The Red Cross Girls with the Russian Army | Page 3

her own land she meant to try
and understand them better. For somewhere she had read that the future
art of the world was to come forth from Russia. It is the Slavic
temperament and not the Anglo-Saxon that best expresses itself in
music and literature.
Nona's errand this afternoon was a curious and puzzling one, fraught
with unnecessary mystery.
Four days before, a Russian boy about twelve years old had appeared at
the gate of the fortress at Grovno, bearing a note addressed to Miss
Nona Davis. Oddly enough, although the note was written in perfect
English, it was not signed. In spite of this it requested that the
American girl come to a small house about a mile and a half away to
see a former friend.
But who the friend could be, not one of the three girls could imagine.
Yet they scarcely talked of anything else. Nona had no acquaintances in

Russia save the people she had met in connection with her work, and
there was no one in her past whom she could possibly conceive of
having come into Russia as a tourist at such a time.
Therefore it was Mildred Thornton's and Barbara Meade's opinion that
Nona should pay not the slightest heed to such a communication.
Anonymous letters lead to nothing but evil. But in spite of their
objections, here at the first possible opportunity Nona was obeying the
behest. Probably she could not have explained why, for she was too
sensible not to appreciate that possible discomfort and even danger
might lie ahead of her. Perhaps as much as anything she was actuated
by a spirit of sheer adventure.
So it is little wonder that during her walk Nona's thoughts were now
and then engaged with her own affairs. Yet after a little her attention
wandered from the immediate future and she fell to recalling the history
of the past years' experiences, her own and her three friends.
No wonder Barbara was often lonely and homesick for Dick Thornton.
She had become engaged to him on the fog-bound trip she had made
with him in getting Eugenia safely out of Belgium. Remembering
Eugenia's escape, Nona said a short prayer of thankfulness. After her
hiding of the Belgian officer and his family from the German
authorities, she would never have been allowed to leave Belgium
unpunished had she not been an American woman. Remembering the
fate of the English girl who had committed the same crime, Nona
appreciated how much they had to be thankful for.
And now Eugenia was married to Captain Castaigne, the young French
officer. Curious that among the four of them who had come from the
United States to do Red Cross work among the Allies, Eugenia should
be the first to marry! She, a New England old maid, disapproving of
matrimony and, above all, of international marriages!
Yet the wedding had taken place in the previous spring at the little
French "Farmhouse with the Blue Front Door," where the four girls had
spent the most cheerful months since their arrival in Europe for the war

nursing.
Only once had Nona and Mildred deserted their posts in Belgium,
where they had continued Eugenia's work of caring for the homeless
Belgian children. Then they had gone to attend her wedding, but had
returned to Belgium as soon as possible.
But Eugenia and Captain Castaigne had taken scarcely more time for
their own honeymoon.
Soon after the ceremony Captain Castaigne had gone to rejoin his
regiment and three days after Eugenia had become a member of the
staff of a French hospital near her husband's line of trenches.
So it turned out that Barbara Meade was left at the Chateau d'Amélie,
as Madame Castaigne's friend and companion. Dick Thornton boarded
in the village near by, so that he and Barbara had a number of happy
months together.
But Dick had finally decided that he must return to America and had
urged Barbara and his sister Mildred to return with him. Of course,
Nona had been invited to accompany them, but no special pressure had
been brought upon her.
However, Mildred did not feel that her Red Cross work in Europe was
finished, while Barbara refused to desert her friends.
But Barbara had another reason for her decision: she desired Dick to be
alone when he confessed their engagement to his mother and father.
Barbara had little fear of Judge Thornton's disapproval, but felt
reasonably convinced that Mrs. Thornton would be both disappointed
and aggrieved. Certainly she had never hesitated to announce that she
expected her son Dick to make a brilliant match. How could she then
be satisfied with a western girl of no wealth or distinction?
It happened that Dick Thornton also had a private reason for finally
agreeing to Barbara's wish.