Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-04-30
BY
EMMA LEE WALTON

were red with recent tears, but she
spoke bravely and without tremor to
someone in the other room.
There are some boys out here play
ing tag" she said with a poor imita-
ton of laugh zone Of them just
fell into puddle. He looks so funny"
When Billy went to West Point he
said there wouldn't be anybody to
fight" the littlest brother submitted
shakily. LESS 1t was Indians. Now
they send him to war"
Mary drew a quick breath. Their
mother was sewing in the library
while Lionel read aloud to her, and
she must not hear She must not
think they weren't being brave. too.
Come here, Bobbie," Mary said
softly. From here you can see way
up the street"
The littlest brother came gladly, be-
cause he was lonely and forlorn. On
the wide window-seat it was brighter,
and one could see a telegraph boy a
block away If one came. Then, too,
Mary would talk, and mother was so
silent it frightened body. Ever since
the newspaper had said, yesterday,
that an officer, lieutenant of the
Forty-second, had been killed away OFF
there, mother had not slept, and she
was so white 1t seemed there we're
not many lieutenants in company of
the Forty-second, and somebody
named Censor had held back the name.
VIII the president telegraph.
Mary?" he asked in a whisper. do
you think it's Billy, do your"
Mary was gazing wild-eyed at boy
in blue who came whistling down the
street. What should she do If he
came to their steps? Could she get
there before he rang? How could she
tell mother, how could she?
IF 1t is Billy, will they put flowers
on his grave, Mary?" the littlest
brother asked. MARY, is that boy
coming here, is he?"
NO." Mary said with little gasp.
He's gone to Mrs. Winthrop's. / sup
pose their aunt is coming to visit. Go
open the door for the postman, there's
a good boy. The postman is coming,
| AAOthCAg bhC SoAlSus A9OOblC 10 6SI-
ting the mail"
Thus would mother be saved the
fear that message had come. Lionel
closed the book, and she could hear
him speaking with brave jocularity.
We'll, we'd have heard by this time.
anyhow. / said all along there wasn't
anything to worry about. 1t isn't as il
he were all alone. He's got lot OF
friends in the regiment, you know, and
somebody'd wire. They'd have plenty
of time, because they never do much
the day after fight"
Bobbie brought in the mail, all cast
aside for the picture postals from Billy
which they admired while mother read
his fat letter in silence. It was the
custom to read Billy's letters aloud
but no one wanted the task now. Each
could read by himself, except the lit
tlest brother, and Mary read it to him
in a whisper on the window-seat. Deer
down In their hearts they knew they
might have worse than this to bear
with Billy's CHEEKY letters coming
every little while, even though Billy
himself were lying silent In another
land, under the flag of the alien, the
enemy. How could they bear it then.
The telephone rang mistakenly
harshly, and Lionel, who was not wor
ried, sprang with one leap to answer
it, his one awful thought being tina
they did telephone the kilograms some
times. The color came back to hi
face as he listened.
Its father" he said at once. III,
says Lionel added after a moment
. "he says that headquarters has had NJ
news, and he thinks that is eneourag
! ing. They would have heard, he thinks
, He is coming home early"
Father could not do any business
i then? What mattered it whether Their,
i was any business done any more
q what mattered anything? Mary. OIL
. the window-seat. her arm over BOZ
bie's shoulder, could see, hundreds 0
;. miles away, the little group of mel
!. fighting desperately against the ad
a vancing hordes and one by one falling
| where they had stood. guarding tn
I stores. A lieutenant was very young
d just out of the Point, gay, debonair, al
g fectionate, home-loving boy that h
vast
Il So the time dragged along and IA
e Their came home. He talked abou
business and the men who had bee
+. In to see him, about a runaway hors
r. that had upset a banana cart, an
about a story in n MAGAZINE hut h
=. said no word of Billy. He and mothe
! sat side by side as he talked, an
Il when mother laid her hand on tn
r arm Of his chair he put his hand owe
hers and held it. The papers tosse
4 on the library table no one ha
: touched. The wild excitement owe
r the war, the thrill at news of battles
the patriotic anxiety to do somethin
q to help had left them under the clou
. OF a possible personal loss. Billy
!. Why, 1t was only last winter he ha
q been with them, acting like a sma
j boy, with more charming pranks in
!. half-hour than little Bobbie coul
think up in day.
II HE was SO thoughtful" mothe
e whispered, speaking at last to tn
i. strong man beside her. do you r
member how he brought home thos
! mint candies because he knew l wa
= fond of them? And how he got up i
u the middle of the night to oil b