 starring Virginia Weidler and Jane Darwell in Junior Angel on the Cavalcade of America sponsored by DuPont, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. One of DuPont's many better things for better living is speed easy wall finish, the fast easy economical wall paint that is saving homeowners time and money. Speed easy saves time because it covers wallpaper quickly and easily in one coat and dries in an hour. It saves money. The average room costs less than three dollars. Speed easy comes in eight cheerful pastel colors. When you redecorate this spring try DuPont speed easy. The nurse on the battle front is the angel of mercy and we all know and respect her worst. What some of us don't realize perhaps is that today in America there is a junior angel. The teenage girl, the student aide who has volunteered to work in our home front hospitals and help take the load off the overworked hospital nurses. Tonight in an original play written specially for the DuPont Cavalcade by Peter Lyon we present the story of such a junior angel with Virginia Weidler starred in the role of Ruthie Crawford and Jane Darwell as Nurse Boyle. We believe that our story tonight is the story also of thousands of American girls who are waiting only to be told how they can help. Later on in the program Miss Weidler will interview Miss Margaret Collette. One of the girls actually engaged in the helpful work our play is concerned with tonight. DuPont presents Virginia Weidler and Jane Darwell in junior angel on the Cavalcade of America. We're going to spend some time tonight in a pleasant residential suburb of a Midwestern American city. Here on a pleasant tree shaded street of this suburb is a comfortable home where live a Mr. Crawford and the Mrs. Crawford and their daughter Ruth who is fourteen years old going on fifteen. If we walk across the front lawn and deep into the living room we can see Ruth and her mother talking importantly about important things that is actually important to Ruth. But mother you said it you actually did if I could get daddy to give you hits you stand well you'd let me use mine to get high heels with and the dance is this Saturday Oh Ruth mother you forgot I'm sorry dear I expect I did I've been so busy holding Mrs. Johnson's hand now that everything is happening to her Oh her eyes getting worse well and no better but what's on her mind now is her Billy leaving for the army early tomorrow morning what you didn't you know they cut his furlough short he's got to report right away they think it means overseas duty you never told me why don't you run along over next door and say goodbye he'd like that but don't stay too long Ruth then he'll be ready in less than an hour I routine hello Billy I I just heard you were leaving yep kept it quiet didn't you didn't want to worry your mother yeah that's right hey Ruth you throw me those brown socks on the bed there with you here I think that was swell of you Billy not to let on you had to leave I mean Billy yeah what are you doing I mean tonight well I thought I better stick around tonight Ruthie be with mom and dad oh oh sure now where's my sweater oh there as you're sitting on a kid give it a talk with you I'm sorry you came over to say goodbye Ruthie that's nice of you sorry I'm so busy packing that's okay Billy I like to see you packing I just came over to tell you to be careful Billy sure I will oh and listen Ruthie yes I got something serious to tell you yes what is it Billy I don't want you getting hitched up any guy for I come back here oh no Billy you know I wouldn't you promise Ruth I I promise Billy your brown bed is getting cold good Lord Ruthie you don't mean you're skipping dessert tonight what's the matter see Ruth how many chocolate sundaes did you have today only one I'm not sick I'm just not hungry well that's obvious I want to do something about the war what's that I want to do something useful I want to help win the war I can do something sure you can roof in three or four years but I want to do something now I definitely do there must be something even if I am only four almost 15 years old well don't get too steamed up over truth it's no use father my mind is made up it's absolutely necessary okay okay are you starting right away or am I still taking you to the movies tonight well I can go to the movies tonight because I'm going to start tomorrow right after school no superintendent that's right well I'm with Crawford glad to hear it I want you to give me a job here at the hospital a regular job every day I can come right after school and stay at least three hours maybe four more on weekends miss Boyle I'm serious I definitely am you definitely are how old are you anyway Fort fifteen fifteen and what do you think you would do around the hospital well I I thought you know like like foreign smite and Gail kind of smooth the patient brows and smooth the patient that's too much well there must be something I can do I can wash dishes or make beds or sweep the floors can't I somebody's got to and if you're so short-handed why can't I yes I can't show what you say your name was Ruth Ruth Crawford come along Ruth I'll get you a broom and a damp cloth and an apron you can if you want to but I definitely think she's made it all up is it really true it's really true I worked there all yesterday afternoon and I'm going back today you can come along and see