"DISTRICT NURSE"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 January 1939, Page 10

"DISTRICT NURSE"

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

BY

FAITH BALDWIN.

CHAPTER X—Continued

“She didn’t come back." he said, stubbornly.

“She wanted to; she was afraid. Afraid because she hadn’t been successful, afraid because she couldn’t say, no matter what happened long ago, I’ve put that all in back of me, I’ve made good. Can’t you understand that? Even as a very little girl she had so much pride . . He sai'd, “I’m sorry. I—lf I went to her, if I told her I love her . . ?”

“Do you, really, Pete?” she asked him, earnestly. “What else?” He stared at her, in astonishment, “What else, all these years?” “It could be —so much else,” she murmured.

He ignored that. “I do love her. I’ve never stopped, not for a moment, even when the thought of her was like dying. If I go to her and tell her I believe her . . and trust her . . and forgive her . . .”

“Forgive her?” Her eyes were clear scorn. “What have you to forgive, exactly?”

He flung a man’s name at her, defiantly. He said, “You can’t deny that, can you?” “No,” said Ellen, white. “I can’t . . . we’ll take that for granted. Very well. Shall we say then that you forgive her —because you’ve been perfectly chaste?” “That’s different,” he said flushing. “That’s not fair of you, Ellen. A man “A man,” said Ellen, grimly, “can, of course, do as he pleases. But, I suppose a woman . . . .” After a long minute he said, very humbly. “There’s no need for us to quarrel over —anything. Ellen, if I go to her and ask her to forgive me . .?”

Her eyes were gentle now. But she said again, “For what? Oh, can’t you understand, Pete, that there isn’t any such word if you really love. Forgiveness . . pardon . . pretty cold terms. Love doesn’t bother with them. Just is.” She believed that. Later she was to remember it.

After a long time he said, “If she’ll have me, I’ll be so good to her.” “You’ll have to be more than good,” said Ellen, “You’ll have to be strong enough—to forget. Strong enough to get through the times when you’re tired, when you’re irritated, when reproaches come easily. If I thought for one moment that you couldn’t be strong enough, I’d do everything in my power to keep you from ever seeing her again.”' “You would, you know, Ellen,” he said regarding her. “I believe you would. But—l’ve been a fool,” he told her, quite simply. “But somehow the hurt stayed raw, septic, wouldn’t heal. Now, it’s a different. You’ve done a lot for me. Made me, perhaps, grow up. It was all, I suppose, jealously. Damnable,” he said, “you don’t know —” She didn’t know—yet.

He leaned across the table, lean young face intent. “I may come, then? You’ll ask her . .

“Just come,” she said, smiling. Later, on their way out, she saw in the front room two people. One was Gilda Esposito, another a young man whose face was vaguely familiar to her. She remembered, suddenly. Fontana, the man with the imitation pearl offerings whom “Gilda no like.” She hesitated, wondering if she should go over and speak to them while Pete was getting his hat. No. They were quarreling, very openly. Gilda’s face was flushed, and her eyes—Ellen could sec her eyes. No, she would not stop. Some one else was approaching their table, some one who had come in from a side door. It was Jim O'Connor. He pulled out a chair and sat down. Ellen went on out quickly with Pete. Her eyes were puzzled. Jim had said he didn’t know Gilda. Perhaps he knew Fontana, rented to him, something of that sort. Then, she forgot them all thinking of Coral and of Pete, confident that they were going to be happy. CHAPTER XI. So Pete came to the house, but Coral was not, after all. unprepared. A letter reached her first, a thick letter. It came by special delivery. Nancy was there when it arrived.

“When she got it,” she reported to Ellen, afterwards, she looked so darned funny. Mother said, of course, “Who’s it from, dear?” and she said “Oh Pete,” in that way she has, sort of tossing it off, as if it didn't matter. She didn’t read it. for minutes. Mother asked, “What does he say?” After a while she opened it. I saw her hands shake. She read it for a page or two. Then she said something, I didn’t hear what, and went into mother’s bedroom with it. Shut the door. She came out after a while. She'd been crying. I guess. And when Mother said, “Well?” sort of dragging it out the way she has. you know. Coral said, ’He just wants to know if he can come over some evening.’ So that’s that. She’s called him up. and asked him for supper, his next night off.” “Did she talk long?” Ellen asked.

“No, just—“ Hello, Pete, when do you get off? We’d like to have you for supper.' Something like that, anyway.’ “All very well." said Ellen, “but I’ll take mother to a movie—oh, I can’t, but you can. In the late afternoon. Pete will get here early. I—they ought to have a little time alone. Nancy. You manage, will you? Now that mother’s gone out once or twice she thinks its quite all right. Look here, we've got to manage.” Ellen’s calls kept her rather late that day. After that she made an errand or two an excuse to be even later. It was half past six before she got home. Nancy and Mrs Adams hadn’t as yeti

returned. “Pete,” they had told Mrs Adams, “will be awfully late. We can't possibly have supper till, or. way past seven. And you know you dying to see Marie Dressier!"

