Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1915-04-01
THAT OLD, SWEET SONG
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.


journeying across the ocean. She was
going over to do her mite in the great
war crisis by singing at numerous ben
efits and concerts and in the hospitals
for wounded soldiers and sailors.
1t was not until she had reached the
lowest shelf of her music cabinet that
Enid found the old, old song that
Capt. Cyril Baker had given her. The
irresponsible, fascinating young scape
grace of the British army had been
in New York just long enough to cap
ture a few foolishly feminine hearts,
to borrow money from everyone who
was unwise enough to give 1t to him,
and to disappear into future no less
vague than the past from which he
had come.
my mother used to sing this to
me-" he had said softly. "Will you
too sing it to me? want to hear you
now" The effect of the dainty hon.
age on Enid came wildly back to her
as she sat three years later look
ing over the song. A flush crept into
her cheeks even as it had on that
other day, and Enid wondered if she
would ever see the fiattering young
neer-do-well again.
Enid put the beautiful little song
called RUBY" into her oyerburdened
folio with a hope that its donor would
find that salvation held out to SO many
men in times of war. Perhaps among
the thousands of khaki-clad figures she
would see Captain Baker. She was
curiously, and without much reason, in
terested in the career of the hand
some, irresponsible officer.
The men had been brought into the
big sun parlor of the hospital, some
carried in on stretchers, others in
chairs and some of them could limp
in on the arms of their nurses. Enid
had never expected, in the whole of
her musical career, to sing before so
completely wrecked an assembly of
living men.
She was standing quietly after a
storm of applause when one of the
nurses approached the platform.
Have you, by any chance, song
called Ruby?" the nurse asked Enid.
"one of my patients is longing for it."
Enid smiled and glanced swiftly
over the mass of upturned faces.
1T is not very cheerful song," she
said. "But l will be glad to sing il"
Her hurried glance had failed to find
a familiar golden head that somehow
she had expected with the request for
| the song. Her accompanist left the
platform and Enid sat down at the
piano and played the dainty, ripping
melody.
In so far as she could watch her
audience Enid watched for one sol
der among them who was more than
interested in the song. She was curl
GUS to see who it was that was ia
miliar with the old-time favorite. In
the far corner a man, so wound with
bandages as to be unacceptable, was
leaning forward.
But when she had finished the of
ficer who had been leaning forward
had been wheeled away. Enid
searched for the nurse who had spok-
en- with her, but she, too, had disap-
peared.
Out in the corridor Enid was
| stopped by one of the surgeons.
Il am going to hold you responsible
for the sudden desire on the part OF
one of my patients to i've"
IT" Enid laughed back at the sur.
4 geon. What have I done?"
you have sung life back into the
heart of young daredevil officer
whom we had all given up. He had
come back from the battlefield wound
ed, hero who has won the Victoria
Cross, and has stepped into title and
huge estates, but it took your song to
make him fight for his own life. He
has begun the fight and if he wins
you and your song have saved him
Desire is a great factor as stimu
liant along with our medicines. You
have given young Blaker that desire
and want to shake hands with you
When Enid stood beside the young
officer who was lying with his face
to the wall, she did not speak until
the door had closed upon the sur
geon.
Why did you not make yourself
known to me?" she asked softly, and
Blaker turned swiftly.
Il am ashamed of my past" he said
and did not offer his unbandage6
hand, but his eyes deyoured the beauty
of her face and told Enid that new
man had arisen from the experience
of the past. The gentle fiattery was
still there and Enid suddenly knew
that it would always be there for her
She put her hand softly over his.
You have done much to be un
ashamed of and your future Is before
YOU"
The blue OF Bakers eyes deepened
He looked steadily into Ends sud
denly blushing face. She scarcely
realized that during three long years
her heart had chung to the hope thai
one day she would stand face to face
with the scapegrace captain OF tbs