if you don't believe me she gave me a little white thing to wear and everything super real hospital baby sure lots of them but what do you do I mean what sort of work you do nursing I guess you'd call me a kind of nurses well a kind of nurse really but I do all sorts of important things I'm not sure if I should tell you actually it's after all we have our ethics you know yeah ethics well it's true you don't know anything about after all cut it out Ruthie well just because you don't know anything about how a hospital works Ruthie do you think we could get jobs there too I mean you actually think we could maybe I'd have to ask Miss Boyle about it she's the superintendent oh ask her Ruthie will you will you ask her all of us we all want to I'll see but I can't promise anything let's see six eight nine eleven twelve twelve of you for better or for worse all right I'll assign you two to a floor you'll do just as the nurse in charge of your floor tells you understood and don't forget the first one of you steps out of line does anything wrong out the whole pack of you go now then what are your duties again well fill the water pictures and make fresh fruit juice drinks that all well we're supposed to an errands aren't we for the I'll say you are what else serve food trays and and wash glasses and dishes and with a read to the patients too if they want to tool most of them won't want to see you as my guest well anyway there's a children in the children's board we're right you can read to them and keep them happy you will find that you've got a lot more jobs than those they'll do for a starter do as you're told no pranks no funny business understood or out you go look at his split miss Boyle now what is it aren't you glad we're here to help about that in three months if you're still here we'll be here oh that way he isn't either I like her that way hey kids what are we going to do about these things they make us anyhow oh they're the smocks that the male patients wear you're supposed to have it on backwards I think it stinks they don't even iron them they're right Ruth you know they actually are these things have no chicks but not have these chicks well we'll have to get ourselves uniforms if Miss Boyle that likes Boyle if Boyle won't give any to us we'll have to buy our own that's it super I'll design them and we'll have to give ourselves a name a title you know we've got to have a title it was my idea we work here so I get to name the title we'll we'll be student aid all in favor and we'll cross stitch our title on our uniform all in favor come on everybody we're going to work I should think that after three months at the hospital you know that you're not supposed to stand around giggling in the halls sorry miss Boyle not as though there isn't plenty of work to do you know yes we're sorry miss Boyle Ruth as a new patient in 16 whose eyes are bad she's got some mail she wants you to read to her scoot on my way miss Boyle is that the nurse no this is the student aid the nurse said you had something that you why why aren't you mrs johnson that's right come here Lucy what I didn't know you were coming to the hospital mrs johnson are your eyes worse well I'm afraid they're no better dear gosh I'd have come down long ago if I'd have known you were the patient in 16 I mean after all living right next door and besides your belly's mother for someday you might well you might see Billy is the reason I asked the nurse to send you in Lucy oh you mean you mean he's written to you at last he writes at least once a week and has ever since he left Lucy he does I thought maybe he'd been hurt or something I actually did and I didn't want to ask because well I thought might upset you whatever made you think he's been hurt well well you see after all I've only gotten just one little postcard from him ever since he's been gone and and that was a long time ago and just said he's gotten there all right and then I didn't hear from him so so I thought well maybe he couldn't write no dear why Billy hasn't even seen active combat duty yet as far as I know here's the letter that's here what he has to say all right dearest mom gosh his handwriting is elegant isn't it elegant well it's hard to read if that's what you mean oh I think it's got distinction I actually do dearest mom this will have to be just a short note because I I've just gotten the two day leave and the Turk I mean the truck is waiting to take the guys to London right now the money you sent will help a lot maybe Jimmy and I will have a nice evening at the theater she loves the theater as you know she loves the theater oh oh I see not Jimmy Jeannie excuse me mrs. Johnson yes excuse me mrs. Johnson but who is this Jeannie he's taking to the theater oh well she's just a red cross girl he happened to meet over there here go on red cross a anyway he says he's going to take her to the theater when he gets to London then he says I figure this is probably the last leave I'll have for a long time everybody over here is waiting impatiently for you know what to start we talk about very little else and most of our time is spent getting ready for it I'll write you again mom when I get back from London I have to close now because I can hear the sergeant tooting the horn of the truck say hello to mom and dad for me and to anybody else you know would like to hear from me oh my love mom and I know