Henderson Daily Dispatch

RIVAL TO MY HEART

BY AUTHOR; DISTRIBUTED BY KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, INC.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

As they came in, Carman Sermalino and her little girl, Gail realized instantly that Carman was ill. She was terribly thin. Her red-checked taffeta dress hung loosely on her. But her vivid face was brightly painted, and she wore a rather expensive-looking gardenia hat on her thick hair.

Little Nina stood still for a moment. A waif of a child, a dark lump with sly animal eyes under the matted bangs and a tremulous, frightened baby mouth. "Hi, doc—" she cried, and with a glance at her mother, she ran into Gail's arms.

"Let me take a good look at you, Nina." Gail smiled fondly—and uneasily, "Johnny— he doesn't know we came here, doc— He' mad at you, doc."

"You tell me about Johnny later." Gail said, "Right now I want to hear about Nina. Have you been eating, my dear? Cereal in the morning?"

"Not very often," Carman said, "she ain't crazy for it."

"Nina, do you remember to keep your mouth closed when you breathe?"

"Yes, doc," the little girl said proudly.

"Good. Now let's step on the scale." Gail said. She turned a moment later, to Carman, who was busily repainting her mouth. "Her weight is the same as it was three months ago, just before she had the tonsils out. Have you been watching her?"

"Well, I've been kinda busy the last coupla weeks." Carman said. "I've been putting things in order— fixing up the house real nice"

"Never mind the house, Carman. We're talking about Nina."

"Well, I was only telling you." Carman went on, "I fixed up everything nice because I'm going to work tomorrow. I got a job"

"Where?"

"In the same plant where you got Johnny his job. They need help so bad they're going crazy. Johnny says I'll make forty a week to start'"

Gail turned to the child. "Nina, you go out to the kitchen and Katie will give you milk and a gingerbread cookie." Then she turned bluntly to Carman.

"What will happen to Nina?"

"Oh, I fixed that up." Carman smiled blandly. "My neighbor Mrs. Kandle, she's gonna take care of Nina. We're gonna make a lotta money, Johnny and me. We'll buy Nina nice clothes and a bracelet—"

"Food, Carman. She needs proper food, not bracelets. How's Johnny getting along?" Though Gail had once threatened Johnny she would have Nina taken from him, there had been nothing she could do. The Children's Aid wouldn't listen to her; she had lost standing...

"He ain't gettin' along so good." Carman said. "He's takin' some medicine. Doc. I feel kinda bad my-

self. Could you give me somethin' that'll pep me up, so I'll feel like workin' when I get to the factory tomorrow"

Gail went over to the basin and scrubbed her hands. "We'll take a blood test, Carman. Then we'll see what we can do."

When they left, Gail thought: There must be some way to put Nina in a better home, where she'll get attention and care. She telephoned Burke and asked his advice.

"I doubt if you can legally take the child away from its parents," he said. "I wish you'd stop worrying about that Springdale scum!"

She hung up, disappointed. Slowly she went into her room to dress for dinner. She was brushing her hair, with hard, even strokes when Lily Lanahan stopped by the open door.

"May I come in, Doctor?"

"By all means."

This wasn't the Lily Lanahan who'd been so antagonistic to Gail. Nor was it the girl who'd tried to take her own life. Lily was a new person; she had gone through her personal agony and triumphed. She had been living with Gail since she left the hospital, but was leaving tomorrow for New York.

Stephen McCormick had solved the problem of her future. She was going off with the Red Cross for overseas duty, and Stephen was taking care of her family. How kind Stephen was!

Lily walked restlessly across the room. "Well, so long, Beauchamp," she said wistfully. "It's been nice living here. But am I glad to get out! Am I glad..." Her shoulders shook, "Oh, doctor," she choked, "I can't go away. I can't! I'll never forget him"

"You must," Gail said compassionately. For Ralph Kramer was getting married a week from Friday.

Gail sat at the breakfast table. Belisha purred slyly at her feet, begging apologetically for a handout. Katie brought in the Beauchamp Chronicle, carefully but clumsily refolded.

"You gotta have a new dress for Miss Lucienne's wedding," Katie announced.

"I can't afford a new dress."

"You want people to talk? You want them to say, Lookit that doctor, she's down and out.'"

"I can't help it."

"What're you goin' to wear?"

"That black gabardine suit. It's reasonably new."

"Why don't you eat those pancakes? They're delicious."

"I'm not very hungry. Katie look."

Gail's maid towered over her, big and bulky in her orange seersucker housedress, and for a moment, Gail longed to turn to that capable shoulder to find comfort and solace there.

"In case I go out later on, Katie, I want to tell you that the real estate man will be here this morning with a possible tenant.'"

"What in the world are you talkin' about?"

"I'm going to rent this house, Katie. I hope to get enough to pay for the upkeep."

"But where will we live? What'll happen to us?" Katie cried.

Gail got up from the table and said. "I'm going to rent a small office downtown; I'll have to sleep on the sofa in the waiting room. Just as I did four years ago. The cycle is complete."

"But where will I sleep, doctor?"

"I don't know, Katie. I'm not— not even certain I can afford to keep you anymore."

"You mean, you'll get along without me?"

"I may have to."

"Now listen, doctor. I don't need all the money you've been paying me. All I want is a bed an' a stove to cook on—"

Gail put her hand lightly on Katie's shoulder. "We'll see," she promised, with an optimism she didn't feel

Afterwards, Gail drove downtown through the slums toward the Markey building in Springdale. She still retained her job as Health Officer. That had been the one bright spot in the past month. She opened the door of the musty office, dusted the desk, aired the room thoroughly. Then she sat down to the mail, making memos, as she went along.

She had quite a problem now in Public School Nine, which in her opinion was a firetrap. She had both telephoned and written the mayor about it offering suggestions. The mayor's secretary assured her nothing could be done, that the city had no money for such expenditures.

Gail in another problem had been more successful. Since the blonde friend of Johnny Sermalino had made her appearance, several other girls had come to her for treatments. They had confidence in her, though usually they were terrified of doctors.

She hadn't seen Johnny Sermalino since the day he had told her to keep away from his family. Carman's Wasserman had been positive, just as Gail had feared. Gail sent for her immediately, but Carman had never appeared, and Gail was sick with worry over Nina. The child must be saved....

The morning flew by. It was noon before Gail had finished. As she combed her dark, glossy hair, before the spotted washroom mirror, she thought, "On Thanksgiving day you'll be thirty. And you look it!"

She had an engagement with her cousin Lucienne for lunch. So at quarter of one, she drove past the factories and slums, and to the Park Hotel.

(To be continued)