Smyrna times., 1918-03-13
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
copyright, 1913, BY the McCIure NeWspa-
per Syndicate.)
BY MELVIN STEVENS.

son were in love with the same girl.
Less than year ago, before the war
cloud OverShadowed all other cOnsid-
they had both been promising
young business men of Glendale, n. J..
Every morning they took the 8:29
train for New York, and every evening
they caught the 4 80 back to Glendale,
hoping that Margery Smith would be
free to entertain them after supper.
So things stood when President
Wilson declared a state of war ex-
listed between this country and Ger
many.
1T means that We'll send hundreds
of thousands of soldiers over there"
Dave announced. "And believe me,
I'm going to be one of the first to 60"
But John laughed disparagingly.
1T dOesIft mean any such thing" he
answered. "All Wen do will be to |
patrol our coast more carefully and |
to make more munitions for the al
lies"
And so, according to their lights, |
Dave applied for entrance to the First |
Officers Training camp at Fort Myer, !
Va, and John continued his duties as
assistant manager for James McCul-
lum & Sons. In the course of few
months Dave was commissioned first
lieutenant; and John, his skepticism
suddenly dissolved, found himself
drafted into the National army. A
short time later he was ordered to re-
port to Camp Dix, N. j., where he
found Lieut.. David Ashley as one of
his company officers.
Meanwhile, the contest for MGrgery's
hand had progressed merrily. Taking
| advantage of the axiom that all is fair
in love and war, John had had u rath-
er glorious time of it during Dawes
three months at the training camp.
| Margery was rather lonesome; and al
| though she wrote at least twice a week
| to Dave, she welcomed Johns visits.
So, when November found both Dave
and John at Camp Dix, the latter had
drawn almost on even terms with his
| rival.
But as an officer Dave had the
easier time of 1t. Occasionally he
found it necessary to give orders to
his rival, but when he did so there
was a twinkle in his eye which robbed
the situation of all bitterness. In the
matter of leaves of absence, he was
perfectly fair also. Each of the men
| was permitted to visit home once
every two weeks, and Dave managed
to fix up things so that he and John
alternated on their visits to Glendale.
Things might have gone along with
out change until the end of the war,
but one evening Dawes division COM
mander told him that within three
weeks it was expected that the young
officer would be ordered to report at
Camp Mcclellan, down in AnnistOn
Ala.
1t was Friday when he received word
of his probable transfer, and on the
following Sunday it was his turn tC
visit Glendale. He told Margery ther
that it was probably his last visit
and something in her eyes filled hin
with a sudden hope. But although hi!
brain urged him to ask her the queS
tion which quivered on his lips, hii
heart failed him in q most unSOldier
like manner; so he went back to CAM
Dix feeling very much as If the bot
tom had fallen out of the world.
Bnt when his last Sunday in tn
Northern cantOnment approached, an
he pictured John RObesOn sitting be
fore the big CRATE fire in Margery'
library, he hurried to company heaC
quarters and talked long and earnest
ly to Margery over the telephone.
"Of course I'll be glad to visit camp,
she said. "I-I was wondering If 20
were going South without seeing m
again"
Dave wondered, too, how he cOul
= ever have thought of such a thing, an
when he met Margery at the static
the next morning he told her so.
They had lunch together in a wa
side inn which was really cOnverte
farmhouse, and after they had finisht
eating, they sat still for a long tin
and lust looked at each other aero
the table.
"Why didn't you plan to come
Glendale this Sunday?" Margery ask
finally.
81 did" Dave answered, "but kne
that with John there, l couldn't s.
what 1 wanted to. 1t wouldn't ha
been fair to cancel Johns leave of q
sence, because had promised him
to early in the fall; so the only thi
I could do was to have you here"
Margery nodded.
"What did you want to say to me
she asked.
The room was deserted, the wa1tr'
had miraculOusly disappeared; and
Dave told her what he had wanted
say for ages. And when he had
ished she reached her hand acr'
the table and told him, so softly Il
he hardly heard, that she had alwi
been very much in love with him.
And back in Glendale John Robes
tramped disconsOlately to the railr'
Ae4.oo ,nd wondered what in