The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-03-11
ow'He Changed
His Mind
by EDITH v. ROSS

Miss Luells Denton. an American
sirl sojourning In England. jolned in
he work of scading comforts TO the
soldiers lighting In France and Bel
GUM. Miss Denton on looking ovsr
some books she 0wDed selected ~.
eral novels aud took them TO chs
vvms wbefv supplies wers being pack-
d They wers sent " France aud dis
Iibuted with other things among ths
roldiers at the front.
Aiss Denton bad not noticed that her
name was In one Of the books. The
novel was gfvso TO the Forctxn kxSga,
omppsed VI all pationalities. e1cep<
Frenth b. aud fell into the hands Of Pr
rate Joseph wilkins. an American
fuuth who happened 30 be In Paris
AZ the breaking out OF the war and
aad enlisted In that corps.
One dag when Private wilkins was
zone seven or eight feet underground
getting tired OF listening TO shells
rrecching over his head. he "a " q book
ying on the bottom Of the trench and
;ook II up. Listlessly opening Il. on
q hyleaf he read written In pencil
-Luella Denton"
IL peace had been declared wilkins
sould not have been more astonLshed.
year before In Miss Dentons home
u America he bad proposed 70 her
She had considered his proposition for
three days. then turned him down.
The young soldier was not interested
IN the novel further than that Il had
,ome from Miss Denton. Indeed. be
AID not read a word OF H. He was sx.
pecting at any minute 20 be killed.
and one In such condition IL not apt
% give bis attention 10 reading. New
srtbeless be formed a resolution to
write 20 Miss Denton a letter from an
unknown grateful soldier Might he
not still win her by correspondence
Fortunately for his plan Miss Den
on had left a card between the leaves
which she had used as q bookmark,
With London address on IL II was
possible that this address was that OF
hru. Denton. Al any rate. when VII
Eins found the means 20 write and
send a letter he used the address on
he card. He took care to disguise his
handwriting aud sign an assumed
same.
One morning Miss Denton received
m epistle from soldier In the trench
- thanking her for the great relief az
torded him by the novel she had sent
He assured her that II was just the
thing needed 10 divert bis mind from
Heath. which continually stared him In
the face. Would she not write him a
letterf Whenever the danger was
most appalling he would read II. and
be was sure Il would draw his thoughts
from a constant presence OF death.
Now. Miss Denton was q romantic
Toung woman and had refused wilkins
IN the ground that she could not love
one 80 matter OF fact She was well
pleased TO have given comfort TO . sol
iier who was constantly exposed 10
Heath. She wrote long letter TO the
poor man. mainly composed OF such
Items as were TO bs found In the news
Pepctns uuuIersius W uib COfpo ID
France. II reached his company, and
be had notified the mail distributor that
tbs name II bore had been assumed
by him.
wilkins was delighted. He wrote
again. dwelling on the comfort her
etter had given him. Whenever a
she'll burst over his head. he said. or
q eomrade was killed beside him he
felt that be would 20 insane from the
OF such horrors. At such
times be read her letter. and II always
brought back his nerve. To preserve
u be bad placed II In . TIN Cigarette
Dor and kept II In his left pocket. A
fragment Of a shell had struck him
over the heart and had been turned
aside by the metal. Her letter bad
saved bis life.
wilkins had no opportunity 20 TO
ceive or write another letter for In a
bayonet charge be was wounded and
as soon as possible sent across the
He was finally removed 70
London and not long after arriving