The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1918-03-07

81 didn't know us you had q man
in the service" commented Mrs. Dean
from her citldel behind the coffee urn
at the head of the long clearinghouse
table She nodded in the direction OF
the newest and quietest of the young
women who tcnantcd her rooms and
lartook of the bounty of her plate and
then looked up to Mrs. Dean with the
suspicion of blush on her face.
"Didn't you?" she said and then the
other bourdcrs whose noses We're not |
buried in their morning papers looked |
back at Mrs. Dean to see how she |
would take Miss Pringle's calm re-
jondcr.
81 happened to see the service flag
flying in your window--that was nll,"
she sr/fcd 81 always go In to inspect
after Maggy said 1t was something
new. Wei. thinks I, Miss Prlngle has
been keeping no brothers In the serv-
ice, Miss Pringle, and we hadn't yet
seen any soldier beaus around here
evenings, or any other bcaus for that
matter---sO I says to myself Miss Prin-
gle Is sly one-she's got her Sammy
ut the front like the rest of them"
Miss Pringle's color deepcned and
she studied the brown and bun 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 ibid you
see poor Miss Pringle?" "Poor girl !
suppose she has young man ut the
front-she's never mentioned him and
I've never seen picture--I didn't
think she had any beaus--but you new
or know, still water runs Deep" Such
We're the other comments.
As Miss Pringle passed. still little
embarrassed, from the dining room a
tall, lonely-looklng 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
| q back hall bedroom somewhere In the
higher regions of the house. Appa-
rently he had no claims to stellar con-
slderation from Mrs. Dean. She had
never introduced him to any Of the
| pretty girls Of the house and she new.
err, never asked him to have more sirup
on his pancakes. He had heard Mrs
Deans prying remark to Miss Pringfe
for as she passed him to leave the room
he looked into her eyes for Just sec
ond.
"Don't let her worry you," he said
That was all; but Miss Pringle fell
that In that anthill Of house she ha(
at least one friend. And Molly Pringl,
needed friend-she needed to know
that someone believed In her-f0r o.
q matter Of fact she knew herself Z,
be fraud. The service flag was mere
" a nag that fiuttered outside hel
window because other girls she knew
had similar flags fiuttering from theil
windows. She hadn't meant to chea
but when the man with the little nag
on the street corner called out ever,
evening as the girls from the stor
were passing: Got man at tn
front? Buy fing to show you've 80
a man at the 'front.'" other girls stOr
ped and bought flags, some with on
star, some with two, some with three
and hurried away seemingly much haI
pier for the small purchase. MOll
had no man Mt the front or anywher
else, for that matter, but still sh
bought her little flag and let 1t wav
from her clearinghouse window. The
she started to work knitting muller
and sleeveless sweaters and wristlet
for the general Red Cross supply; ant
rs she worked her needles far into tn
night, she pretended that they were a
going for her sOldier-fOr the Samm
for whom the flag In the window wa
waving. Then she bought some sol
green wool and started knitting
sweater for herself. After knitting q
hour for her Sammy she would KIN
fifteen minutes for herself-that VIZ
what the other girls did-the 9th,
girls In the store who had real San
mics.
Sometimes Molly took her soft gree
knitting into the clearinghouse 81
ting rOOm-when she was waiting 4
dinner that was not really quite q
time. She hesitated about taking dow
the soldier knitting for fear anoth,
inquirlng remark might come fro
Mrs. Dean. The girls had watched h
knit and had told her she was rap
worker, and once she had wound
skein of worsted on the back Of cha
and another time the tall, fOrlOl
young man. who had once held the do
open for her. seemed to rise up fro
a shadowy part Of the room and Offer
to hold the yarn for her. He had he
to the last end Of the wool and as
'crawled through his hand, as Mol
wound the ball to compile ION, he loo
ed ut 1t and strOked 1t with his 9th
hand.
| Its a very pretty color" he sal
and then, having accomplished his vi
fulness, he settled TX into the sha
ow Of the room.