The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-19

that come to your house. II you like. even
/ If they are not for you.
After a heated discussion, Alice and Os-
| valid said they weren't afraid, whoever
was; and they retraced their steps, Alice
holding the postcard right way up, so that
we should not look at Lottery part of it,
but only the address. With quickly beating
hearts, but outwardly unmoved, they
| walked up to the White Cottage door. 1t
opened with bang when we knocked.
'Well?" Mrs. Simpkins said, and l think
| she said it, what people in books call
''sourly.'
Oswald said. I'VE are very sorry we
! spoiled your turnips, and we will ask my
father to thy and make it up to you some
other way
| She muttered something about not want
ing to he beholden to anybody.
I'VE came back" Oswald went on, with
his always unruffled politeness, because
the postman gave us postcard u mis-
take. with our letters. 1t is addressed to
you"
I'VE haven't read it," Alice said quickly
l think she needn't have said that-of
course We hadn't; but perhaps girls know
better than we do what women likely
to think you capable of.
The soldiers mother took the postcard
she snatched it really, but took is
kinder word, considering all-and she look
ed at the address long time. Then she
turned it over and read what was on the
back d
Then she drew her breath in as far as
1t would go, and caught hold of the door
post. Her face got awful. 1t was like
the face of dead king saw once at Mad
anne Tussaud's
Alice understood. She caught hold OF
the soldiers mothers hand and said: "Oh.
no; it's not your boy Billi'
And the woman said nothing, bat showed
the postcard into Aliee's hand, aud we
both read it. And it was her boy Bill.
Alice gave her back the card. She had
held on to the woman's handEall the time.
and now she squeezed the hand and held
1t against her face. But she could not say
word, because she was crying so. The
soldiers mother took the card again, and
she pushed Alice away, but 1t was not an
unkind push, and she went in and shut
the door; and as Alice and Oswald went
down the road. Oswald looked back, and
one OF the windows of the cottage had
white blind. Afterward the other win
dows had, too. There were no blinds really
to the cottage. 1t was aprons and things
she had pinned up.
Alice cried most of the morning, and SO
did Dora We wanted 10 do something for
the soldiers mother. but you can do moth
ing when other peoples sons are shot,
do something for people who are unhappy.
and not to know what 20 do.
II was Noel who thought of what we
could do, at last. He said: Il suppose
they don't put any tombstones to soldiers.
when they die in war-out there, l mean?"
Oswald said, "Of course not
Noel said: 81 daresay you'll think It
silly, but l don't care. Don't you think
she'd like it II we put up one to him?
Tn+ tn, h. rbnr ri ~ btYf in
our garden, just where it joins on to the
churchyard.''
And we all thought it was first-rate
idea
This is what we meant to put on the
tombstone:
Here Lies
BILL STMPKINS,
Who Died Fighting for Queen and Country
"A faithful son,
son so dear,
A soldier brave
Lies buried here.o
Then we remembered that poor brave
Bill was really buried far away in the
Southern Hemisphere. II at all. so we al
tered It to
"a soldier brave
We weep for here"
Then We looked out a nice flagstone in |
the stableyard, and We got a cold chisel |
out of fathers box, and began.
But stonecutting is difficult and danger |
GUS work. Oswald went at II bit, but |
he Clipped his thumb. and 1t bled SO he |
had TO chuck 1t. Then Dicky tried, and |
then Noel. But Dicky hammered his in- |
ger, and Noel took all day over every |
stroke. so that by teatime we had only |
done the H and about half the e. and
the H" was awfully crooked.
We looked at II the next morning. and |
even the most sanguinaceous OF US saw
that 1t was a hopeless task
Then Dick said: why not wood and |
paint?"
We got board and two stumps from the |
In the village. And We painted |
Il all white And when that was dry we
did the words on 1t. II was something like
this: