CHAPTER SIX
A REVELATION
Kitty was still thinking of her conversation with Brad when she went into help Jane with breakfast the next morning. What could they do aboutit, even if they had positive proof that the Punaro boy had visited theoyster cannery on the night of the fire? He could claim he had gonethere to see friends, and they would have accomplished nothing by theirprying. She hoped Brad wouldn’t get in any trouble about it.
“How did you like your Canteen work?” her father asked at breakfast.
“Oh, fine!” she exclaimed, her thoughts returning to the real work ofthe previous evening. “It’s really loads of fun. I’m going to be onduty every other night.”
“You’ll be doing more than your quota of hours, won’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t mind that. This is no time to stick to quotas, you know.”
“You spoke a truth then, Kitten,” her father said proudly.
“We have so few workers over here on the island each of us will have todo double duty. It’s going to be loads of fun.”
“I’m so pleased you’ve found your place in the war program. I was sureyou would.”
Kitty glanced at her father gratefully as she handed him the hotmuffins Jane had brought in.
“No, thanks. I have plenty.”
“But, Dad, you always eat two. And you haven’t eaten half your eggs.That’s very unpatriotic with eggs so high.”
He laughed. “I’m beginning to see the effects of your nutrition coursealready.”
“I’ll admit it’s made me food conscious, and I was already pointconscious.”
“I must hand it to you women for having a streak of genius withhandling rationing points.”
“I’m ashamed to admit it, Dad, but I find myself figuring up pointvalues first and almost forgetting what a thing is going to cost.”
“I’ve had a few worries myself over supplies,” he said, and Kitty sawthe furrow deepen between his brows.
“How’s that, Dad?” she asked eagerly, hoping he would open up aboutwhat was on his mind.
“Oh, you have problems enough without being burdened with mine,” hesaid.
Kitty ate the last half of her muffin with some orange-blossom honey,then she sat looking thoughtfully at her father. She had been soabsorbed in her own activities lately she had paid scant heed to hisfailing appetite. Now she realized he had eaten very little for severaldays.
“Dad, don’t you think you’d better take a tonic or something?” she saidfinally. “Your appetite is just about gone.”
He tried to laugh off her anxiety. “Oh, I’ll pick up in a day or so.I’ve been rather preoccupied with things at the office.”
His admission gave her a start. “Anything wrong?”
“Nothing that can’t be adjusted in time, I hope.”
“You couldn’t tell me about it?”
“No sense in burdening you with my problems. Kitty. You have enough onyour shoulders now.”
“Maybe I could help. Sometimes problems clear up after talking themover with others. Every time I’ve ever brought my troubles to you theyseem to vanish in thin air.”
“There’re some things a man can’t talk over with anyone, Kitten, whenhe’s in the service. He has to keep things from even his own daughter,whom he’d trust with his very life.”
Kitty was now certain that there was something radically wrong. Was itpossible that it could in any way be connected with the clues she hadpicked up in the last few weeks? Willard Dawson, Chief Pharmacist’sMate, who had just preceded him, had been involved in some sort oftrouble at the hospital. Was her father becoming involved in the samesort of complications? The idea that he, also, might be relegated tosome remote base, filled Kitty with terror. The life they were livinghere together seemed a paradise when she feared that something tragicmight happen to end it.
After her father had gone to the hospital Kitty couldn’t put him fromher mind. She decided she must do something to lift him out of hisdepression. Later when she was in the kitchen helping to fix Billy’sbreakfast plate, she remarked to Jane that she was afraid her fatherwasn’t very well.
“Reckon he worried ’bout somepen, Miss Kit?”
“Why? What makes you think that?”
“Las’ night atter us all in bed I hear him pacin’ back an’ fo’th, backan’ fo’th, like somepen whut’s trapped.”
“Somepen whut’s trapped,” kept ringing in Kitty’s head after she leftthe kitchen. This morning she felt like someone who had picked up halfa dozen pieces of a jig-saw puzzle out of which she could make no senseat all. If she had had any idea of what was back of it all she mighthave pieced them together in an orderly pattern.
Later as she gathered fresh nasturtiums from the little flower bedunder the living-room window, the vision of Lieutenant Cary and ChiefKrome playing chess rose up to trouble her. Surely they could havenothing to do with her father’s anxieties. Yet she could not forget themutual antagonism which Cary and Hazel had shown each other instantly,and she felt instinctively that they were all involved in a strangechess game which she had to play blindfolded. But she was determined,if her alertness could prevent it, that her father would never become apawn to be sacrificed as Willard Dawson had been.
Suddenly she had a sense of guilt that she had given her father solittle companionship lately. Then she thought of Nurse Dawson, andsomething he had said when she first arrived, “We must have her over todinner some evening. It means so much to people in the service to gointo real homes.”
“Why not have her over tonight?” she thought. She had an evening freeof Canteen work, and Dad definitely needed cheering up. She hurried toher desk drawer to study her ration books to see if there were enoughpoints left for a decent roast. Since Dad had been eating two meals athome he also had books, which helped out greatly, and with Jane’s booksadded she had much more latitude in her buying.
Her father had just reached his office when Kitty got him on the phone.She made her tone as sprightly as possible when she asked, “Dad, howabout having Hazel over to dinner tonight?”
His voice had an eager quality when he answered, “Oh, fine, Kitten! Itwouldn’t be too much bother?”
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_“How About Asking Hazel Over Tonight?”_]
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“No, indeed! I’ve been wanting to for a long time. And this evening Ihaven’t another thing to do. Will you ask her?”
