After the Dancing Days, by Margaret Rostkowski
Dr. Metcalf served as a doctor in the field hospitals during World War 1. After the war, he returns to Kansas and goes to work at St. John’s Hospital where he continues to treat wounded soldiers. Mrs. Metcalf, haunted by her brother’s death in the trenches of France, wants to forget all about the war.
But, Annie can’t forget the men who got off the train with her father – the men without legs or arms, the men with horribly scarred faces, the men with bandages covering their eyes. She feels a need to help but her first encounter with a severely burned soldier at St. John’s leaves her ashamed and embarrassed.
Annie forces herself to go back and meet the soldier again. After talking with him and learning his name, she begins to forget his startling appearance. Soon, Annie and Andrew Crayton become good friends. Then, Mrs. Metcalf sees Andrew, and she refuses to let Annie visit him again.
When Annie’s Grandfather MacLeod suffers a heart attack, Mrs. Metcalf takes him to Colorado to recuperate. With her mother away, Annie disobeys her and returns to the hospital. Because of her friendship, Andrew is able to regain a positive attitude toward life. Annie’s selfless service even helps her mother move past her grief.
