Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-17

The next morning Sheldon phoned
to suggest taking the invalid and his
nurse out for a breath of air at
three.
It's Sheldon-to ask if you want
TO go motoring" I whispered. turn
ing with my hand over the receiver.
Then l had to listen hard with
two ears, for Jim shouted an eX-
cited;
"surest thing you know! I'm fed
up with accounting"
Tell Shelly Wen be there with
bells on
And into the other ear this was
pouring:
i've asked Mrs. Dalton and she
says she will be delighted to go
hasn't seen old Jimmie for a couple
of days-so busy moving into her
new apartment. Wen have a jolly
afternoon. won't We? And l prom
Use not to show them our little path
in the Park
thought fast. 1t would be a far
from jolly afternoon il Virginia and
l met and aired our feud.
"Win you take Phoebe in my
place." l asked coaXingly. i've a
magazine article of Jim's to copy.
and Phoebe hasn't seen him for
days either. 1t would be such treat
for the child. VIII you do this for
me-"
"Oh-for you! Little Lilac Lady.
Ia do anything for YOU" cried Shell
don the gallant.
So we settled it over the phone
l.
Phoebe herself came up to call for
Jim. After she had hugged me CRATE
fully she bore him off in q great
rush. while he family protested that
he hoped | wouldn't be lonely.
Not lonely! This was the first
time since our marriage that Jim had
gone off on a pleasure excursion from
which | was omitted. OF course, I
had planned this, but that didn't
make it eny easier for me.
For Jim I had left my own world
the world where [ counted, where
l was loved. l had left it and had
gone into his world, where I was the
outsider-to be tolerated, fiirted with
a bit, perhaps, or patronized ami
"helped"-as by Betty-but never ac-
Cepted with that complete under
standing Betty and Virginia felt for
each ohter.
And now Virginia and I We're not
even on speaking terms. Betty, it
seemed, had dropped me, and Envy
sCornfully kept up a show of friend
illness because she had to endure me
in order to see Jim and Neal-which-
ever it was who interested her most.
At the thought of Neal 1 had a
bad moment. Even Neal had turned
to Jim-but at that point 1 caught
myself back from gray self-pity. The
one splendid friendship that had
grown out of our headlong marriage
was the tender, understanding big
,brotherly relation between Jim and
Neal I fixed my mind on that. There
was the blue in my sky-the friend
ship between my boys.
And then like a whirlwind Neal
came into the room. He flung him
self upon me and, seizing my cold
hands in his strong, warm clasp, he
began swinging me about at arms
length in a regular whirlingdervish
dance.
I'm fit They took me. I report
Monday. I'm "A soldier Little Neds
off for the artillery camp out near
home. Amt it bully? we've got to
fall TO and pack-pretty darn quick
-pronto. Come on, Babbs-give us
4 hug, and then Well get busy" he
cried all in one stream of trip-ham-
mer notes.
And they fell on my heart with
heavy impact. Thud-thud! 1 hope
I'm a patriot. l know I'm proud of
my Neal But l wonder if when,
the moment Of separation com, B.
every woman-heart doesn't cry out
to Heaven. Not yet. Not to-day!
oh, let me keep him a day longerr
But l bit my lips and steadied my
voice as l murmured:
Boy, dear-I'm proud of you!
There will be no soldier finer than
my brother. Oh, Neal-how glori-
ously proud father will bep' i
ously proud father will be-"
Then we sat and planned for little
while. How soon he'd be a corporal
when he'd get the sergeant's third |
stripe-and how long after that be- !
fore they'd discover that he was "of- !
hcer material" Other women-all |
over the land-have talked to like |
that I'm sure. And other women |
have folded in a tear or two, like !
lavendar. between layers of socks and |