CHAPTER V
A RED CROSS NURSE
HALF an hour later, and just as Tom was growing desperate, hiscompanions in the flying unit having one and all laughingly refused tohelp him out of his predicament by acting as "nurse maid," as theycalled it, Jack showed up again.
"Got the old bus safe in its shed all right," he told his chum, noddingcheerily to Jeanne, who greeted his coming with a smile. "Now to hit thegrub pile and then to see if we can get off for a short time! Got tomake some arrangement for Jeanne tonight, you know, Tom!"
"You do," assented the other, "but I'm out of it." Then Tom told hischum of his own assignment to special duty. "I'm off now, but don'tforget to give Nellie my best regards."
"I sure will, Tom," answered Jack.
With that he hurried away to learn if anything worth eating had beenleft after the ferocious charge, not of the Light Brigade, but a packof hungry Yankees whose capacity for storing away food seemed unbounded.
Jack either had scanty pickings, or else he tempted an attack ofdyspepsia by bolting his food, for inside of ten minutes he was aroundagain. Tom, who had not yet got away on his mission, looked surprised.
"Cleaned out, were they, at the chuck-wagon?" he asked.
"Well, Erastus told me that he had had a most unusual run on his outfitthis evening, and so I just took a bite in a hurry. You know, if I feellike it I can stop in at the Red Triangle hut on the way to the fieldhospital and buy some chocolate. Then if I run across any Salvation Armygirls it's possible they'll have a few of their doughnuts left over.That would be a great treat to Jeanne."
"I reckon either of them would," remarked Tom thoughtfully. "If herfolks have been back of the Boche lines all these four years they musthave lived on short rations. Here, Jack, I insist on standing for halfof all the expense. Take this silver and call on me for any amount asyou may need it. I won't listen to a refusal, understand."
Jack had been about to decline absolutely, but on second thought heaccepted the loose change.
"Fact is, Jeanne will need some things most likely, for you can see howmiserable her shoes are, while her clothes look mighty seedy. Now,Nellie, we both happen to know, is a clever hand at such things, andshe'll be only too glad to take charge of Jeanne's wardrobe. So I'llaccept your offer. Anyway, we've always shared alike in everything, asequal partners should."
"Yes, even to that licking I once got when you were caught under AmosGrimes' peach tree hunting for the ball I knocked over the fence. Hevowed you were after his fruit, and started to give you a taste of theswitch he carried."
"Yes," broke in Jack, chuckling. "And you, meaning to explain, came overthe fence, only to get a taste of the same switch. I always did believehe divided the honors equally between us, and that you got some of thestripes he'd intended for me. Come, Jeanne, we'll be going now."
"But how about your leaving the camp here without orders, Jack? I wasgoing to ask for this leave when my assignment to duty came; so I didnot ask."
"Oh, I met Captain Desmond on the way to the chuck-wagon and explainedthings to him, so he gave me permission to be gone up to midnight."
"And you'll use it up to the last minute, I warrant," laughed Tom,actually kissing, in the renewed courage Jack's return gave him, the redlips of the little French girl, who already seemed to look upon thesetwo tall young Americans as friends raised up by a special Providence tohelp her. He then hurried away.
Jack took Jeanne's hand in his and they walked along. Much comment wascaused on his being thus seen by many of the other airmen in the campadjoining the field of the khaki-colored hangars. Jack took it all inhis customary happy-go-lucky way and sent back as good as he received.
When they came to the dugout that was serving as a temporary refuge forthe Red Triangle workers, the hut of refreshment such as the Y. M. C. A.girls and men were in the habit of putting up, often close back of thefiring line, Jack took his little charge in with him.
Jeanne's pretty face and bewitching ways immediately won the hearts ofthe girls in khaki who were doing war work. They clustered about thepair, and asked many questions; but as Jack was in somewhat of a hurryhe could answer them only in a general way.
"She's lost her mother, and her twin sister was carried away by a Bochegeneral who is some relation, though he hates the family. My chum and Imean to provide for little Jeanne. I'm taking her now to a girl friendwho is a Red Cross nurse in the field hospital."
He hurriedly made his purchases, and they went on, Jeanne eagerlydevouring part of a cake of chocolate, though she also persisted inclinging to Jack's hand. Somehow it made the boy feel much older when hefelt that confiding little hand in his. It seemed as though newresponsibilities had been suddenly thrust upon him.
The approach of night had put an end to most of the clamor that made dayseem so hideous. Only occasionally did a Big Bertha in the far distancegrowl menacingly, to be followed by the crash of a mighty shellsomewhere within a mile or two of the spot where Jack and his chargewalked along through the forest.
He was stopped and challenged frequently, but having the countersign,had no difficulty in passing the sentries. Many campfires twinkled underthe trees, near and far, where tired doughboys were resting anddoubtless exchanging stories of the day's exciting achievements; ortalking of home--what Broadway looked like, or Fourth Street, or CanalStreet; what the result of the world series of baseball games, a petsubject of dispute among these brawny followers of the national sport.
"Getting tired, are you, Jeanne?" asked Jack presently, noticing thatthe child dragged her little feet at times, despite all efforts to showa brave front.