Jimmy or Jeannie joins me in that she's still talking about what a honey of an engagement ring you picked out for it then then there are a lot of X's for kisses I guess then in his name I'm sorry maybe I better take the letter and he's got a post gift he says how's that little kid next door Bill's carrying torch for me say hello to her for me too that's all Ruthie Ruthie dear listen Ruth say Ruth come here a second what's the matter nothing nothing miss Boyle I'm okay sure of course what did that woman in 16 do to you anyhow nothing why don't you leave me alone well what do you make of that I'm sorry this is Johnson if the student aid did anything that I know Ruth very well with my fault it's just that I shouldn't have asked her to read this letter from my son you see he's gotten engaged to an old sweetheart of his over England and Ruthie thought oh I see if you could do anything I think I know how to take care of her to Virginia Weidler as Ruthie Crawford and Jane Darwell as nurse Boyle in junior angel on the cavalcade of America sponsored by DuPont maker of better things for better living through chemistry as our play continues Ruthie has discovered that being a student aid in a hospital in an effort to contribute her bit to the war effort can mean interesting work but also personal heartache and nurse Boyle's experience is the factor best calculated to help Ruthie in her trouble Oh Ruthie really miss Boyle I'm all right oh nonsense I'm not worrying about you there's too much else to worry about now with a very sick patient down the public ward and it's getting on towards suppertime and I don't know where your friend Jean is disappeared to and every bell is ringing at once I just don't know what to do first I suppose that woman in the ward I can take care of her miss Boyle please can I I can find out what she needs and and get it and I don't know she's really pretty sick oh I can take care of her miss Boyle you go take care of the suppers well all right the woman in the bed at the right as you go in the ward right away miss Boyle is there anything I can do for you no no this isn't the nurse but I can do almost everything a nurse can for you your your fight uniform I thought I'm a student aid on this floor can I can I freshen your pillow or or get you a cold drink no no thank you wouldn't wouldn't you like a nice glass of orange juice no there's nothing thanks nothing you you have a bible here would you like me to read it to you oh would you child would you do that sure is there any any special thing you'd like to know no just anything I'll just open it and verily verily I say on to you he that believes it's on me the works that I do shall he do also and greater works with me shall he do because I go on to my father and whatsoever you shall ask in my name that will I do that the father may be glorified in the sun if you shall ask anything in my name I will do it and I will pray the father he shall give you another comforter he may abide with you forever I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you yet a little while in the world see me no more but ye see me because I live ye shall live also peace I leave with you my peace I give on to you not as the world givers I give on to you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid abide in me and I in you and now we are cleaned through the word which I have spoken on to you you thank you child do you feel any better oh yes oh yes thank you it helped me a lot funny but I think it helped me too are you busy miss foil I'd like to talk to you're not busy I mean I actually would what's on your mind Ruth well miss foil I'm going to be a nurse all the rest of my life I definitely am miss boil I've decided I'm not going out with boys anymore I'm not going to go to movies or go dancing or anything not not listen to bands on the radio or anything wait a minute I know it's best this way miss boil I know it's good for me I've decided definitely I'm going to devote my life to nursing well isn't it wonderful Ruth you've got a lot of time to make a decision like that you're talking about the whole lifetime and the lifetime rules can be a very very long time ask me I know don't you like being a nurse miss boil me well right now I've been working for let's see 20 straight hours or maybe you shouldn't ask me such a question why yes yes I like being a nurse Ruthie I wouldn't be anything else but it's for you wait a while I know but it's not yet you've got a lot of roads to go down a lot of things to do a lot of words to hear before you make your decision and after all that you still want to be a nurse well then you'll be a good nurse I guess you've got the makings I'll say that you mean it miss boil you definitely do I definitely do oh thanks miss boil thanks promise after six well so it is I had no idea of a time I've been so busy with my patient hey Ruth listen you forgot Claire's got a surprise it's your birthday happy birthday Claire and I've got to go nurse my sick patient but Ruthie listen Claire's father's going to take us on to town tonight to dance Tommy Dorsey uh Ben and I've got a date for you he's super a man no I think I'll say what's the matter aren't you feeling good I told you my decision Jean I'm not going to have anything more to do with men I'm going to be a nurse all my life like like Florence Nightingale it's it's more holy oh the day I've