Captain Martin to find you as well as when you said
goodby to him. But have you Dr. Clark's note to the officer of the day?
I'll ask the sentry to take it in to him."

During the few moments Mrs. Clark and Nona Davis were talking, four
other Red Cross nurses had followed their example and were out of the
automobile. They were now walking up and down on the frozen road for
warmth and exercise.

They were Mildred Thornton and her sister-in-law, Barbara Thornton, who
had been doing Red Cross nursing in nearly every one of the allied
countries since the outbreak of the great war.

The other two girls had been nursing in France only for the past year.

One of them, Ruth Carroll, was taller than any of her companions and
strongly built, with dusky hair and grey eyes set wide apart. Her
companion was tiny, with bright red hair, rather nondescript features
and a few freckles, in spite of the season of the year, upon her
upturned nose. Yet Theodosia Thompson, with her full red lips, her
small, even white teeth and her dancing light blue eyes under a fringe
of reddish brown lashes, was by no means plain.

"Aren't you praying every moment, Ruth, that we may be ordered forward
with the army of occupation into Germany? Personally I shall not be
happy until I see with my own eyes the Germans actually tasting the
bitterness of defeat. I made a vow to myself that I would not go back
home until General Pershing had led our troops to victory, and a real
victory means the stars and stripes floating over a portion of the
German country."

The older and larger of the two American girls smiled a slow, gentle
smile characteristic of her personality and in sharp contrast with her
companion's impetuous speech and action.

Both girls were Kentuckians and had been friends for years before
sailing to do Red Cross work in France.

"Well, I have never been so fierce a character as you, Thea! To me
victory will seem assured the day peace is signed. Yet if any of the
divisions of soldiers among whom we have been nursing are ordered to
Germany, certainly I hope our Red Cross unit may accompany them. I
presume not nearly so many nurses will be needed as in the fighting
days, however."

In the interval, while this conversation was taking place, Mrs. Clark's
note had been dispatched to the officer of the day. At this moment Major
Hersey appeared.

Major James Hersey, confidentially known among his battalion as "Jimmie"
had the distinction of