“Maybe you’d better phone her. I won’t have an opportunity to see hertill lunch, and by that time she may have made other plans.”
“O.K., old dear, just as you say.”
“Tell her I’ll call for her at six.”
Kitty thought as she dialed the hospital that her father had let slipan important point. In mentioning that he wouldn’t see Hazel till noon,he implied that they must eat together every day. The thought made herfeel very happy.
When Kitty finally got in touch with Hazel and gave her the invitationshe eagerly accepted.
“Is she comin’?” Jane wanted to know as she stood in the doorway,awaiting the answer.
“She and Dad were as pleased as two kids being invited to a picnic.We’ll have to give them a swell feed, Jane, and see if this improveshis appetite.”
Kitty dashed off to the market to see what she could get for theirdinner. She did a weekly shopping in Bayport on Saturdays. In order tosave gasoline she tried to manage the rest of the time with what shecould pick up on the island.
It proved to be a busy day for both her and Jane. While the negro girlwas busy in the kitchen, Kitty tried to brighten up the rather shabbyfurnishings of their little cottage. She reminded herself that it waswartime and one must make the best of undesirable living conditions.They had brought their own silver and linens from their old home on theGulf coast, and with these she made the table look
very pretty. Thebowl of nasturtiums in the center gave quite a festive air.
“Ain’t no use to worry ’bout de looks, Miss Kit,” Jane consoled herwhen she arranged and re-arranged the flowers to get the right effect.“Us make de grub taste good enough an’ dey won’t think ’bout nothin’else. Dese ain’t no times to worry ’bout de frills o’ livin’.”
Kitty had often thought that Jane, with a little more education, wouldhave made a fine philosopher. Certainly she would never die of worryingover what couldn’t be helped.
Kitty wore sweater suits so constantly she felt really dressed up whenshe put on one of her old silk prints and let her hair down from itstight ringlets to fall in soft auburn curls about her face. It seemedto belong that way with the flowered print.
Though Kitty had intended cultivating Hazel Dawson’s acquaintance shehad actually been with her only once since her arrival. Then she andher father and Hazel had eaten lunch together in the hospitaldining-room, where there was little chance for connected conversation.So Kitty was also glad of this opportunity to develop their friendship.
Hazel couldn’t praise Kitty’s delicious dinner enough, and remarkedseveral times how wonderful it was to be in a real home.
“It’s nothing like the lovely bungalow we had in New Orleans,” saidKitty. “Of course we had our own things there. But I’m not complaining.It’s too wonderful that we can be together in any sort of home now.”
After a while Kitty slipped into the background and listened while herfather and Hazel discussed other places they had worked, and mutualfriends who were now scattered far and wide. The meal was not half overbefore Kitty was certain her father had more than a passing interest inthis nurse. His preoccupation of the morning had vanished with thegenial companionship.
“I’m hoping I’ll get a chance at overseas duty again,” said Hazel.
“You wouldn’t want to go till you finish the job you came here to do.”
“Oh, no! No, indeed! I wouldn’t be satisfied to go anywhere till that’sdone.”
Kitty glanced speculatively from one to the other. Their words impliedmuch. When Hazel looked across the table to find a puzzled expressionon Kitty’s face, she instantly changed the subject.
“Don’t forget, my dear, that you promised to take me on a tour of theseinland waterways.”
“I haven’t forgotten, but there was so much to be done while I wastaking my Canteen course.”
“I’m so interested in this coast country. It’s really beautiful.”
“In a week or so the weather will be getting very mild, then we’ll makea day of it when you have some time off,” Kitty promised.
After dinner Kitty excused herself to see about Billy, who had eatenearlier and been put to bed.
As she went down the hall she heard Hazel say to her father, “I’ve beenwanting to tell you something I have just uncovered.”
Then for the first time Kitty felt certain that Hazel Dawson had cometo the Bernard Hospital in the double capacity of nurse andinvestigator in behalf of her brother. In order to give them plenty oftime for consultation she stayed in Billy’s room an hour, reading himbedtime stories.
His sleepy eyes had been closed some time when her father poked hishead in the doorway and asked, “Kitten, aren’t you coming back to theliving-room?”
She tried to smile disarmingly as she said softly, “Billy felt sort ofout of it all. I had to make it up to him.”
“I want you to sing for Hazel,” he added as they went down the hall.
“Oh, please do!” exclaimed Hazel, who overheard them. “I’ve alwayswanted to hear you sing.”
“This old piano is terribly out of tune, and I’m out of practice, butI’ll try.”
She sang a simple little lullaby first, and gaining courage from theirpraise, she sang the aria she had learned for her closing recital atschool.
“Oh, Kitty darling, your voice is really beautiful, so full and rich.You _must_ go on with your music! All the world ought to be hearingthat beautiful voice.”
Hazel’s words once more stirred Kitty’s old ambition, that had beenovershadowed of late by circumstances.
“When the war is over, maybe,” she tried to speak with an indifferenceshe did not feel. “But right now I have other jobs to do.”
“Haven’t we all!” said Hazel significantly, and turned to meet herfriend’s understanding glance.
Later when her father had gone to take Hazel home, Kitty sat at thewindow a long time. She felt an unaccountable loneliness, even whileher heart rejoiced at what the evening had revealed. What a wonderfulwife Hazel would make for her dad! His loneliness had long been asource of unhappiness to her. Finally she went to her room, hummingsoftly the lullaby, hoping that those suspicions at least had goodfoundation. Maybe some day after the war she would have a home of herown. What a comfort it would be to know Dad was not left alone!
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