Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause by Mignon F. Ballard Page A

all. “I want you,” she told him. “I don’t care about a ring.”
    Will laughed and pulled her to her feet. “Well, that’s too bad because you’re going to get one. Now, let’s go back and tell the others.”
    Arm in arm they strolled back through the garden, the scent of roses all around them. “I’ll never see a rose,” Will said, “that won’t remind me of you.”
    Charlie walked a little faster. She not only wanted to share their news with Don and Elaine. She wanted to tell the world.

C HAPTER N INE
    Every seat was taken in the Good Shepherd Sunday School classroom at the First Baptist Church. Miss Dimple Kilpatrick nodded pleasantly to young Mrs. Sullivan, who waited her turn at the end of the row and responded to greetings from those on either side of her: the new coach, Jordan McGregor, on her left, and Angie Webber, one of her former students, on her right.
    “It won’t hurt much, will it, Miss Dimple?” Angie said. “I’ve never given blood before.”
    “It’s a bit uncomfortable at first, but after that it usually goes quickly.” Miss Dimple smiled, and patted the girl’s arm. “And just think of the life you might save.”
    Coach McGregor leaned across her to reassure the young woman. “Now, don’t you worry another minute about it. When I donated back in the summer, I was through in less than fifteen minutes. It’ll be over before you know it.”
    Angie looked as if she wasn’t too sure about that, and her face turned even paler when they saw sturdy Reynolds Murphy being escorted to a cot by two nurses when he nearly passed out after donating.
    “I was nervous about giving my first time, too,” Miss Dimple said. “I don’t think it’s one bit unusual to feel that way.” And most of the people around them agreed. Today, she thought, the worst thing about donating was having to wait your turn, as those who were able to give blood usually tried to do their part when the Red Cross came to town, and because this was a Saturday, the turnout was even greater.
    She was almost through filling her pint of type O negative when Sebastian Weaver came in to register and acknowledged her with a wave of his hand.
    “We don’t need no German blood!” somebody muttered behind her. Miss Dimple couldn’t see who had said it, and fortunately Sebastian was too far away to hear, but it hurt her far worse than the needle in her arm. There was just no accounting for ignorance!
    Later, Miss Dimple took her time walking back to Phoebe’s that afternoon. A disturbing little moth of doubt had begun to flutter in her mind. Something wasn’t right! It wasn’t right at all. Miss Dimple took a deep breath and picked up her pace, but she just couldn’t shake it.
    *   *   *
    Will and Don left to drive to Gadsden immediately after seeing Charlie and Elaine back to the college, where they reluctantly kissed good-bye under the glaring lights of Cooper Hall. After spending the rest of the night with Don’s uncle in Gadsden, the two cadets would leave early Sunday to hitchhike back to the base.
    Charlie had breakfast with Elaine in the school cafeteria the next morning and accompanied her and several others to church afterward. It was a Presbyterian church, she thought, because the congregation said “debts” instead of “trespasses” in reciting the Lord’s Prayer, and the sanctuary was a beautiful stone building with burgundy carpeting and stained glass windows. The choir sounded lovely and the minister had a soothing voice, but she couldn’t remember a word he said. Recalling a joke her father used to tell, she supposed he preached about sin and was “agin” it, but her mind and her heart were at Courtland Airfield with Will Sinclair. The fact was, she wasn’t too sure about anything that happened after Will took her face in his hands and whispered, “I love you,” before leaving her on the steps at Shorter College the night before.
    After church, Charlie insisted on treating Elaine to