Real Life Stories of courageous women in an exciting profession.

Young Dr. Woodward stopped his horse and buggy in front of three tents. “This is my hospital,” he said.

Mary Ann Bickerdyke refused his hand and stepped down into the thick mud, clutching her carryall with the precious supplies in it. Her gray calico dress was plain and serviceable; her keen blue eyes, shaded under the black cotton Shaker bonnet, saw everything. There was work to be done here, and she was dressed for working.

“Don’t stand there,” she told him impatiently. “Show me what’s to be seen so I can start.”

She was there because of a letter he had written to his pastor, Dr. Beecher, back in Galesburg, Illinois. But he did not want her here. The general did not approve of women at army encampments; Dr. Woodward hoped she would not stay long.

Mrs. Bickerdyke followed him into the tents. It was much worse than his letter had said. Ten men were crowded into one tent, lying mostly on straw pallets on the filthy mud floor with only an army blanket between the pallets. The air was thick with unpleasant smells; bluebottle flies buzzed around the patients. The water bucket was empty. It was the same, or worse, in all the tents.

“Get me some men,” she ordered the doctor.

He said, “I can’t — I’m only a junior medical officer.”

She snorted, and marched over to the nearest campfire where the men were eating their meal of half-raw salt-pork, boiled beans, and hardtack.

“How’d you like some fried chicken and some light bread with blackberry jam?” she asked in her hearty voice. The men stared at her, unbelieving. “The doctor and I’ve got a job to be done. We need strong fellows to help. If you help us I can find you some better grub than this!”

They leaped up, half a dozen of them. Mrs. Bickerdyke issued her orders. There were no tubs, so she had men saw casks in two. Water was boiled in every container she could find. She opened her carryall and brought out cakes of strong laundry soap. Then she went into the first tent.

“You men want a bath and a clean bed and some good supper? Then those of you who can walk, walk out here and get scrubbed up. Those who can’t we’ll carry…Doctor, you boss this job. Got some scissors on you? Then cut off their whiskers…I can see graybugs from her. New drawers and undershirts is in them carryalls. Burn all their old clothes…and the straw and blankets, too. And get me some clean straw.

The doctor was horrified. He was not used to being ordered about like this. And besides, he said, some of these men had high fevers. It would kill them to be taken out-of-doors and bathed.

“Fiddle-faddle!” said Mrs. Bickerdyke. “Not a breath of air stirring, and it’s ninety in the shade. Won’t kill any of ’em…Get them clothes off, sonny,” she said to the first man.

A Penny Scott Story

“The Olympics!” Penny Scott could hardly believe her ears. For a nurse who loved sports, enjoyed travel, craved adventure, what could be more wonderful than an assignment to the Olympic team.

The position was all she had dreamed it would be — and more! In the breathtaking setting of the French Alps, surrounded by happy young people her own age and working at the side of a charming young physician, Penny was sure life could hold nothing better for her. Only gradually did she realize that there could be problems, even deadly dangers, in the life at Chamonix.

It was the strange, impetuous behavior of skier Ron Reilly that disturbed her first. Later came the dread cry of “Avalanche!” to spread terror in the village. And finally, with the disappearance of her little friend Pierre, there came a need for such daring, such reckless bravery as Penny had never believed she could command.

The suspense, the fun, the heartbreak of Olympic competition form a thrilling background for Penny’s first overseas assignment. The Old World is her new world to conquer, and conquer it she does, with the warmth and courage that make her a fine nurse and a memorable person.

A Penny Scott Story

Dr. Timberlake Scott’s eyes were troubled as he gazed at his newly graduated daughter. “You know, Penny, sometimes I wonder if you’re the deeply dedicated nurse I thought you would be.”

Hurt and defiance flared in Penny. She had worked hard for this degree. Now she had the A’s and the recommendation to prove it. How could her father doubt her intentions?

For attractive, vivacious Penny Scott it was a bad beginning to her career, but she didn’t have long to worry about it. Only a few days later came the call that was to put her dedication to the test.

She was confronted with a strong-willed and wealthy patient whose handsome son was determined to cause trouble…a lonely summer home in the Ozarks were strange, frightening things happened without warning…and a bearded fanatic who would go to any length to “protect” the mountain folk from meddling intruders.

Penny Scott found herself fighting fiercely for her own survival as well as her patient’s. With nothing but her own knowledge and judgment to rely on, she thought often of her father’s words…”Keep your head, Penny!” For a nurse, she knew, a first assignment like this one could be the most decisive step in her life.

A Penny Scott Story

“Where are her parents?”

Penny shook her head warningly at the boy’s tense question. The child who lay on the ground between them, not far from the burning train, was an orphan now. If her terrible injuries were to be tended, it would be up to strangers — people like Penny — to do what must be done.

First of all there was the complex and dramatic treatment of little Linda’s burns. When handsome Doug Redigo appeared, with evidence to prove he was Linda’s uncle, Penny was delighted to share responsibility for her young patient. But later, when the long shadow of doubt began to fall, she found herself committed to far more than a nursing assignment. She had embarked on an adventure that would take her across the continent, endanger her life again and again, and end, incredibly, in the darkness of an underground cavern.

Later Penny would recall that moment beside the burning train when she had looked down at the screaming child, and she would realize that it had been a milestone in her life and in her nursing career. More completely and more satisfyingly than ever before, she had allowed herself to become involved in the fate of another human being. She had learned to care.

A Kelly Scott Story

“It’s never looked more beautiful,” Kelly thought as she stood in the moonlight and let her eyes wander over the vast buildings comprising Midwest-General Hospital. A sob caught in her throat as she walked up the drive to the nurses’ dorm. By this time tomorrow night Coleen Scott, Kelly to family and friends, might no longer be a part of the hospital world she loved.

It had begun as a wonderful year for Kelly — her first time away from family protectiveness. She enjoyed hard work in subjects she loved, and the chance to help patients who needed her.

Then the nightmare erupted…a whirlwind chain of events that she was powerless to control. First she found herself with a glamorous roommate bent on causing trouble — a girl who broke rules without a thought and had the aggravating ability to captivate Kelly’s special men friends. Then came the terrible accusation — the mark of guilt that could end her hopes and aspirations forever.

Shy, sensitive Kelly found herself fighting for everything she had ever believed in. It was a solitary fight — no father or sisters to help her this time — but she knew she had to win this one alone to prove her ability to stand on her own two feet.