Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-30

well, | hope there isn't any war;"
Guy Falconcr said feryently. IF there !
is, you can bet your boots I'm not !
going near it,"
Guy" Sir George turned upon him
with incredulity writ large upon his
fine face.
tOh. mean it. Sir George Guy !
insisted shamelessly. "If it comes 10
war. this will be a war of millions. |
If there are thousand men killed in
a battle or only nine hundred and |
nincty-nine, what difference does it
make except to the thousandth man?
None. But If | happened to
be he, it'd represent a deuce Of lot
to me, and. with my luck, I'd be the
first man shot anyhow. No
sir. Military service IS not compul-
sorry in England, thank heaven. And
If there is Il war, I'm going to sit
home at my club and discuss very
harshly the mistakes of the war Office"
Guys mother regarded him with no
less amaZement than did Sir George
MY son--you're not serious" she
exclaimed, scarcely believing what she
heard.
"Of course he isH said Georgy. II
never saw a man who thought as
much of his own precious hide-so
much more than anyone else thinks of
It"
IF you're quite in earnest, Guy, |
am positively ashamed of you" Sir
George Wagstaff told him. AS Il man
who was high IN the councils Of his
country, Sir George did indetd hear
the young mans declaration with
something bordering upon alarm. as
well as mere disapproyal. If other
| English youths should take the same
/ trouble for the recruiting stations.
"If were shot Guy retortcd. 81
suppose the fact that | could say,
! New, Sir George Is not ashamed OF
me- would ease the pain a bit?
No. thank you. tell you, If worse
comes to worst, shall sail for Cuba"
At that his mother approached him
much rs she must have when rs a
small boy he had been guilty Of naugl-
tiness. She thought ii high tine to
assert her authority
Guy" she said, Il forbid you to
talk like that"
"Oh. now, mother" he rcmon-
stratcd
Il think he's spoofng." Charlie
Brown told them, MS quick to adopt a
new word as he was to detect signs Of
shanming on Guys part. III war
comes. | bet he'll 20 to the front, He's
Ike the rest Of you English half
ashamed to say what he really feels"
The embarrassed Guy faced him
shenpishly.
"Oh, | say--thats all swank" he re-
monstratcd.
'Swank" That's good word"
Charlie Brown exclaimed "I'm going
to take that back 10 America, too
And then, returning TO the subject Of
their conversation, who was manifest
ly i'll at ease, Mr. Brown continued,
"Onrc you do touch Guy on tie raw
Of his patriotism he'd go through and
20 through big"
~ think Mr. Brown is right" Street
man declared. at was only two months
AGO at the Ritz in Paris that | met Il
young English officer. We got to chat
ting. He sccmpd very down in the
month-~scmc trouble over n girl; he'd
been flied, or hadn't enough money to
propose. or she'd married someone else
usual sort of thing. so | paid nc at
tcntiou to the incident But one night,
walking along the Champs Elysees. Il
man ahead of me suddealy turned
aside behind one Of the trees. Silhouot-
ted against The moonlight | saw his
hand so to his pocket as if to draw Il
revolver ran up to him, and seized
the pistol It was my young
English friend dare say the moon
had gone to his head He was quite
Extraordinarily started TO struggle
with me at first We stood there for
an hour talking. I'd taken quite Il
fancy to him. IT seemed such waste
of good material for him to kill him
! SELF but he was quite firm. Finally.
appealed to him as an English officer
in bis maiesty'S service. Some day his
country might need him told him
: and he wouldn't be there, because he
was Il coward-a traitor. That
hit him | pressed the point. And
eventually he gave me his word
They had all listened eagerly to
Streetman's vivid recital
} y "Dld he keep his word?" Ethel asked.
81 don't know I've never seen him
since; but he's the sort of man who
) would. merely mention the incident
to show that when nothing else count
ed, his country did, And most men
are like that Streetman added, as he
pa,tcd Guy Falconer on the back.
Somehow, Guy resented the familiar
lily. But he merely moved away. Sc
far rs he knew, Streetman was n de
cent enough chap. But he did not rel
ish being patronlzed by him
All at once Sir George Wagstafr no