Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1917-08-25
N OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
THE COWARD. = =
BY EARL REED SllVERS. pa
rrE rQ@n Han ma Wp

said listlessly.
The rather good.looking man sitting
beside her opened his eyes with un.
affected surprise. The scar on his left
cheek grew llvid.
"Why?' he asked.
Because you're coward"
The girl spoke evenly. as II she were
commenting on the weather. but there
was finallty to her words which
hrookcd no argument. There was
something about the set of her mouth
and the smooth curve of her chin
which told Ned Randolph that further
words would be useless. Nevertheless,
he refused to accept dismissal without
an attempt to justify himself
why am coward2" he per-
sisted
You know the answer as well as ]
do" she said shortly.
But | can't SWIM"
"That doesn't make any difference.
You might have tried to do something"
But there wasn't anything l could
do"
The girl dropped her hands in her
lap and turned searching eyes toward
the man beside her.
do you think that II had been a
man and someone was drowning not
twenty-five yards away. I would have
run to the dock and would have tried
to get in boat7 No. would have
jumped into the water and swan out
TO him"
Myrtle. you're unreasonable.
couldn't have done any good in the
water"
ut was the most humllinting ex-
perience I've ever known" the girl
continued. "There you stood on the
beach. with half the hotel looking on.
yelling for help rs II you were child
Why didn't you do something's"
~ did the only thing possible. ]
called for help and then went to the
rescue In boat"
"Yes. and before you got half the
way. Jim Turner ran down from the
porch and swan out to the man who
was drowning. Now everybody says
he's hero and you're coward"
"And do you think so, too?'
"Yes." There was n hopeless final
ity to her answer.
Bravery doesn't always consist In
doing something that Is rash and fool
ish," he said.
"You don't know how much II would
have meant TO me II YOU had proved
yourself hero" she said. "My family
have always counted herolsm rs the
one best thing in life. Five Of my an
cestors were in the Revolutionary war,
and my two brothers are down ut Fort
Myer."
"And you think that I ought to en-
list?"
Eyes"
at wouldn't do any good"
"Why?"
because I'm physically unfit"
you're surely big enough" She
rose suddenly to her feet. ut won't
do any good to talk about IT," she con-
tinued. IL couldn't help wondering
why haven't you done something
aboht the war, and now ] know.
You're afraid"
he answered. Maybe sometime you'll
find that you are wrong"
I'm glad that l found out about you
before IL was too late" the girl went
on, ignoring his words. ~ was fool
ish TO consent TO marry you, anyway
We've only known each other for q
few weeks, and you haven't told me a
single thing about yourself except that
you've been TO Europe for two years
and have come back TO rest from busi'
ness. You didn't even tell me wha,
kind of business II was"
as 1t all over, them"
"Yes, it's all over"
For moment Ned Randolph stood
undecided, as II debating further eX'
plauation. Then, without word, he
turi.ed and made his way TO the porch
OF the hotel. After he had gone Myr'
tle rank down upon the sand, her head
IN her hands. For long time she lay
quiet, and then she discovered n small
ornament lying in the sand where Ned
had been standing. She picked 1t VI
and examined II curlOusIy. 1t was Il
Victoria Cross, and on its back was In
scrlted the name of Theodore Ran
dolph. She found Ned sitting in the
far corner of the veranda. Her face
crimson, she went TO him directly
holding out the insignia of honor.
IL found this on the sand" she
said softly. rs II yours|
Yes" he answered. TITS NINE"
"Why didn't you tell mef"
~ was going TO this morning, But
when you called me a coward, decid
ed 10 let you judge for yourself, and
50 ! didn't say anything"
land We're you a soldier in FranceT
Yes, In the second year Of the wal
enlisted. I've spent two years in til,
treaChes."
Were you hurtT
Yes; there's a bullet in my side.
was honorably discharged"
I'm sorry" she said softly. "YOl
are the bravest coward ! have eve
known. And love you more than al
the world"
Copyright 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndicate.J