Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-11-17

boards were all smashed well. l did
what l could as a combatant-"
She shivered In the wet and cold In
spite of a struggle not to, and when
she replied to Jim her words were I'M
steady. He had no garment which
was not drenched. SO he put an arm
about her and drew her close to him.
when we've gone a little further
we can sit up. but not now" he said.
mo-"
He was the stronger one this night.
and as he had chung to her and told
her of himself that night when she
led him by the hand from beside the
bodies of comrades at N "a. so she
chung to him now, and as he question
ed her she told him of herself. She
was Beatrice Logan and her mother
lived near Utica. Her father had been
a lawyer there: when he died she had
come to New York alone; she had
worked up In the telephone company
till she was superintendent of an *
change. She had been twenty-four
only the month before.
About Agnes age she was. Her lit
tie form was light and soft, quite like
Agnes, and her breath was gently
warm upon his cheek: a strand Of her
hair touched his brow. She was as
d~elicately feminine as Agnes, yet she
had fought or aided those who fought
and risked death-was risking it with
him now-from the same u~nopposable
impulse which possessed him. He
valued her, she valued him because
they had fought. Was there something
finer and nobler and higher in the
faith which Agnes held than in that
which made this girl eager to risk and
endure what she had suffered? Tho
shell shock; that must have terribly
shaken this frail. brave little form
the awful, constant bruising of the
fabric Of the body, the shredding Of
the soul; then there were ever the bor-
rorsl of the ruins and the streets.
If Agnes had been in New York in
stead of in Illinois and had heard the
approach of the conqueror. heral1ed
by the tongue Of his guns blasting the
way before him, might she not has
done as this girl beside him had don47
Might it not be that Agnes alreacy
had changed and begun to understand
Long, long weeks had passed since La
had heard of Agnes or of any n III
home. Bob. who had gone on the Arr
IONA In the great sea battle. where
was he?
Jim had learned that a few of the
officers and men from some Of the
American ships had reached shore.
Those who had been able had taken
charge Of harbor defenses and had
manned the naval craft, which for a
long time had helped to prevent the
regent from crossing the meats ABOUT
Manhattan. He had inquired many
times of Wendell. but he had learned
nothing. Was Nellie still waiting for
word of Bob and Agnes for tidings of
him?
The American censor had not yet re-
leased the news that New York was
taken. but it was known before mid
!, light In -Efgin. III. 1t went from lip
10 lip, upon mere verbal authority, al
the truth about the naval battle was
first reported. 1t reached Agnes home
thus about II o'clock. A servant who
had been downtown in the little city
brought the report. Agnes telephOned
to Nellie and then put her toilet things
in a bundle and went up to spend the
night with Jim's sister.
Nellie was In bed, but she got up
and went into the guest room to sleep
there with Agnes. They had spent
many nights together in the last weeks,
but always they slept in h guest
room, which now was Agnes room"
The room which Nellie had shared
with Bob and where she still kept his
things was a shrine only for herself.
Fog and chill weather were over the
Hudson. In Illinois the night was
warm and clear, with a great yellow
harvest moon over the trees outside
Agnes window. The window was up.
The girls could hear Nathan Ashby's
heavy step crunching the dry leaves
on the walk as be came home at mid
night from the factory, which was
working twenty-four hours a day max
ing cartridges for the army. From the
WluQOW WAl(h lOOhCo WAY tAO tO"A
one might see the flames from the
stacks glaring scarlet above the little
city.
Nathan Ashby entered the house and
ascended the stairs with slower step
than usual for him; then, as he went
to his room, his step steadied. His
wife opened the bedroom door. He
ctoonad and Kissed her
"The regent has taken New York,
Nathan she said to him TREMENDOUSLY.
Eyes, mother" Nathan Ashby's big
hand was on his little wife's shoulder,
which was shaking. WELL, we ship
ped 100000 cartridges to Jim today"
ITO Jim, Nathan?"
ITO Jim, mother, or-or for him.
Come on, mother. I'm awful tired"