse under whom she
worked there was out of the
room.
He closed the door and adj
vanced stcrnly upon her.
Now, I've had enough of this
nonsense" he began. when you
first came here, | thought you
were the sweetest, tcnderest
thing l had ever seen, Agility.
What in Gods name, arc you try
ing to do to yourself? If you keep
on this way, what you're going to
turn into is something about as
appealing as-wcll, as the perfect
iciclc, Miss Miller, for instance,
Darling, you weren't meant
for this kind of thing. YOU"
Tran pulled the lever on the
autoclavc and faced him bcllig-
crently.
Nov you look here, Bob
Bcnchlcy," she cut in. "l'vc got
my living to make in this world,
and"
But that's just it-you have
not. Honey, I've never told you
yet what a darned lucky girl you
arc. I've got enough money for
both Of us.
Then suddenly he was not
laughing any more. His lean,
young face was pale, and the
light in his dark eyes was not i'm
pudcnt but pleading.
"Anyhow," he rushed on, 81
have plenty to last few years
till | get my big chance . Oh,
Tran, | could go places if | had
you to stick around and root for
me-"
"And l suppose you think, "
Tran broke in-stonily, to give
the lie to the melting at her
heart that you're the only one
around who wants to go places?
Well, Pm ambitious, too. Some
day I'm going TO-
Sure! You don't have to tell
me. Some day you're going to be
top nurse for Old Sarge-like the
perfect Miller. That's what every
apron in this hospital prays for
every night on Bonded knees. As
if he'd ever give any Of you Il
second look SO long as Millcr'S
around with that angels face of
hers. He'd sell his soul for her if
he didn't know she's a human
glacier"
"You aren't fair to her." Tran
flashed; and surprisingly found