The Pascagoula chronicle., 1918-12-28
Re-enter
Treadgold
IN
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS
copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.l

! (Copyrtght, 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa
| per Syndicate.l
1t was the trailing melancholy OF ne
solre that first stirred Treadgold's lie
| thargic pulse into action. Later he ha'
too fleeing glimpse OF Il pale oVa
face framed in tawny gold as Lid'
gazed wistfully from the rose-huh'
| gate that opened into her cottage gar
| den.
Treadgold was annoyed with himsel
that the quality Of the girls voice nae
twined itself among his senses ana IN
dignant at womenkind in general mere
ly because Lida's eyes had stabbed
his heart with a silent appeal.
Ever since the day he had donne'
the khaki uniform and become a sol
dier to fight for his country Tread
gold had eschewed anything even Dor
dering on the feminine, He hat
stunned that thrifty, fascinating
heady world of the gentle sex rs If Il
had the plague running wild within It's
borders. War was Il thing apart
business that must be sternly followed
There must be no counter-magnet lur
Ing the senses from the austere pur
poses of the fighting man.
During his six months at training
camp his brain had been far too busy
for the most part In trying master the
contents of some twenty or more text
books, as well as drills, field practice
and a few more oddments of learning,
to find much time for missing the fem
mime part of life.
A few more months at camp, where
he and many of the field artillery men
had been sent to officer the troops,
quite rounded off Treadgod's ability
to live happily and usefully without
the love of woman.
In weaker moments, perhaps under
the influence of glorious moon or the
trickle of woodland stream remem-
brance of dainty, smiling lips, a swift
caress or the fragrance Of rumpled
tresses came to disturb Treadgold's
war-tilled brain. These had been fleet
ing, easily banished dreams,
ancient past!' the fighting man
would mutter grimly.
But in the case of Iida's blue-eyed,
Wistful face Treadgold found himself
up against q power stronger than him
self Unless he took frightfully cir
euitous route, his billet led him
straight past the cottage, with Ida
either in IL singing with melancholy
sweetness, or gazing appealingly from
the garden gate straight into the eyes
Of the passer-by.
Treadgold was annoyed when he
saw her and upset for the day when
he didn't see her He felt that the
girl was aware of his presence on the
path, whether he passed or didn t
pass. This feeling, too, irritated him.
lie dec however and with the
accession JAW cnhNeu-~tuat ne
would dgl aia wpkuoNh girls in
ituence, and as successfully as he had
fought the lure of all his feminine
world when he had first entered the
army. Soon France would see him an
actual fighter on the battlefield.
"And If | remain on that battlefield
when the fight is done" philosophical
Treadgold, there will be less regret,
and If / come out whole, then a
straight path to something nifty, and
not masculine, for me-
"In fact" he decided, something
Just about the type of Little Sad Eyes
there will be my finish"
So he fought the magnet and con-
Quered. Had Treadgold been another
type of man he could have managed
to meet the girl who had stirred his
pulses, could hare loved and sailed
away. But he was not that kind OF
man. Love to Treadgold was won
derful thing. He could the less hap
PLY kill the Boche and destroy man
kind greedily We're he to be reminded
constantly that he had left wife be-
hind. He knew that ever behind the
sword thrust of battle he would sense
the humanity side of the question
would realize before killing the mar
that he was also killing the woman
whom that man had left behind-kill
ing her happiness at least.
Besides, Treadgold knew that SHOULD
he marry girl like Little Sad Eyes hi
would he consumed with longing fol
her every moment that held him from
her side. He had not the strength t
fight both the enemy and his own emo
lions.
So when the great ship stole out I'M
der cover of darkness from the New
York wharf and sailed out towar'
France Treadgold found himself re
ioicing that he was not bringing tn
tragedy of separation into some one
life.
When the battle ragged for him h
was still more glad for a nasty bit o
shell caught him pretty squarely I
the temple.
Treadgold re-entered the world O
! feminity on stretcher. In othe
words. he was carried tenderly if III
consciously into the hospital. wher
HIS QUALIFICATIONS FOR BAL