Helen Wells [Cherry Ames 03] Cherry Ames, Army Nurse (pdf)

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herself together and said, Hello!
CHERRY MEETS BUNCE 77
The clerk s voice, choked from a cold and further
strangled by a buzzing wire, said what sounded like
Laptin Edicod to zee Bis Warren.
Miss Rabbit Warren? Cherry inquired into the
phone, and the girls exploded.
There was an offended silence at the other end of the
crackling wire, then the indignant clerk said, Bis Litian
Warren. And the clerk hung up.
Cherry held her nose and repeated the announce-
ment. The other girls sang out, Oh-h-h, Vivian, your
heart throb s waiting downstairs! Warren s got a bad
case of it!
Vivian s pale face flushed shell pink, but she accepted
the teasing with good grace. Cherry was relieved to note
that.
You come too! Vivian seized Cherry s hand.
With the other hand, Vivian was nervously smooth-
ing her light brown hair and patting her uniform into
place.
You don t want a third person along! Cherry
protested.
You mustn t stay long! Vivian warned her. She was
tugging Cherry along the hall to the stairs. I just want
you to come down and say how-do-you-do and show
Paul that you really do like him. Cherry heard that with
mixed feelings.
You don t like Paul very much, do you?
78 CHERRY AMES, ARMY NURSE
Cherry replied uneasily, Oh, I m not much for
handsome men.
It s only because you don t know Paul! Vivian
pleaded, Stay for a while.
When they entered the sitting room of Nurses Quar-
ters and Cherry saw how Vivian s soft hazel eyes shone,
and how eager she was to have Cherry like her beau,
Cherry softened. Perhaps she had been unfair or too
hasty in judging Endicott. She was concerned, too, to
learn how Endicott treated her friend Vivian. So she said
a friendly hello to the sleek, handsome young man who
rose to greet them, and tried to look at him without
prejudice.
How lucky I am, with two girls to talk to! Captain
Endicott smiled, as the three of them sat down on a big
couch.
Vivian said shyly, It s high time my two favorite
people became acquainted.
Paul Endicott s gray eyes expressed his appreciation
of the compliment, and he said, How would you
suggest going about it? Shall I tell you my life story? he
said lightly.
Cherry thought he was joking. But Captain Endicott
was not at all loath to make an audience of two pretty
and attentive girls. He told them about himself, at some
length. He was the only son of wealthy parents and he
admitted, with an engaging smile, that he was badly
CHERRY MEETS BUNCE 79
spoiled. He talked so much that Cherry began to
wonder how she could break away. She knew she was
tactlessly staying too long: Vivian s big soft eyes, past
Paul s blond head, implored her to go. But Paul Endicott
talked on.
As a matter of fact, he continued persuasively, the
only job my father would hear of my holding for long
was a position with my uncle. Believe me, I d much
rather have been working, like other men, instead of
traveling around. Cherry was not persuaded. He had
lived in London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, Rio he had seen,
enjoyed, done everything. No wonder, Cherry thought,
Vivian is impressed. As Paul stopped for breath, Cherry
rose to her feet.
I m enjoying this so much. I do hate to leave, but
I m afraid I ve things to do. So if you will excuse me,
I ll run along.
She saw Vivian s eager face, silently asking if Cherry
did not like Paul better, now that she knew more about
him. But Paul s talk had confirmed Cherry in her
opinion that he was a vain and shallow and selfish man.
She could find just one big point in his favor: it was
generally acknowledged that he was a conscientious
and competent officer . . . a rather self-important,
over-bearing officer . . . but he did do his job well. She
tried to hide these doubtful thoughts from Vivian s
trusting gaze and turned to leave. Some day, preferably
80 CHERRY AMES, ARMY NURSE
soon, she would talk to Vivian about Endicott. But it
would be difficult, Vivian was falling in love with him,
and Cherry knew she was going to put off the talk as
long as possible.
Cherry went back upstairs to the nurses dubious
fashion show.
The girls were in the process of trying out new
hairdo s on one another, with some wild and startling
results, when Vivian returned almost two hours later.
She strolled into the crowded room, dreamy-eyed.
It s a wonder you don t go bumping into things, with
all those stars in your eyes! Gwen declared.
How was the dream prince? they all demanded.
Vivian sighed. Then she grinned back at them. All
right, all right! I might as well tell you kids at once,
before you worm it out of me. We took a walk around
Post and then we stopped at the Officers Club and then
Paul, she said tenderly, bought me a soda!
The girls pretended to swoon. Cherry, more sympa-
thetic than the others, gently ribbed Vivian, It sounds
very romantic.
It was, Vivian replied solemnly.
A soda! Marie Swift echoed in ecstatic tones.
Honey flavor, wasn t it?
Roses and and perfume, Vivian gulped. But she
could laugh now and take the teasing well, instead of
fearing and mistrusting the other girls for it, as she once
CHERRY MEETS BUNCE 81
had. What a change in Vivian s character! What a happy
change! Cherry thought, Here s hoping nothing and
no one hurts Vivian again.
Vivian turned confidingly to Cherry. And you know
what else? There s a dance at the Officers Country
Club this Saturday evening and Paul asked me to go
with him! She was glowing with happiness. Cherry,
you re going with Lex, I suppose. Why don t we make it
a foursome?
Cherry promised in some embarrassment to ask Lex
about it when she saw him that evening. But when he
asked her to go to the dance with him, she could not
bring herself to mention Vivian s suggestion.
They had a fine, comfortable, openhearted time.
They took the bus into town, found a good movie, and
after that, food. Lex understood about Cherry s be-
ing hungry at all hours of the day and night. They
squeezed into a booth in a Chinese restaurant and
stuffed happily on chow mein. As they ate, they
talked. Cherry thought Lex was the most satisfying
person to talk to.
Oh, by the way, Cherry said at last, Vivian sug-
gested that you and I, and Endicott and herself, make
a foursome of it at the dance.
Lex groaned. I don t want to go with that phony.
Do you?
No, but I don t want to let Vivian down.
82 CHERRY AMES, ARMY NURSE
We-ell, said Lex, I don t want to see him make a
fool of Vivian, either. But let s let the foursome business
take care of itself.
Cherry took Lex s cue and changed the subject.
How s Dr. Joe? she asked. She did not see much [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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