The Red Cross Girls with Pershing to VictoryVandercook, Margaret
General
The Red Cross Girls with Pershing to Victory
Vandercook, Margaret
Nursing -- Juvenile fiction; Red Cross and Red Crescent -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
However, one member of Dr. Clark's former staff was freed from all Red
Cross responsibility. Even before her arrival in Coblenz, Bianca Zoli
had showed the effects of the nervous strain of the last months of her
war work. Moreover, Sonya had always considered that Bianca was too
young and too frail for what she had undertaken and had wished to leave
the young girl at school in New York until her own and her husband's
return from Europe. But as Bianca had been so determined and as Sonya
had dreaded leaving her alone in the United States, she had finally
reluctantly consented.
And Bianca had done her full duty. Never once in the terrible months
before the close of the war had she flinched or asked to be spared in
any possible way. Nor was it by Bianca's own request that she was idle
at the present time. It was Sonya who first had noticed the young girl's
listlessness, her occasional hours of exhaustion and sometimes of
depression. And it was Sonya who had called her husband's attention to
Bianca's condition, although afterwards it was Dr. Clark who had ordered
that Bianca have a complete rest.
During the first weeks in Coblenz, Bianca had been bored and sometimes a
little rebellious over this new state of her existence. She had no
friends of her own age in Coblenz, the Red Cross nurses at the hospital
were too much engaged with their work and in their leisure with other
interests in which Bianca had no share, to give her a great deal either
of their time or thought. Sonya naturally wished to be with her husband
whenever it was possible, although she never for a moment neglected, or
failed to look after Bianca's health and happiness in every fashion she
could arrange. But what Bianca really needed was entertainment and
friendships near her own age and these under the present circumstances
of their life, Sonya was not able to provide.
So far as Bianca was concerned, Carlo Navara had really ceased to count
in any measure of importance. He so seldom made the effort to see Bianca
and appeared wholly absorbed by his soldier life and such entertainment
as he found outside. From his superior officer he had secured permission
to take singing lessons from an old music master in Coblenz, and was
finding an immense satisfaction and help in this.
But with the coming of the young Countess Charlotta to Coblenz, life
assumed a new and far more agreeable aspect for Bianca.
Charlotta had spoken with the wisdom of a knowledge of human nature in
announcing that neither her father nor aunt would desire her return to
Luxemburg once they learned of her act of rebellion.
Immediately after her unexpected arrival, Sonya Clark had written to the
Count Scherin advising him of Charlotta's action, saying that she was
entirely well and carefully chaperoned by Miss Pringle. But Sonya also
inquired what the Count Scherin's wishes might be concerning his
daughter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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