Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-12
Euening Story
POlLY'S SOLDlE r.
BY Ellis Graham.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)

Newspaper Syndicate.)
The little white nurse, weary but
wide eyed, sat silently tanning a
wounded soldier.
He had been brought in during the
day with shattered arm and bullet
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 breath of air stirring
in that desert region. The little nurse
was thinking as she famed and this
was what 1t was all about.
1t was cherry time and girl and u
man were out under the crimson heart
tree. There were a ladder and has
ket, too, and some buckets but the
June afternoon passed so quickly for
these two, that strangely enough when
the si'> lows were getting long and it
was time to 60 home the basket wasn't
nearly half full and the tree hung as
heavy as ever with the crimson fruit.
But 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.
II love you, Polly!" he declared, i'm
petuously seizing her in his arms.
TELL me all over again."
II love you, Win" she obeyed hap
PLY, smuggling up close to his breast,
And you'll never, never forget!'
Promise!" .. .#.s.
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. .-a .-s ....
Dear girl!" And he kissed here
again. We'll, it's getting late and I
suppose we'll have to go. Goodness,
what will your mother say? We have
hardly any cherries. Let's hurry. We
can fill the thing in fifteen minutes"
And SO, working for dear life, they
had proudly taken their burden home.
That evening at dinner Polly's faith
er said: 1T looks as though we are
going to have war. The militia has
been ordered out"
TOO bad!" exclaimed her mother.
Il was hoping things would be smooth
ed over"
But poor white Polly had dropped
her fork and the cheeks that had
matched the cherries had gone white
as the tablecloth. For Will was cap
tain In the local guard and that meant
oh what?
Are you sure daddy?" ..@
"Yes, Pauline, I'm sorry to say It's
true"
Whats wrong, Polly exclaimed
her mother.
Nothing" she answered with dry
lips, Except that I was thinking that
some of the boys we know will have
to CO."
Il suppose So Will Fielding has
something to do with it hasn't he?
Why, Polly" For the girl, unable 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 a 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 Will we'll enough, the family was
new and she couldn't consent to a
daughter Of hers marrying into fam
was just as we'll that the young man
was going away.
And so things went on for three
days. Then something occurred, some
thing dreadful Polly had never learn
ed 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 had taken a
basket and gone out for cherries for
pies, leaving the doors open. That
was all they would tell her, except that
when her mother returned the two
carat diamond was gone, and that
night her parents made her promise
never to see Will again. And, on the
other hand, the company marched
away with never a goodbye from Will,
nor SO much as salute from him as
he had passed.
The sick man moaned and muttered
something The little nurse stopped
to catch the words, but they were In.
coherent beyond understanding. Gent
ly she touched the scorching forehead
and drew her hand away frightened.
She stopped tanning and wringing out
cloth in cool water, bathed his face
and hands.
Polly! Goodbye, Polly!" he said.
Wont you say goodbye? What's the
matter with everybody More mutter-
ing and then: Nobody was at home,
Polly. cut across the back way and
Duke ran into the kitchen. chased
him out and he tore your mothers
silk dress. She hates Duke. Poor
Duke Good bye Polly dear!"
The night wore on. White uniform
ed nurses and two surgeons worked
increasingly under the uncertain light
Of two oil lamps. In the distance was
the faint booming of guns. The little
nurse came back as soon as she could
be spared and sat by the delirious
man's he'd Rut he was NOT so hot