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Gail Gardner Wins Her Cap

by Margaret Sutton (1944)
Gail Gardner Wins Her Cap

“Well, I’ve decided,” announced Gail Gardner, bursting into her father’s study in her usual whirlwind manner. For a minister’s daughter, she was not the quiet, serious young lady that she earnestly tried to be. Inside she was serious, but she never gave that impression. Mr. Gardner looked up, a little annoyed by the interruption.

“Decided what?” he asked, an apprehensive expression crossing his face. This flyaway blonde daughter of his was always making decisions for herself and upsetting his carefully laid plans for her future. Gail stood there, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes dancing with enthusiasm. She was holding the morning paper in her hand.

“I’ve decided to try again, Dad,” she told him. “You know, ‘if at first you don’t succeed’ and all that. Maybe City Hospital will take me. I don’t need to tell them I was turned down when I went to the city before and applied for training at Memorial Hospital. I want to forget about that if I can. This time I may have better luck. There’s an article in the paper telling about the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps and urging girls to enlist. It says all the hospitals have relaxed a little on their requirements. The Government pays our expenses and give us a monthly allowance of fifteen dollars to start. I’d be independent, Dad. But there! I won’t tell you any more,” she finished, tossing the paper on her father’s desk. “Read it yourself. It’s all in here…”

Government Nurse

by Felicia Bryce (1976)
Government Nurse

The massive, gold-domed capitol building of her East Coast home state represented the culmination of a dream to Jennifer Sawyer. The blue-eyed blonde, orphaned at an early age, had worked hard to earn both a bachelor’s degree and an R.N., and her civil service position at the first-aid station serving statehouse employees and visitors gave her financial security as well as pleasant working conditions.

When lanky redhead Any Dunbar, a state-employed psychiatrist, came into the station for minor first aid, Jennifer knew she had met her dream man. Or had she? Only months ago she had looked forward to a happy future with Dr. Dick Austin. His hasty marriage to the daughter of a prominent physician had shattered her plans and precipitated her decision to transfer from bustling City Hospital to government service.

Even though Jennifer decided to trust her intuition, the chance for romance with Andy was thwarted on two counts. Cathy Allen, her good-natured supervisor, seemed to have a prior claim on Andy, and good-looking George Fullmer, a deputy attorney general and friend of Andy’s, was determined to date Jennifer. She had no desire to intrude on what might be Cathy’s territory, nor did she wish to hurt the lawyer’s feelings. Although she liked George, he did not ignite in her the same excitement Andy sparked.

As time when on, Jennifer’s confusion increased. Only when a mishap at the lavish State Ball triggered an extraordinary series of events, did Jennifer find her true love.