The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-04-19
NOW,sAYS MARTHA
"This No Time for Dallying-Win
the War"
She Would Have All the People Get
Together on That One Idea
"Not an Afternoon Tea
We're In"
BY JULIA M. LIPPMAN of The vigi.
lantes.

BY JULIA M. LIPPMAN of The Vigil
lantes.
Big Sam Slawson halted on his own
side porch to stamp the snow off his
boots before letting himself into the
kitchen.
A hand from within turned the knob
Of the door. A voice from within adj
dressed him through the narrow open
ing.
"Come along In, Sam. Hurryl I'll
clear Up your tracks, but don't stand
there preparin' any longer. You'll give
us all our deaths. Besides, can't wait
to hear If they're speedin' up the war
like they'd ought to. We got to get in
right off or it'll be too late"
Very deliberately Sam shook the
white drifts from his shoulders and
hat-brim, crossed the threshold and
closed the door after him.
"You can't do things SO quick as you
seem to think, Martha" he observed
in his slow, cautious fashion.
"Why can't your"
Because this is democracy. De-
mocracies move slowly"
"They needn't If all the people get to-
gether on the one idea of winning this
war. It don't make any difference to
me whether it's democracy or re-
public or a socialism, or a prohibit
ton, or one of them new-fangled Rus
sian samovar-things they talk so much
about nowadays-chammy- fage-no,
bolshiviki, that's it. 1t all comes
right down to this, so far as can
see: Unless we stop fussing about
names, forget what party we belong
to, we're going to lose out on this
war. And you've got boy over
there, and q family over here and
you're an American, Sam Slawson, and
it's up to you-it's up to us-U. S.
not to lose out on this war;"
- 'How are we going to prevent it?"
"By getting together, that's how.
Every mothers son and daughter Of us
pulling together the one way--a long
pull and strong pull and a pull all
together. The sort Of pull that'll land
our troops on the other side a million
strong before the Germans can get in
their fine work this spring. The trou-
BILE is that up to this there's been too
many ladies and gen'lmen talkin' their
heads off about pacifism and red tape
and any old thing that happens to be
their pet idea-as If the thing we're
in was an afternoon tea. Forget it,
that's my notionl Forget it! There's
only one thing to remember these
days: IF WE DON'T WIN, THE
BOOBIES WILL"
Sam sighed.
swell, it certainly IS problem"
"If the curiosities at Washington
haven't got the right answer to the
problem by this time why, all I got
to Say is, invite 'em to step down and
out and give new bunch chance.
1t might annoy 'em. We can't help
that. The Boches are annoyin' us.
And they mean to keep right on an
neyin' us unless we do something and
do it quick"
II hate war!" lamented Sam.
"Sure you do. So do I. So does
everybody. / hate having my boy shot
at. / hate having girls and little chill
dren ruined and MANNED. hate hav-
ing old women and men starved and
froze and burned. That's why / want
us to get move on-because hate
it."
Sans eyes were misty.
ooh, Martial I wish could see the
end of 1t. We're in terribly tight place
Just now. We're up tree! tell you,
we're up tree"
Martha threw him a heartening
glance.
"Up tree? Sure we're up tree.
So was that little fella in the Bible.
What's-his-name? Zaccheus? Zacche-
us was up tree, to- And that's
where he saw the Lord FROM"