Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart

Author:Amy Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HMH Books

22

NURSE CARTWRIGHT WENT to town for supplies, having discovered that two hundred girls could make short work of a carton of aspirin, several packets of mustard plasters, and rolls of gauze and cotton. She was distributing more than the expected number of hot water bottles, and found herself entirely depleted of cough syrups and sleeping powders. She returned with all of this and one other item that interested Norma a great deal: a newspaper.

Constance never would’ve believed that her sister could survive without her daily infusion of newspapers from every nearby city and as far away as New York. Norma didn’t just read her papers, she quarreled with them, shook them at her sisters for emphasis, and even gave them a smack when she couldn’t otherwise resolve her disputes with them.

For that reason, the arrival at camp of a single newspaper made for a momentous occasion in their tent. Norma sat up with a lantern, digesting the news from Washington and passing on whatever might be of interest to the others.

“They fought back the Germans in Verdun,” she announced to Sarah, who had reason to believe her brother might’ve been sent there. “Someone even brought down their aeroplanes with those enormous machine guns. It doesn’t say whether it was the British or the French.” She rattled her paper to make her displeasure known over the reporter’s lack of specificity.

“Shooting down aeroplanes doesn’t leave much for the ambulances to pick up,” Sarah said curtly. “It’s becoming another kind of war over there, and we’re not doing a thing about it.”

Constance looked up from her ledger-book, where she kept a record of the day’s activities. It was a habit from her years on the women’s floor of the jail. She recorded demerits issued, classes skipped, sick days taken, and work shifts completed.

Her pencil was poised in mid-air, but she was watching Sarah, who was readying herself for a night in the woods. “What’s the matter with you?” Constance asked.

Sarah shoved her feet into her boots and wrapped her braided hair around her hand, then began to pin it up. “I haven’t had a letter from Jack in nearly a week.”

“They get delayed,” Norma said authoritatively. “The rail system’s a mess, and the ports are overfull. Even our ships have to drop anchor and wait. Over half the letters aren’t getting through at all.”

Sarah was usually so tolerant of Norma’s overbearing ways, but her patience had worn thin. “That could be the explanation, or it could be something far worse. None of us know, not even you.”

With that she stormed out. Constance would’ve run after her, but she was only half-dressed herself and had her nightly rounds to make. Besides, what could she say? None of them knew what might become of Jack. It wouldn’t be fair to Sarah to pretend otherwise.

Norma went on as if nothing had happened. “Here’s something for you. Your Mr. Bielaski’s in the papers again. They’re calling him the most remarkable investigator in the country. He says that

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