Cherry Ames 04 Chief Nurse Read Online Free PDF

of a student nurse who didn’t have fun?” Cherry countered. “What I’m wondering is how many smart girls are taking advantage of that nursing education provided by the Government.”
    “I just love the gray Cadet uniform,” Mai Lee said dreamily.
    “ I just love—” Cherry said, and started to fish in her big patch pockets. She always carried her letters with her. “You kids remember Mildred Burnham, the probationer I ‘adopted.’ Well, she’s a senior now. She’d only be a junior, except that she transferred to the U.S.
    Cadet Nurse Corps in the middle of her training.”
    “Huh!” said Bertha. “Instead of three years in nursing school, only two and a half years in school, and six months’ real practical experience with some Federal agency! That’s something! ” L E A P F R O G
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    “It’s funny,” Cherry mused. “Mildred is a very good but not spectacular student, and her parents could afford to pay for her training. But here the Government is paying her whole nursing school tuition, plus her living expenses, plus an allowance, plus—”she grinned at Mai Lee “—
    that stunning gray uniform. If Mildred can qualify for the Cadet Nurse Corps, I should think lots of other smart girls could, too. They could even enter training direct from high school. Well, anyhow, here’s Mildred’s letter.” Cherry opened the crumpled sheet. The sun had already set, since they were just south of the equator, and she read aloud by flashlight. Mildred had written:
    “Here’s what I’m going to do when I graduate—ahem!
    I’m going to repay the Cadet Nurse Corps by giving six months’ nursing to the Government. Old Undecided (that’s me) still doesn’t know whether she’ll volunteer for civilian nursing or Army nursing. I’ve received so many offers of jobs, my head is spinning. I guess a nurse is never out of work. In the meantime, it’s scrumptious being a senior!”
    “A senior!” Marie Swift groaned. “Now you’ve really made me homesick for Spencer!” The girls were quiet, thinking, remembering.
    “What I’m homesick for,” Vivian winked hugely at Cherry, “is one of those mysteries you specialize in.”
    “Oh, we won’t find any mysteries out here,” Cherry scoffed. “Plenty of insects and fever, but no mysteries.” 32
    C H E R R Y A M E S , C H I E F N U R S E
    “Don’t say that so fast!” Ann sat up one one elbow.
    “Nurses are always coming across medical mysteries and—and——”
    “Strange wounds,” Gwen supplied eagerly. “Remember that case in the newspapers recently, where a man was found to be a spy because a strange bullet burn on his hand gave him away?”
    “How about our portable X-ray?” Marie Swift offered.
    “Or the unit’s diathermy machine? You could flash short-wave signals with those!”
    “My gosh, what notions you ladies have!” Cherry laughed. “Well, here’s hoping you find a mystery. I know I don’t expect to. Oh! ” she exclaimed, as she glanced down at her watch. “Seven o’clock—and there’s lots to be done yet.”
    The girls scrambled to their feet and hurried back to work.
    Electric lights, belonging to the work battalion here, had been strung across trees and through tents. In the operating tent, the power was working. An operating table made of planks set upon sawhorses was set up.
    Captain Bennett, a surgeon, was preparing to operate on an emergency appendicitis case in this crude but sanitary tent. Cherry assigned one of her nurses as anaesthetist to aid the surgeon. She herself worked as operating nurse. After that, she checked on the work of all her other nurses. By midnight Cherry ached all over L E A P F R O G
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    with fatigue. Almost everyone was asleep, except the sentries and conscientious Colonel Pillsbee, when Cherry still sat making out her night report by the light of a lantern. At last she crawled into the pup tent she shared with Gwen.
    “A-a-a-h!” Gwen greeted her, and went right back to sleep.
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