got for you the lieutenant in the marines in the marines and we're going to Tommy Dorsey tell me Dorsey is he engaged oh Tommy Dorsey the lieutenant in the marine oh no Ruthie he's just my cousin that's the only reason he's coming with us at all mom made him come we can stay till midnight Ruthie well uh where do I meet you I don't suppose just going dancing once with the man would mean anything would it I mean actually it wouldn't thank you Virginia Weidler and Jane Darwell in just a few moments our stars will return to the microphone with miss Margaret Collette who is actually engaged in the work that Ruthie Crawford began in our play and now Clayton Collier speaking for DuPont tells us of one of the ways DuPont cellophane is helping in the important job of food conservation we waste 15 percent of the food in our kitchen it's a shocking fact we the people of the United States waste 15 percent of all the food we take into our home the government asks all of us to help reduce this appalling waste which has a direct bearing on the health and efficiency of our fighting forces where can you watch out for waste right in your own kitchen millions of Americans tomorrow morning will toast slices of bread as part of their breakfast they'll go to the bread box or the kitchen cabinet and take out a loaf of bread they bought today or perhaps the last slices of a loaf several days old the bread will be either fresh or stale if it's fresh it'll be eaten if it's stale it will be wasted well you say what are two slices of bread only two slices two slices of bread wasted once a week in each home equal three million wasted loaves of bread three million loaves of bread will feed a lot of soldiers and sailors the condition of those two slices of bread in your home determine whether they will be eaten or wasted and their condition depends on two things the way the bread is packaged and the way you take care of the package your baker is doing his part many bakers safeguard bread against mold with DuPont microband mold and rope inhibitor in addition the baking industry is packaging bread and other bakery products in materials that give a high degree of protection it is up to you to preserve these packages so that they will continue to do their job in your home in the war against food waste one of DuPont's products is playing a note where they part this is transparent moisture proof cellophane used as a packaging material to protect not only bread but foods of many other types helping to conserve those last two slices of your loaf of bread bread good to the last slice is one of the ways that DuPont cellophane is helping using up these two slices of bread in your home an example of the difference between waste and conservation is one way you personally can help to win the war by putting every morsel of food to work you do your part this reminder is brought to you by DuPont maker of better things for better living through chemistry and now here are Jane Darwell and Virginia Weidler with their guest tonight Miss Margaret Collette a teenage hospital aide thank you everyone standing here at the microphone with Virginia Weidler and me is Margaret Collette one of the many high school girls doing so much these days to help out in our overcrowded hospitals it is not just Virginia with the junior angel of our play tonight I think she ought to ask our real life junior angel about her work thank you Mr. Well tell me Margaret is it awfully hard work you have to do no I don't think it's hard I think it's very interesting well tell us why will you in the first place you get to meet a lot of interesting people you mean soldiers and things well sometimes we do but mostly people in your own town that maybe you've seen around for years and then suddenly instead of being just a well a face there's somebody that you know and like a lot how about the nurses do you like working with them oh yes they're wonderful and they know everything and they're so nice to you you really have the feeling that what you do is important and that you're helping in the war yes and the nurses in the hospital people are always asking us if we can get more girls for them there's any few girls who are listening in tonight really want to contribute part of your time to this patriotic effort once you go to your local hospital and see what you can do to help thank you thank you Margaret and good night our thanks to Virginia Weidler and Jane Darwell for helping us to bring the story of this important contribution by the thousands of school girls who are doing such helpful work in the nation hospital next week DuPont presents Brian Don Levy in Odyssey to Freedom one of the most remarkable and engrossing stories of adventure and pursuit that has yet come out of this war it's about an American who among other things escaped twice from German concentration camps a man whose courage and resolve and love of freedom were so strong that he was able to surmount almost unbelievable obstacles we invite you to join the DuPont Cavalcade audience again next Monday evening when the popular Hollywood star Brian Don Levy will be heard in Odyssey to Freedom tonight's DuPont Cavalcade Orchestra was under the direction of Donald Gourry this is Roland Winters sending best wishes from Cavalcade sponsor the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware this is the national broadcasting company