The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-12-04
WHICH?
By A. c. sHERwTN


"Which-what, dear?" i~nnocently in
CURED Irma Willis, favorite beauty Of
Chesterton.
IF you will use your eyes and see
what everybody else has noticed, you
will be answered fast enough" de
clared Elsa Rhoades ve%hemently.
which Why, Sammie or Jackie, Of
course. The whole cantonment has Sc
lected you as their goddess, but Win
ston Clancy, Of the land army, and
Nate Percy Of the marines, are simply
fxedly, irretrievably. madly in love
with you. They predict a duel II you
don't soon lift one Of the devoted duo
into paradise and doom the other TO
despair"
"NonsenseI !" flushed up Irma. II
have given encouragement to neither
and do not intend to. l can't help treat
ing them kindly, for I love every sim
gle soldier boy and sailor boy In The
camp. Poor fellowsl they miss their
mothers, so I try to be a devoted sis
ter to them"
A young man, wearing neither the
khaki of the infantry nor the blue
blouse Of the marines passed the two
girls as they stood by the roadside. He
wore a puzzling costume-a close skull
cap bearing some military insignia, a
bicyclist sweater and closely-knit
stockings from the knee down. He lift
ed his cap gravely.
"Who Is heT" she whispered to her
companion.
"Oh! haven't you seen the airship
they brought to the camp last eve
ming" questioned Elsa animatedly. "He
is an aviator, army airship service and
all that. Br-rrl Isn't he chilly and
forbidding? Perhaps 1t is going up
where the air is so cold that has frozen
away his smile"
"He is simply dignined," qualified
Irma.
There was rivalry between Winston
Clancy of the infantry and Nate Percy
Of the marines, for both were deeply
c%aptivated by Irma. In rapid success
sion two events transpired that brought
Irma's ardent suitors closer to her.
"Oh, how splendid p cried Elsa, as
Irma came home wet and dripping,
young Percy proudly escorting her, and
Irma explained after she had thanked
her ap~reserver." It seemed that Irma
had zone out in her skin alone and had
struck a mock mine buoy-the boat
stove in, had capslzed and she had
chung to Ii until Percy had valiantly
struck out from the shore to save her.
A week later Clancy's turn came. He
and Irma were strolling along near the
lake bluffs when a defamation from the
lake apprised them that target practice
was on and they were in range. There
was no shelter in sight-the air was
misty, the big target was set on a
sand mound fifty feet away.
"Crouch behind that hummock !" or
dered Clancy excitedly. Then he ran
to the target and scaled 1t.
Booml
A p~rojectile landed twenty feet
away. scattering the sand in every d.
rection. Irma s~huddered. On top Of
the target, Clancy had stripped off his
Jacket and was waving 1t lakewards.
The signal was seen, the firing ceased
and he soon got Irma out Of range OF
the deadly guns. OF course Percy and
Clancy became heroes with the girls.
One morning when quite a party of
young people were gathered on the
lawn, Irma came from the house with a
fiuttering yellow sheet in her hand,
pale and distracted. "Oh, Elsa !"
gasped Irma, "read-read
She extended a telegram, Just re-
ceived. It was from her aunt, fifty
miles away, where her mother had
gone on a visit three days previous.
"Come at once" 1t read. "Your
mother has met with a serious acci.
dent"
Instantly the lawn party broke up as
the situation was disclosed. Irma was
frantic over the direful intelligence.
There was no train for six hours. To
go by vehicle involved a roundabout
course covering fully one hundred
miles, on account of the roadless noun
tain range to the west. Irma broke
down and was weeping in the arms of
Elsa. Finally young Ridley approached
her.
miss Willis" he said, In his quiet
but decisive way. "may l offer my serv'
ices7 The weather is not propitious
and there is a strong headwind, but we
can reach the town across the hills In
side Of two hours. Could you stand
the strainf"
'"To be with my mother quickly-oh,
yes yesi" cried Irma eagerly.
Twenty minutes later Irma Willis
was seated behind the aviator. strapped
In securely. She did not shrink or
shudder as the wheels of the splendid
ly constructed airship left the ground.
All she thought of was her mother, and
her anxiety overcame fear and the
thrilling sensation OF a f1rst flight. A
dash of rain chilled her as they cleared
the close-to-earth strata.
Then-a sudden binding dazzle of
radiance. They had traversed the cloud