Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-09-03
TheGirlHeL
Behind Him
BY F. A. Mitchell

on his fathers farm. lie mad received
only a few years schooling, but he
was a bit of a philosopher in his own
way. He was engaged to be married
to Ellen Briefly and expected to In.
herit her fathers farm and live and
die there. Ellen was a high strung,
emotional girl and when the war with
Germany broke out insisted that John
should enlist.
"What for?" asked John.
"Why, all the men are enlisting."
at seems to me, If that's SO. some
one 'ad better stay 'ome and do the
farmin'."
"But think of the excitement Of CO.
ing off to the war with the flags flying,
the drums beating and the band play.
ing The Girl l Left Behind Mer"
"And hobblin' back singin' the leg ]
left behind me-"
"John, I'm afraid you're a coward"
John looked at her, leaning on the
spade with which he had been dig.
ging, then threw 1t down and said:
81 can't stand that from the girl !
love. I'm goin' to enlist"
"Forgive me-" said Ellen, throwing
her arms about him. II knew you
weren't afraid to go to the war. /
thought you needed a little prodding."
"I'm goln' to war to please you. I
don't believe in wars. The fellers that
go either don't come back or, If they
do, they find the excitement all over
and people talkin' about somethln' else.
They don't cut no figure at all. The
fellers that stayed at 'ome has got the
Jobs, and the soldier as to git a llvin'
the best way e can"
Don't fear for that, Johnny, dear.
I'll be ere to welcome you back, and
IL you are MANNED I'll take care of you
for the rest Of your life"
She kissed him and patted him to
make him feel better about the sacri-
fee he was making, but Johnny refus-
ed to be comforted. However, he went
to the nearest recruiting station and
enlisted. When he marched away with
the regimental band playing 'The Girl
l Left Behind Me" Ellen stood by the
roadside waving her handkerchief at
him, her eyes bedimmed with tears.
One day, the better part of a year
later, a discharged soldier, walking
along a road in Yorkshire on n flesh
leg and a wooden one, met a man with
a hoe on his shoulder.
aATfatorf ,, aatd tha nv aoIIsow frIIs
been to the war. Hi was taken prison
err by the Germans on the battlefield,
all hexcept my leg, that was shot Off
and wasn't worth anything. l been a
prisoner for months, but was hex
changed not long ago and sent 'ome.
l went from this place and want to
arsk you about some people l left ere.
Wot's become o. Ellen Brierly2"
"Wot's Ellen Briefly to your" snarl-
ed the man.
"Wot's she to me? A good deal,
SEEM that HI went to. the war for 'er
sake and left my leg In Belgium for
err sake too"
"Are you John 'Obbs?"
"Fauncy l are, wot's left O. me. Be-
sides my leg, my right and as gone
and my left heye."
"And you've come back to marry
your sweet'eartp"
"Hi fauncy. She promised to take
car o. me for the rest o. my life If l
came back MANNED"
The man looked thoughtful, stroked
his beard, changed the leg he was
standing on several times, then said:
'"This ere promisin' to take care o.
any one for life is a bad business"
COW SOP"
81 promised to take care of a wom-
an for 'er life, and I'm a-doin' of it,
but it's a ard job. l wouldn't mind
givin' 'er to you to take are of you"
81 don't want 'er. l want Ellen
Briefly, the girl / left behind me when
| went to the war and the girl l went
to the war to please"
"Im sorry you did that"
"Why?"
"Well, your goin' to the war got me
into a lot O. trouble. l was mighty
Independent in them days. l 'ad no
Y hONoOCf L n gill lOOh Il
shine to me and married me. / amt
'ad no peace since"
"1s that wot comes o. matrimony3 2"
'That's wot come to me. See ERE,
young fellow. l fancy it was very
ard stayin' in German 'ospitals and
leavin' your leg and your fingers be-
hind you and losin' your eye, but you
missed a lot O. troubles worse than
that by goin'."
"Wot troublesT"
"The troubles o. matrimony. You
missed 'em; l got EN-"
low SOP"
~ married the girl you left behind
you"
"Wotl You married Ellen Brierly?"
~ did. j knew that a Teller named
John 'Obbs that 'ad gone to the war
was expectin' to marry 'er when e
got back-if he ever did git back-and
I khn.r0hk I yo xuroNolnp yfDa INaSk