Evening star., 1917-11-11

I'd always shied at adverdsin' my
sentiments that way. Yet. after Whit
tie had wished this gold-plated enamel
button on me. I didn't feel like takin'
1t of, for fear Of hurtin' his feelin's.
He seemed SO much In earnest about
1t.
Well. it was the same way about the
liberty bonds. and raisin' the Red
Cross fund. and half a dozen other
things. Almost before the schemes got
well started, Whittle was at me about
'ern. urgin' me to talk 'em up. Not
naggy or disagreeable. He Just seemed
to take 1t for granted / was as en-
thusiastic as he was.
And inside of a month or so he'd
come out of his shell wonderful. He
was chairman of the loan committee.
organized the Red Cross drive, and so
on 1 expect I'd have done my share
all right, If there hadn't been any
Whittle. Maybe I'd hung back a bit at
first, to think it over. But I never
had the chance. He'd come around and
drag me in at the very start.
Hang it all"'1 says to Sadie,
"Whittle acts like this was his war"
Then, there was that remark Of his
about the time they was signin' up for
the draft. think 1t was the day after
when he halls me from across the
street and comes paddin' over.
well, friend McCabe." says he, II
presume you registered?"
NO" says l. I'm a few months too
ripe"
sympathetic. 81 had hoped that-well
perhaps you may serve in some other
way"
wanted to tell him was just as salts
fed for 'em to run the bloomin' war with
out me. I've never been very strong for
this hep-hep stuff, and I hadn't quite
doped out what we was fghtin' for, any
way. Also. I'd listened to so many of
clipped Steel coupons all day and then
went out in the evenin' to sit on a plat
form and cheer the grand old flag, that I'd
grown a bit leary. Whittle might mean
it all. and maybe he was bein' useful: but
he knew there was no chance of his bein'
called on to do anything more risky than
preside at some meetin'. If there was,
would he be such a war booster? I
wondered.
Even after meetin' him and Ernest in
town that day, I still had my suspicious.
1t seemed Ernest had volunteered for
there he was in pair of e-bottomed
blue trousers. and half yard of thin
white neck showin' above the low-cut
point Of his middle blouse
''Well. WELL" says I. $50 the youngster
has Joined up, has he?"
Yes" says Luther J.. blinkin' solemn:
rHe has enlisted in the Naval Reserve -
You don't say!" says I. Didn't
know he was quite old enough. Where
you goin' to start in swattin' the Hun.
Ernest
II am at the Brooklyn navy yard now.
SIR" says Ernest.
''Learnin' to handle big guns. eh?" 1
asks, winkin' at Whittle.
mot yet. sir says Ernest. I'VE have
been painting sheds and peelng potatoes.
But. when some OF the new destroyers are
finished. shall probably get active
duty. One Is expected next week"
AS soon as that" says ]. turnin' to
Whittle. Then the young man is apt
to get right into the thick of it before
long. He'll be chasin' U-boats over in
the Irish sea. Fine business
Whittle takes off his glasses and wipes
'em careful.
Ernest" says he. sis going to do his
duty, wherever he may be sent: and we
his mother and sister and I-are glad
and proud that he wants to do 1t. We
are going to miss him lot, though. Our
only boy, you know. McCabe."
And say, blamed If he don't get choky
over it. Them mild blue eyes Of his come
mighty near leakin', too
Ernest, he don't say anything more,
but Just slips a hand into one of the old
mans and gives him grip.
buckin' up. "T know But Mr.. NC
they drift across 42d street.
Struck me as a bit soft at the time.
But then. it was about what you'd ex-
pect of a chap like Whittle. Kind of
STACEY, ali that emotional stuff
couldn't see why he should spring it on
me.
You know how slow we was gettin'
used to this war business. Little Sully
was the first one at our house to get the
fever. And he had 1t hard, as he does
everything he catches, from base ball
to measles.i About all he wanted was