The Red Cross Girls in Belgium

e their arrival in Belgium. Perhaps this was due to the arrangement of their wo

erself to the children whom the war had made homeless. After Barbara's first visit to her and the d

completely vanished from her mind. [Pg 84]Nevertheless, she watched affairs at the old house more closely than her friend dreamed. There were other suspicio

pparently busier than ever before. For although she and Nona and Mildred

s. The Germans looked after their own men and their prisoners as well. But there were many ill and friendl

had either been killed in defence of their country or were away[Pg 85] at the front fighting w

g. The hospital was not a large one; indeed, it had been a private home before the coming of the Germans. But the Red Cross Soc

nd Nona were frequently together. They shared

ara had appeared as the favorite of both girl

ays in New York City she had been unable to see his faults. In her heart she had resented [Pg 86]Barbara

ux Arts, the parks, the Palais de Justice, which is the largest and most beautiful modern building in the world. And these parties did each member

three or four times, finding that she always refused, the others made no further efforts to

ver it was possible she used to leave the two of them[Pg 87] together. But she was wise enough never

n her two companions were strolling in the opposite direction. Also one could grow suddenly w

Besides this, she felt that the best possible thing that could happen to Dick was to marry an attractive girl. For ever since the loss of the use of his arm Mildred had feared that he might become morose and unhappy. Indeed, he had se

irl, but the past year in Europe had given her a delicate loveliness that made persons stop to gaze at her as she passed them on the street. A great d

e. She had almost no friends of her own age and her poverty was not a prete

In spite of her real talent for her work and her unusual courage un

civil war had destroyed his fortune he had made little effort to rise superior to circumstances. Yet he had spent a great m

ioned cities in the world. The tide of the new American life and spirit has in a measure swept past it

becoming a trained nurse. However, after his death Nona had felt a stro

who had read a great deal and dreamed many dreams. All her life poetry and passion would appeal to her more than cold arrangements of facts. There was no fault in this, it was merely a matter of temperament. Perhaps it was partly respo

s a small girl. More than this, she had been brought up in such curious ignorance of her mothe

bedside. Always she appeared dressed in the white muslin and blue ribb

g

elieved that her mother must have been a great lady. Her imagination even went so far as to conceive

tions were asked she could invent many reasons to explain her presence. She was actually waiting for a splendid coach and four to drive up to the door and bear her away. The coach

ng, she retained the impression that her mother had probably been a[Pg 92] foreigner. Yet she never could understand why, even after her

forget it as completely as she could. In a measure she had succeeded, but since her confession to the Red Cross girls the old haunting de

fidant. More than this, she asked for his advice. Whatever the mystery, it wa

he direction of the sea. They were not allowed to travel very far, since the roads were

Dick and Nona were alone. Not that Mildred's presenc

en accustomed to the mystery. Really, the entire story sounded like a fabrication. Mysteries were out of fashion in these modern days in th

ssion. The girl herself was so attractive! She was still wearing the black silk dress and hat she had bought in Paris the autumn bef

wn and her features as exquisi

moment Dick thought of suggesting that he or Mildred write to their own mother for advice. In reality Mrs. Thornton would have enjoyed tremendously the unveiling of an agreeable mystery.

"The sensible thing is to write to your lawyer and demand to be told all that can be found out. If there are any letters or[Pg 95] papers, you must be twenty-one,

ision in the past year. Yet every once in a while he remembered that not many months before he had seldom g

ment worth while," he concluded. Then his sudden tu

t of your advice," he added. "At present I am not sure whether it would be wise to speak of

t perhaps it is the[Pg 96] women who smile and bear their burde

don't think you have a right to accuse

f my arm; I am learning to get on fairly comfo