Pete, as it happened, had managed to be early. Ellen had ’phoned him. “If you could . . ?” she said.. He could.

They were sitting rather close together when Ellen opened the door. Pete rose, self-consciously. Ellen dumped the packages into his arms. “Kitchen,” she ordered briefly, “and make it snappy.” She looked at Coral. Coral, curled up in a corner of the davenport, looked back. She was ten years younger, and ten years softer. Her eyes were happy eyes; the corners of her mouth curled upward. “Is it all right?” asked Ellen. “It’s all right, Coral said, “He- —he wants me to marry him . . as soon as he goes with Doctor Travers. We can live in the apartment above the office, you know, the third floor, which Doctor Travers fixed up for Mel. Ellen," she said, “should I . . dare I?” “Goose!” said Ellen, and kissed her.

Pete came back. He was whistling. He said, “She’s told you, I see. I wanted to. Women can never keep anything to themselves. Like me for a brother?" he inquired. “She’d make you a better wife,” said Coral, “nurse and all. Why didn’t you fall in love with her—instead —instead —” A sudden unusual shyness overcame her. Pete laughed and put his big fine hand roughly on her short pretty hair. “She’s going to let her hair grow,” he announced importantly. Then, “why didn’t I fall in love with Ellen? I don’t know. It would have been suitable, wouldn’t it? But she wouldn’t have looked at me.”

“Mother,” Coral reminded them, “mother—l wonder how she’ll take it. I mean, leaving her, and all.” “But you won’t be. You’ll be right around the corner, more or less. And mother will adore a married daughter. She’s despaired of Nancy and me, you know.”

Ellen went to change her uniform and to start supper. Coral and Pete helped, in a very desultory fashion. Nancy and Mrs Adams came in presently, Mrs Adams considerably fluttered. “You did get here, after’ all, didn’t you Pete? And Ellen, is she home?” “Can you hear me in the kitchen?” Ellen called. “We’re having—all sorts of things. It's a celebration.” “A celebration?” asked Mrs Adams. Nancy without another word went over and hugged both Coral and Pete impartially. Mrs Adams looked from one to the other. Pete said, gently, “It’s all right with you, isn’t it, Mrs Adams? Coral and I, I mean.” Laughter and tears and embraces. If it had been Ellen perhaps, or Nancy, things might have been different. But Coral—Coral would be secure now forever, and contented, Coral would be doubly her own. “Remember,” said Ellen, when the first excitement had passed and Pete had mopped his future mother-in-law’s eyes with his own large handkerchief, “remember, Coral, it won’t be roses all the way. What a young doctor’s wife has to endure, waiting meals, being pleasant to his patients and making out his bills is just nobody’s business.” “I’ll hound ’em,” said Coral placidly. “I’ll say. See here, here’s your doctor’s bill and here’s my butcher’s bill and let’s call it square!” “I put it up to her, Ellen,” Pete said, “Mallory’s offer, I mean. She 'says she’d rather stay here, with me.” “He'll be happier,” said Coral. Oh, everything was clear between them now. That you could see . . If only it would stay so. But looking at the two of them, Ellen was content, and no longer afraid. Coral crept into the living room long after Pete had gone, and Nancy had gone, after Mrs Adams slept and Ellen was tucked in on the davenport. "You know I’m happy, Ellen?” “Crawl in here, little idiot. There’s room enough if I lie close to the wall. You’re shivering.”

"I'm not cold. Ellen. Pete said he saw you. talked with you.” “He took me to dinner,” said Ellen. “I know —but, Ellen, you do understand? You do believe me, all I said. You and Nancy and of course, mother, although we've not talked much. And Pete. That's all that matters. I —l will be a good wife,” said Coral, “I will. I love him, so much. I never stopped, really, down deep. I thought he despised me. But ” She was crying now. She said, once “so happy.” And again “safe.” Ellen let her cry herself to sleep.

A few days later, Ellen saw Jim and told him about Coral and Pete. “Gee. that’s great," said Jim with enthusiasm. "I haven’t seen much of Pete in years, but he's a good guy. So Coral’s the first to be married,” he reminded her slowly, and asked, “Who's next?” “Nancy,” she said firmly.

They were in his new, his shining car, coming home from dancing somewhere. He guided it deftly through the traffic, flashing his white teeth at a traffic officer who saluted him, grinning, but who afterward looked after the car, its newness, and its expensive lines with a frown of speculation on his Irish brow. “Is that so?” asked Jim after a while. Ellen, dreaming to herself, regarded him, startled. "Is what so?" she demanded. .. “Nancy. I suppose you mean that chief whatever it is of hers." "Chick? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think she’s in love with him.” said Ellen. “I don’t think she’s in love with any one. She’s just having a good time, playing around.” "Like you?” (To be Continued ) I