The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-09


(Copyrignt, 1918, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syudicate)
n DIDN'T know as you had man
IN the service" commented Mrs
Dean EiOIa her citidal behind the
coffee Urn At the head OF She 1923
boarding-reuse table. She nodded IN
the direction OF the newest and quit
p.t OF .:Ie young women who te1aated
her rooms Ecd partook OF tie bountT
Of her BOARD. Snd that young woman
FIRST dropped her eyes to the pancakes
on her plate ind then looked up TO
Mrs. Dean with the suspicion OF q
blush on her face
'.DidIl't yoa 2! she said and then the
otEer boaTders whose noses were not
buried Il: their morning papers look
ed back at Mrs Dean TO see how she
would take Miss Pringlc's calm re-
Il happened to see the service fas
flying in your IindoT-that was ALL,
che shifted. 'I always go in to inspect
after Macy has given the rooms their
weekly turning out. and Maggy said
It was something new Well. thinks
I. Miss Prfug1e has been keeping some.
thing from. u.s. knew you had n1
brothers in the service. Miss Pringle.
and we hadn't vet seen any soldier
beaus. around here evenings. or any
other beauS for that matter-so
says to myself Miss Prirgle is sly
Ione-shes got her Sammy at the front
like the rest OF them.
Miss PringIe'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 ana
looked up, so that almost al! eyes we're
on Miss PringIe. But she made no
comment. Aud after breakfast in more
than one group of dispensing boarders
the question uppermost was Did you
see poor Miss Pringle?" Poor girl
suppose she has a young man at the
|g5nf1sks sec1eTer mentioned him and
I've never seen a picture-I didn't
think she had any beaus-but yoG
never know, still waters run deep"
Such were the other comments.
As Miss PringIe passed, still little
Embarrassed, from the dining-room a
tai, IonsIy-looking young man stood
back to hol dthe door open for her.
She had seen him several times be
tore. He was one of the new boarders
had a back hail beroom some
where in the higher regions OF the
house. Apparently he had no claims
to stellar consideration from Mrs.
Dean. She had never introduced him
to any OF the pretty girls Of the house
and s!:.- rever. never asked him to
have more syrup on his pancakes.
He had heard Mrs. Deans pryiug re-
mark to Miss Prinsle. for as she pass
ed him to leave the room he looked
into her eyes foc just a second.
Don't let her worry you" he said.
That was all: but Miss Pri2gIe felt
that in that anthiII OF a house she
naG at Seast one friend. And Molly
gxsasEe needed q friend-she needed
% know that some one believed in
ler-for as matter of fact she knew
nerseE to be fraud. The service
flag was merely 4 flag that futrered
outside lSei window because other girls
she knew had similar flags fiutteTing
from their windows. She hadn't
meant to cheat but when the maa
with the little flags on the street cor
aer called out every evening as the
siris from the store were passing:
SCOT man at the front? Buy a flag
70 show you've got . man at TIE front,
other girls stopped and bought flags.