CHAPTER FIVE
OFFICIAL NOTICE
Nancy excused herself before Mabel and her friends had finished eating,and left the mess hall. She found Major Reed alone this time, sittingat his desk. She was not unmindful of the brightening of his face whenhe saw her. He was such a large man he seemed older than he really was.Nancy had at first thought he was about thirty, but now he seemednearer twenty-five. He had gone far for one so young.
"Come in, Miss Nancy," he said cordially. He jumped up and placed achair for her, then closed the door. "You have more information?"
"It may or may not be important," she told him a little sadly."Frankly, Major Reed, I don't like this business of reporting on afellow student--yet I dare not hide what I hear."
"I fully appreciate the awkwardness of the situation," he said withunderstanding, "but these are really times that try men's souls. Wehave to do many things differently now."
"I'll say," she agreed.
"I was just reading here," said the major, indicating a magazine he hadput down at her entrance, "that our vice-president says the time ispast when we must see no evil, hear no evil, and tell no evil. We mustdo all three until evil is wiped out. Right now you are in a peculiarposition and the only one on whom I can rely."
"I'll try not to betray your trust," she said. "I learned just now thatTini's friend had been staying at Hotel Carlton over in the city. I'mafraid he's already left there. He wrote her he had to leaveunexpectedly."
Suddenly the major's hearty laughter filled the little room. "So he gotwise to the fact that he was being watched!"
"Oh--so you already knew he was staying there?"
Major Reed became wary. "We had a line on him."
"But how?" asked Nancy. "Tini did come in on that next bus the othernight. Nobody here had time to get into the village and follow himafter he put Tini on the bus."
"I acted on your information promptly. There's such a thing as thetelephone," he reminded Nancy.
He made this unsatisfactory explanation with a finality that told hershe must inquire no further into his end of the business.
"Have you learned anything else?" he asked.
"Yes. Tini told us she met him in Charleston. He's a travelingsalesman, uses the trains instead of a car. He suggested that Tini jointhe Army Nurse Corps."
"So!" Major Reed's dark eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Mabel Larsen took nurse's training in the same hospital with her. Shesaid Tini went into it originally because she was crazy about one ofthe internes. But that may be only gossip, for it does sound mean. I'mafraid Tini isn't very well liked."
Major Reed was abstractedly making crosses on a scrap of paper. Finallyhis pencil stopped, and he looked squarely across at Nancy.
"Has Miss Hoffman done anything to make you feel she has gotten on theinside merely to supply information to our enemies?"
"That's a stiff question, Major."
"I know it is. But you're in a better position to judge of such thingsthan any of the instructors."
"Tini gripes a lot about regulations and the hardships of the militarytraining, but Mabel said she was always complaining during her nurse'straining. She's an only child. Her family has plenty of money, andshe's rather spoiled. All those things have to be taken intoconsideration."
Nancy saw the ghost of a smile flicker around the major's nice lips.Then he said, "But you've evaded my question."
"Oh, no. I'm not trying to evade, because I honestly don't think Tinihas the makings of a spy. I think she's motivated entirely byselfishness. She would be horribly bored here without dates--she'll gowith most anybody rather than be dateless."
"I suppose with a little flattery a man could wheedle a good bit out ofher."
"You may be right," Nancy conceded.
She rose to leave and he stood up.
"All this has been a great help," he told her. "But keep in mind it'sstill between us two."
She was almost at the door when he added, "And by the way--a notice hasjust been put on the bulletin board that will interest you."
"Oh, are we going to be sent overseas soon?"
He laughed again. "You're optimistic! Some nurses have been waiting togo over for a year or more, and here you're expecting to go in a fewweeks."
"It has been done," Nancy came back promptly. "Oh, Major Reed, ifthey'd only send me to the South Pacific in a hurry! I have a brotherout there who's almost finished his flying missions. If I get therebefore he comes back, I may have a chance to see him."
"Just keep your shirt on," he told her. "You'll probably get into thethick of it before it's all over. I'm afraid there's more than wedreamed of ahead. That notice out there says you're to get a taste oftent life, starting Monday."
"Oh, that's really to my liking!" exclaimed Nancy. She hurried away tofind Mabel and tell her the news.
On Sunday just before supper Nancy and Mabel were packed to start offby army truck at dawn next morning. It was exciting to put intopractice their instructions about packing compactly for travel, forthey were to move on now as if they were going into a combat area.
"Seems like the real thing," said Mabel eagerly.
