Tombstone epitaph., 1915-04-18
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 lConyri3ht Tha Frank A Munsev Cnl

Mary sat by the front window, crouched down. watching. Her eyes 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 poor imita- tion of laugh. One of them just fell into a 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 it 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 telegraph boy a | block away if one came. Then, too, Mary would talk. and mother was so silent it frightened a body. Ever since that an officer. a lieutenant of the Forty second. had been killed away oil | there, mother had not slept. and she was so white It seemed there were not many lieutenants in c company of l the Forty-second. and somebody named Censor had held back the name.
 Will the president telegraph, Nary" he asked in whisper. Do you think it's Billy, do you?"
 Mary was gazing wild-eyed at a 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 it is Billy. will they put flowers on his grave, Mary?" the httles, brother asked. Mary. is that boy coming here. is he?"
 No" Mary said with a little gasp Hes gone to Mrs. Winthrop's. I sup pose their aunt is coming to visit. Go open the door for the postman, there's good boy. The postman is coming mother" she called. Robbie is get ting the mail"
 Thus would mother be saved the fear that a message had come. Lione closed the book, and she could heal him speaking with a brave jocularity
 Well, wed have heard by this time anyhow. I said all along there wasn't anything to worry about. It isn't as i
 he were all alone. He's got lot o
 friends in the regiment, you know, anC somebody'd wire. They'd have plenty of time, because they never do muct the day after a fight"
 | Robbie brought in the mail, all cast aside for the picture postals from Billy
 which they admired while mother reac
 his fat letter in silence. It was the custom to read Billy's letters aloud
 but no one wanted the task now. Eacf could read by himself. except the lit
 tlest brother, and Mary read it to hin
 in whisper on the window-seat. Deer down in their hearts they knew they
 might have worse than this to bear
 with Billy's cheery letters coming every little while, even though Billy
 land, under the flag of the alien, the
 enemy. How could they bear it then.
 The telephone rang insistently
 harshly, and Lionel, who was not wor
 ried, sprang with one leap to answer
 it, his one awful thought being tha
 they did telephone the telegrams some
 times. The color came back to hi:
 face as he listened.
 Its father" he said at once. "ht
 says" Lionel added after moment
 he says that headquarters has had nc
 news, and he thinks that is encourag
 ing. They would have heard, he thinks
 He is coming home early"
 Father could rot do any business
 then? What mattered it whether there
 was any business done any more
 what mattered anything? Mary, or
 the window-seat, her arm over Bob
 bie's shoulder. could see, hundreds O
 miles away, the little group of mel | hSLllAs tGSpcldlclg dediHsl tut du vancing hordes and one by one fallin,
 where they had stood. guarding th' stores. A lieutenant was very young
 just out of the Point. gay, debonair, af fectionate, home-loying boy that h. : was,
 So the time dragged along and ia ther. came home. He talked abou . business and the men who had beel : in to see him, about a runaway hors'
 that had upset banana cart, an, . about a story in a magazine. but h, , said no word of Billy. He and mothe : sat side by side as he talked, an, when mother laid her hand on tn arm of his chair he put his hand owe : hers and held it. The papers tosse,
 on the library table no one ha, touched. The wild excitement ove the war. the thrill at news of battles the patriotic anxiety to do somethin
 to help had left them under the clou of a possible personal loss. Billy Why, it was only last winter he ha ? been with them, acting like a smal
 boy. with more charming pranks in