“Oh, well, it won’t be forever,” Nancy said consolingly. “At least we can still wear evening dresses for dances on the post, Miss Hauser said.”

“Yeah! That will be a slight morale booster.”

“I never felt more smartly dressed than I do in this uniform,” continued Nancy.

“I must admit they do look rather stunning,” Mabel agreed.

The next store carried drugs, and they were about to pass by when Nancy seized Mabel’s arm. “Say, that looks like Tini in there!”

Mabel stepped back and looked in. “Sure is! Come on, I’ll get some dental floss and see what she’s up to.”

As they went in, Tini’s back was toward them. She sat on a stool at the soda counter, drinking a coke. Why had she come here for a coke when they had all the cold drinks they wanted back at the canteen? Tini was leaning across the counter, turning her charm on the soda jerker who was at least five years her junior. What was she up to now, Nancy wondered?

CHAPTER SIX CAMOUFLAGE

CHAPTER SIX

CAMOUFLAGE

Nancy was not too surprised when she found Tini having a whispered conversation with the soda jerker in the strange town. Tini seemed always involved in some undercurrent.

She glanced at her watch and saw they had only five minutes before the transport was due to move on. “We’ve got to beat it,” she told Mabel.

“Better come along, Tini, or you’ll be left behind!” warned Mabel as they went toward the door.

Tini threw her money on the counter and overtook the girls.

“Don’t see why you wanted a coke ’round here when we had plenty of free ones at the Canteen,” Mabel said.

“Oh, just an excuse to talk to the clerk. I wanted to ask him if Carl Benton had been here lately.”

“Carl Benton,” repeated Nancy as they almost ran toward their trucks. “You mean that fellow you dated back yonder?”

“Sure. He sells soda-fountain supplies. Said he came through here often.”

“Did that chap know him?” asked Nancy.

 Prev. P 32/131 next