The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-02-15
Molly's Man in
the Service
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Nowspa-
per Svndcate,)
00
BY JANE OSBORN

EeSsSSSsssSsSSssesSsSsSs SsSssSsesssesssSSs
Copyright, 1917. by the Mcclure Newspa
per svndcate.)
81 didn't know as you had a maj
In the service" commented Mrs. Dear
from her cltldel behind the coffee urI
at the head of the long bOardlng-housC
table. She nodded in the direction OF
the newest and quletest of the young
women who tenanted her rooms and
partook of the bounty Of her plate and
then looked up to Mrs. Dean with the
suspicion Of blush on her face.
Didn't yOuY she said and then the
other bOarders whose noses were not
buried In their morning papers looked
back at Mrs. Dean to see how she
would take Miss Prlngles calm re-
| jonder.
~ happened to see the service flag
I flying In your .windOw-that was all, +"
she shifted. 81 always go in 10 Inspect
after Mnggy said It was something
new, Well thinks !, Miss Pringle has
been keeping no brothers in the serv-
Ice, Miss Prlngle, and we hadn't yet
seen any soldier beaus around here
evenings, or any other beaus for that
matter-sO / says to myself Miss Prin-
gle is a sly one-she's got her Sammy
ut the front like the rest of them"
Miss Pringle's color deepened and
She studied the brown and buff of her
pancakes with even more scrutiny.
Some of the boarders who had been
deep in their papers felt the Oppres-
sion Of the silence that followed and
looked up, so that almost all eyes were
on Miss Prlngle. But she made no
comment. And after breakfast in more
than one group Of dispensing boarders
the question uppermost was "Did you
see poor Miss PringleT "Poor girl
suppose she has a young man az the
frOnt-she's never mentioned him and
I've never seen picture-I didn't
think she had any beaus-but you new
er know, still water runs deep" Such
were the other comments.
As Miss Pringle passed, still little
embarrassed, from the dining room a
tall, lOnely-looking young man stood
back to hold the door open for her.
She had seen him several times before.
He was one of the new boarders-had
a back hall bedroom somewhere in the
higher regions Of the house. Appa-
rently he had no claims to stellar con.
sideration from Mrs. Dean. She had
never introduced him to any of the
pretty girls of the house and she new
er, never asked him to have more sirup
on his pancakes. He had heard Mrs. |
Deans prying remark to Miss Pringle, |
for as she passed him to leave the room |
he looked into her eyes for just q Sec
Ond.
Don't let her worry you" he said.
That was all; but Miss Pringle felt |
hat in that anthlll of a house she had
1T least one friend. And Molly Pringle
needed a friend-she needed to know
that someone believed in her-for as
1 matter of fact she knew herself to
le a fraud. The service flag was mere
y flag that fiuttered outside her
window because other girls she knew
lad similar flags fluttering from their
windows. She hadn't meant to cheat
)ut when the man with the little flags
m the street corner called out every
evening as the girls from the store
we're passing: SCOT a man at the
rOnt? Buy flag to show you've got
man at the front" other girls stop
Ded and bought flags, some with one
tar, some with two, some with three,
nd hurried away seemingly much hap
'ier for the small purchase. Molly
ad no man at the front or anywhere
lse, for that matter, but still she
ought her little flag and let it wave
rom her clearinghouse window. Then
he started to work knitting mufIlers !
nd sleeveless sweaters and wristlets
Or the general Red Cross supply; and,
S she worked her needles far into the
light, she pretended that they were all 5
DING for her sOldier-fOr the Sammy l
Or whom the flag in the window was
'aving. Then she bought some soft I
reeu WOOI anu SldTleu knitting
veater for herself After knitting an
our for her Sammy she would knit S
fteen minutes for herself-that was 9
hat the other girls did-the other t
rls In the store who had real Sam
les. t
Sometimes Molly took her soft green e
hitting into the boarding house sit k
ng room-when she was waiting for S
nner that was not really quite on Il
me. She hesitated about taking down
e soldier knitting for fear another
quiring remark might come from
RS. Dean. The girls had watched her h
nit and had told her she was rapid q
Orker, and once she had wound a c,
elm of worsted on the back of a chair ST
ID another time the tall, forlorn ii
ung man, who had once held the door fl
zen for her, seemed to rise up from a
ShadOwy part Of the room and offered II
hold the yarn for her. He had held b,
the last end of the wool and as it ell
lwled through his hand, as Molly fC
Dund the ball to completion, he look gl
at it and stroked it with his other to
nd. hf