Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-08-08
A SOLDIER OF THE LEGION
By Emerson, Hough
of The VigilaHtcS


..h -.--------
He lay silent in his white bandages
1t was his first return;Ao conscious,
ness. He thought he was in another
world.
Presently he heard gentle signing
the signing of many men repress-
ing their pain for the sake of others.
Elsewise the place was silent, save
that from some distant place came
music, soft and gentle. Again the
thought came to .!im that it was ar
other world-that world of which one
never spoke in the trenches. He was
sure Of this, since now he saw ap-
preaching him creature in white.
She came and stood by his bed,
passed a hand across his forehead,
looked down at him with gentle eyes.
"Well, MARION of the Legion" said
she, at comes on. Ell ?"
He smiled suddenly, his even white
teeth showing between his bearded
lips.
$50 them" said he, "you are not an
angel"
"Oh, no, MARION. / am but the
nurse" She touched the badge of the.
Red Gross on her cap.
What is it-your organizations" ne
asked "In the Legion we do not know
of it Who brought me in? Did J
cry out?"
"The bearers brought you. You did
not cry out. You were close to the
wire of the objective. All, the Legion!
Always it is the Legion which must
do the impossible"
eve did it, them"
Eyes. 1t was glorious. But there IS
no Legion now!"
She wiped away the tears that gath
cred in his eyes-the first his eyes had
known within his memory.
Il am of the LEGION" he murmured.
"Why did you join, Marbon?" she
asked of him.
TO fight he said simply.
"And to forget?"
@Why, yes. That is best attained in
fighting, you see"
"And you came to France-for some
ones sake?"
ave do not speak of such things in
the Legion" he said simply. "Rut
what matter? am broken, and done.
1t is our creed to leave such where
they fall. Who, then, are you, TO
violate our crccd-you with your uni! |
form of white and its insignia of
rcd?"
at is the white of a clean faith,
MARION of the Legion. 1t is the red
of hearts bleeding in sympathy with
other hearts on all the fields of all
The world. That is our creed"
at is folly" said e gruffly, trying
to turn beneath the white counter
pane. "When man falls he is done
if he cannot rise of himself. In the
Legion one kills man sometimes IN
mercy. | have done as much-many
times. I lacked ttat-this time"
"We do not kill the wounded, Mar
hon. We save them. Could you rot
devote yourself to my creed? You
see-'
Il sec that you arc brave as any
of US. But what you ask is the IN
possible"
at was the impossible that always
was asked of the Legion, MARION. It
is the impossible that always is asked
of US as we'll. But in the ofe case
and the other the impossible has been
done, and will be done. SO now
will take you and make you man
again. You shall live. You shall
work to ease sorrow, not to create it;
to build up the world, not to destroy
it. / say nothing against your Legion.
for men like you must go out to fight
that which is wrong. I say only that
a man goes from one regiment to an
other that one regiment may serve as
we'll as another-that our Legion may
have It's place as we'll as yours. Is
it not true, Marbon:"
"You are brave" aid'he Simply. lie
still sought to nod, his lips tight.
"Thcn you, too, MARION, consecrat-
ing yourself to this, our Legion, must
be brave again. You must live. You
must hope. l promise you-yoG shat.
yet forget"
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