Miss Mink's Soldier and Other Stories

								

of the icy wind.
Before she had gone half a mile she was ready to collapse with
nervousness and exhaustion.
"Looks like I just can't make it," she whimpered, "and yet I'm going
to!"
The honk of an automobile sent her shying into a snowdrift, and when she
caught her breath and turned around she saw that the machine had stopped
and a hand was beckoning to her from the window.
"May I give you a lift?" asked a girl's high sweet voice and, looking
up, she saw a sparkling face smiling down at her over an upturned fur
collar.
Without waiting to be urged she climbed into the machine, stumbled over
the rug, and sank exhausted on the cushions.
"Give me your basket," commanded the young lady. "Now put your feet on
the heater. Sure you have room?"
Miss Mink, still breathless, nodded emphatically.
"It's a shame to ask anyone to ride when I'm so cluttered up," continued
the girl gaily. "I'm taking these things out to my sick soldier boys."
Miss Mink, looking down, saw that the floor of the machine was covered
with boxes and baskets.
"I'm going to the Hospital, too," she said.
"That's good!" exclaimed the girl. "I can take you all the way. Perhaps
you have a son or a grandson out there?"
Miss Mink winced. "No, he ain't any kin to me," she said, "but I been
sort of looking after him."
"How sweet of you!" said the pouting red lips with embarrassing ardor.
"Just think of your walking out here this awful day at your age. Quite
sure you are getting warm?"
Yes, Miss Mink was warm, but she felt suddenly old, old and shrivelled
beside this radiant young thing.
"I perfectly adore going to the hospital," said the girl, her blue eyes
dancing. "Father's one of the medical directors, Major Chalmers, I
expect you've heard of him. I'm Lois Chalmers."
But Miss Mink was scarcely listening. She was comparing the big luscious
looking oranges in the crate, with the hard little apples in her own
basket.
"Here we are!" cried Lois, as the car plowed through the snow and mud
and stopped in front of a long shed-like building. Two orderlies sprang
forward with smiling alacrity and began unloading the boxes.
"Aren't you the nicest ever?" cried Lois with a skillful smile that
embraced them both. "Those to the medical, those to the surgical, and
these to my little fat-faced Mumpsies."
Miss Mink got herself and her basket out unassisted, then stood in doubt
as to what she should do next. She wanted to thank Miss Chalmers for her
courtesy, but two dapper young officers had joined the group around her
making a circle of masculine admirers.
Miss Mink slipped away unnoticed and presented herself at the door
marked "Administration Building."
"Can you tell me where the broken-legged soldiers are?" she asked
timidly of a man at a desk.
"Who do you want to see?"
"Alexis Bowinski. He come from Russia. He's got curly hair and big sort
of sad eyes, and--"