"Oh, all sorts of things. There is a lot to do, of course. What they need most is a skilled nurse who can take the supervision of things and direct the others. That is what Cousin Katharine can do. We are helping out by sending broths and things like that for the poor fellows. Either Tibbie or I go over every day, and sometimes I stay and help. It is not a regular hospital, of course, but a refuge for those who are getting better, whose hurts need time for healing and who are over the worst of it."
Mrs. Beltrán went to her post the next morning, and found occupation enough to keep busy both head and hands. Life went on upon a very different plane for them all. Instead of happy, care-free summer days, were these sober ones filled with heartache for those whose sufferings they were trying to mitigate. The Tommy Atkins upon whom their attention was fixed was not the little Airedale, but the true Tommy whose training meant a far more serious thing. Once in a while the dog Tommy would bring his stick to Lillian and look up into her face with wistful eyes as if to say, "What is the matter? Is my education finished?" Then Lillian would hug him to her, and hide her wet eyes in his warm coat. Haddie, however, was as lordly as ever and missed no one so long as he had the "mistus" and his bits from her plate. And so the summer passed into autumn, and autumn was bringing more appalling reports for those who watched and waited, while fiercer and fiercer grew the conflict.
CHAPTER XVII
Convalescents
From this time events moved forward with greater swiftness. Bertie and Harry came down for a few days before they joined their regiment to start for the front, and though Lillian held her head high and sent off her lover with brave words of cheer she looked spent and broken for days afterward. Even poor fat Eleanor Teaness had a look in her eyes which made them all believe that she felt Harry's departure all too keenly. From time to time the invalids at The Beeches recovered and went off to make room for others. Mr. Kirkby, busy in a thousand ways, had bought a motor car and came over daily to hearten up the men waiting for time to set them on their feet again.
He picked up Lillian and Anita one day when they were starting out to visit The Beeches.
"Where are you off to?" he inquired in his hearty voice.
"We are going over to see what we can do to help them at The Beeches," Lillian told him. "One must keep busy these days if one would keep a steady mind."
"Quite right, quite right," responded Mr. Kirkby. "Jump in here and I'll take you over. I hear there is quite an influx there. Mrs. Teaness telephoned me this morning to know if I could get hold of another nurse. Your mother has too much on her hands, Anita, so I have been able to send a couple of good women I know of who have had some training, and are eager to help on the good cause."
"Who are the new men, Mr. Kirkby?" asked Anita.