They had had their supper and were ready for bed early when they hearda knock on their door. It proved to be Lieutenant Hauser.
"Long-distance call for you, Miss Dale," she said when they opened thedoor.
Nancy stood stunned for a moment. Her arrangement with the folks backhome was that she would call them every Sunday at two o'clock, as longas phone calls of that kind were permissible. She had talked with hermother and father only a few hours ago, though she had not been able totell them she was moving on to another address. They would have to beinformed about that later when the unit had arrived safely. To havethem call back like this alarmed her. She knew no one else who wouldcall her by long-distance telephone here.
"She said you had a long-distance call," Mabel repeated, when Nancystill stood where she had received the message.
"But why would they be calling back?" Nancy wanted to know.
"Oh come on, gal!" exclaimed Mabel, wrapping her housecoat around herand taking Nancy's arm. "How will you ever face all those bombs if youget so scared over a little telephone bell ringing?"
Nancy could think only that something terrible must have happened toher parents. She let Mabel lead her like a sleep-walker to the phone inLieutenant Hauser's office.
"Hello! Yes--this is Nancy. Oh Dad, that you? I was afraid somethingwas wrong with you or Mom."
Mabel could hear Mr. Dale's deep voice as she stood close to Nancy:"No, we're all right, but we had upsetting news just now from thegovernment--"
"From the government--you--you mean about Tommy?" asked Nancy.
"They report he's been missing in action over enemy territory since thesecond of March."
"Oh Dad!" wailed Nancy. "It can't be true! It just can't! God wouldn'tlet anything happen to our Tommy."
"Not if our prayers can keep it from happening, darling," came the firmvoice confidently over the wire. "You just keep on praying like we'vebeen doing all along, and he'll be taken care of."
"Oh Dad, how I wish I could be there with you and Mom right now! How isshe?"
"Just the same brave saint she's always been. She's writing you aletter now to hearten you."
"Kiss her for me," said Nancy. "And tell her I'll pray harder thanever."
Nancy put down the phone and faced Mabel.
"I could hear what he said," her friend told her gently. "Don't give uphope, Nancy. Lots of times they turn up after they're reported missing.Maybe he's not dead."
"Oh, no, he's not!" Nancy asserted firmly. "I'm not going to think ofit for a minute. He wrote me in that last letter he could feel ourprayers helping protect him, and he's going to feel it more than evernow."
From sunrise till mid-afternoon the following day the convoy rolledsmoothly west along the paved highway. At noon they stopped in a largecity to eat a lunc
h the canteen girls had prepared. It was good to getout and stretch their legs after sitting on the hard truck seats allmorning. No one knew where they were going, or how long they would beon their way, so the nurses made the best of their hour's rest. Theytook turns in the canteen dressing room, freshening up to continuetheir journey.
While they rested Nancy slipped her brother's last letter from herpocket and re-read it. Mabel caught her at it and tried to cheer her.
"Come on now," she said, "it does no good grieving."
"I'm not grieving. It--it makes me feel more certain he's going to comeout all right when I re-read his letter."
"Let's take a sprint around the block," suggested Mabel. "We have a fewminutes before we take off."
"Not a bad idea. A little exercise will do us good."
"We may never get a peep at this burg again. I sure don't mean to missanything on the way."
Other girls were out pacing up and down the sidewalk in front of thecanteen, but Nancy and Mabel wanted to see more. They were in the heartof town, and the street back of the canteen had many attractive shopwindows. Nancy kept glancing at her watch as they paused to admire thepretty dresses.
"Do you feel like someone who's renounced the world when you look atthose dresses?" asked Mabel.
"Oh, well, it won't be forever," Nancy said consolingly. "At least wecan still wear evening dresses for dances on the post, Miss Hausersaid."
"Yeah! That will be a slight morale booster."
"I never felt more smartly dressed than I do in this uniform,"continued Nancy.
"I must admit they do look rather stunning," Mabel agreed.
The next store carried drugs, and they were about to pass by when Nancyseized Mabel's arm. "Say, that looks like Tini in there!"
Mabel stepped back and looked in. "Sure is! Come on, I'll get somedental floss and see what she's up to."
As they went in, Tini's back was toward them. She sat on a stool at thesoda counter, drinking a coke. Why had she come here for a coke whenthey had all the cold drinks they wanted back at the canteen? Tini wasleaning across the counter, turning her charm on the soda jerker whowas at least five years her junior. What was she up to now, Nancywondered?
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Nancy Dale, Army Nurse Page 6