Without waiting for an answer Jack scooped her up in his arms, andpersisted in carrying her the rest of the way. Before they reached thefield hospital poor little tired Jeanne was fast asleep, snuggled inthose protecting arms, and as Jack looked down on her baby face, seen inthe first lights he came to, he renewed his vow to stand by the orphanthrough thick and thin.
But here was the long low shed hastily put together, and fashioned sothat it could be taken down and moved farther along to the new frontevery few days. Through the opening he glimpsed figures in white,bearing the symbolic Red Cross on headpiece and left arm, moving aboutamong the white cots, attending to the wounded soldiers.
It was not long before Jack discovered the particular nurse for whom hewas looking. Nellie Leroy may have seemed young for such duties, butwhat she lacked in age she more than made up for by her wonderful skill.Indeed the head surgeon many times declared that the girl was a bornnurse; and when there was a particularly interesting case to be attendedhe made it a point to see that the patient was placed in Nellie's ward.
So Jack and his burden appeared before Nellie. She of course looked verymuch surprised to see him, but the smile on her pretty face told Jackhis coming was most welcome to Harry's sister. Nellie thought a greatdeal of Tom Raymond but she liked Jack also.
"Put the child on this empty cot, and then tell me all about her," saidNellie. "Who is she and how do you come to be bringing her here? I hopeit isn't because the poor baby has been injured; though those Bochesseem to be equal to anything that is cruel and terrible."
"I'll be only too glad to explain everything, Nellie," Jack said, afterhe had done as she told him, and watched, perhaps half enviously, whilethe tender-hearted nurse bent over and kissed sleeping Jeanne on herforehead. "Can you spare a little time just now? The story isn't goingto be very long; although I'm in no hurry to get back."
"It happens that we're through much sooner than usual tonight," sheassured him. "And besides, I'll ask Mollie King to look after mypatients, as hers were mostly taken south in the last detachment ofambulances bound for the base hospitals. Here, sit down on this bench,Jack, and I'll be back in a minute. But first, how is Tom?"
On the young nurse's return Jack told his story in detail. Nellielistened with deep interest. She would have been better satisfied ifmodest Jack had only been more enlightening with regard to his thrillingengagement with the H
un fliers; but then she knew his failings did notlie in the field of boasting, and so she had to picture those incidentsfor herself.
Jack was more inclined to go into details when Jeanne came into thestory.
"Here's the paper that was in the gold locket, Nellie," he told her."Read it for yourself. You can get the meaning of the French a heapbetter than I ever could. It'll make the tears come in your eyes though,when you picture that poor woman dying there, one child carried off bythat villain of a relative, and the other about to be cast adrift on aworld at war."
"How dreadful it all is, Jack!" said the nurse, after she had finishedreading the crumpled bit of paper that held such a tragic story. "Nowtell me why you have brought little Jeanne to me?"
"Because, Nellie," said Jack, "Tom and I knew we could depend on yourwarm heart to manage somehow or other. She's got to have shoes andclothes, and then be placed in the charge of some decent person untilTom and I can come and claim her, after we chase these Boches back overthe Rhine, and the war is over. Bessie and her mother have left Parisfor a while and are in Nice, too far away for me to send Jeanne to them.We--Tom and I--did not know another girl or woman to turn to, so I havecome to you."
Nellie bent her head in deep thought, while Jack waited anxiously.Presently she looked up and smiled into his eager face.
"I'll manage it all right, Jack, leave it to me," she told him. "I mayhave to keep her with me for a day or two, though a field hospital is adreadful place for a child to stay in. When I've found a way to get herthe necessities she must have I'll make sure she is placed with somegood people who for a consideration will care for her."
"Fine, Nellie! But then it's no more than I expected from you!" Jacktold her, in a low tone. "There's another thing I want to explain. Tomand I have money enough, you know, and we've made up a purse to carryour ward along for some time. Take these French notes, and make anyarrangement you see fit with the person in whose care you leave her.There's plenty more cash where this came from."
"But Jack, I'd like to share with you two generous boys in this kinddeed of yours," protested Nellie. "I have means, too, and wouldn't missanything we might plan to contribute between us."
"Ah, you'll be doing the hardest part as it is, Nellie," he told her,and then on second thought, realizing that such an arrangement mightafford him and Tom many an excuse for seeing Nellie as well as Jeanne,he added: "But I'll talk it over with Tom, and if he's willing we mightlet you come into the partnership arrangement. Isn't she a littledarling, though? I'm speaking of Jeanne now."
After that they found much to talk about, and it was quite late whenJack finally got up to go. Jeanne was still sound asleep.
"I'll get her into bed presently, when I've looked after several of mymore seriously wounded patients," Nellie assured him. "And when you comeagain perhaps I'll have made a start on her wardrobe; though I imagineit's going to be a serious job to collect anything here. But some of thenurses will be only too glad to help. When shall I see you again, Jack?"
"Oh! Me? Why, I'll try to get around to-morrow night, if they'll give mepermission. Tom, too, I hope. Of course there'll be heaps we must talkover. This thing of being guardian to a real flesh-and-blood child is aserious business. So I'll say good-night. Kiss little Jeanne for me, andI'll try not to forget one of your messages to Tom. Now, good-bye."