The Glenwood post., 1916-11-11
' - - - ~f- =
poLLY's SOLDIER
BY ELLIS GRAHAM.

wide-eyed, sat silently tanning a
wounded soldier.
He had been brought in during the
day with a shattered arm and bull
let wound in the side and now he
tossed feverish and delirious on his
mattress bed, one OF two dozen IN the
ruins of the old mission. The heat
was almost unbearable, not a breath
of air stirring in that desert region.
The little nurse was thinking as she
famed, and this was what it was all
about:
1t was cherry time and girl and
4 man were out under the crimson.
heart tree. The girl had a color in her
cheeks almost as rich as that of the
cherries the young man had hung over
each of her ears, and her lips, juice
stained, were too tempting to resist.
Il love you, Polly!" he declared. i'm
petuously seizing her in his arms.
Tell me all over again.
81 love you, Will! !" she declared hap
PLY. smuggling up close to his breast
"And you'll never, never forget
Promise!'
Il promise
"And no matter what anybody ever
says. you'll never go back on me. Cross
your heart, Polly!"
And Polly solemnly crossed her
heart.
That evening ut dinner Polly's fa-
ther said: ''It looks as though we are
going to have war. The militia has
been ordered out"
Poor white Polly had dropped her
fork and the cheeks that had matched
the cherries had gone white as the
tablecloth. For Will was captain in
The local Guard and that meant-oh,
what?
"Are you sure, daddy?'
"les, Pauline, I'm sorry to say it's
true"
whats wrong, Polly?' exclaimed
her mother.
Nothing she answered with dry
lips, except that l was thinking that
some of the boys we know will nave
to co.
"I suppose so. Will Fielding has
Why, Polly" For the girl was un-
able to endure it any longer, had
rushed from the table to her room.
She knew her parents were discussing
her behavior and that her conduct
had been as good as confession, but
what Of it? She loved Will Fielding
and there wasn't any reason why they
shouldn't know.
But, later, her mother came to her
and kindly but firmly told her that she
was too young to fall in love, and, be-
sides, that although personally she
liked VIII well enough, the family was
new and she couldn't consent to a
daughter of hers marrying into q fam
lily no one knew anything about.
And so things went on for three
days. Then something occurred, some
thing dreadful. Polly had never
learned the exact truth, for no one
would tell her. 1t was something
about the diamond ring her mother
lost.
She had dressed for party and
gone to the kitchen before leaving to
tell Nora about dinner. Finding that
her rings interfered with her gloves,
she had drawn them off and laid them
on the table in the kitchen, intending
to drop them into her bag. But she
was half way to the car before she re-
membered them and returned. Norah,
in the meantime, had taken a basket
and gone out for cherries for pies. lcav-
ing the doors open. That was all they
would tell her, except that when her
was gone, and that night her parents
made her promise never tc see VIII
again. And on the other hand. the
company marched away with never a
goodby. from VIII, nor so much as
salute from him us he had passed
The sick man moaned and muttcred
something.
"Polly! Good-by. Polly!' he said.
won't you say good-by? What's the
matter with everybody?' More NUT
tering and then: Nobody was at
home, Polly. l cut across the back
way and Duke ran into the kitchen. l
chased him out, and he tore your
mothers silk dress. She hates Duke.
Poor Duke! Good-by, Polly, dear"
"Wil," breathed the little nurse
softly, "live for my sake, VIII. There
was some mistake l am sure, and it
will come out all right"
Dawn came swift and hot and a
horse galloped near. It was messen-
ger with mail. There were letters for
! Polly, one from home and she opened
1t eagerly. Dear little girl" wrote
her mother, 81 hope you are safe and
well and not working too hard Fa-
ther and 1 are so anxious about you,"
and so on. Then, after other bits Of
news, "You'll be surprised to hear
found my ring. 1t was very queer the
way 1t was lost. We found it stick