The Press., 1918-03-07
A War Merrlento
By George Elmer Cobb

The room was full of it. outside all nature was bathed in it. Lettie Man ton responded to the query in a half puzzled manner. Then she understood that it was the seriousness ill her thoughtful face that her husband had referred to. She arose and greeted him with an enforced smile, but her kiss was as fervent as ever.
 q was just thinking, dear," she ex- plained, q received letter from my mothers half-brother an hour ago. He is in New York city"
 "Good-grand" :" sincerely jubilated Bruce. "Then he has escaped from Belgium"
 ''He writes so," responded Lett1e. ''but his property there has been de- stroyed and he is still suffering from a wound he received. He writes that he ist too old and feeble for army work andj has come back to his native country to die.' .. ..
 "Have you answered the letter"
 "Oh, no. I wished to consult you, about that first, of course"
 q don't sec any need of consulting" declared Bruce. "IIe is your only rela-- tive. He is victim of the war, help, less, probably robbed of everything he once owned. Write him at once, Let tie. This is his natural haven, with us. Tell him to come on and be sure of a glad welcome"
 Bruce" said Lettie, in broken tones quivering with emotion, 'T think you are truly and grandly Gods good man.''
 Bruce kissed and kissed the lovely face upturned to his own. He under stood fully that Lettie had been worry ing at the thought of saddling him with the care of q relative. He never did things half way. He set all details Of the present situation completely at rest now.
 ''I'm glad your Uncle Vance is com ing" he said. 'sIn the first place it's our duty to look after him, under the circumstances. In the next, he will be company, yes, and maybe some help to you. am always worrying while at work about your being alone way out here all day. Your uncle will be com pany for you. He can potter around the garden and do little errands for you, and what a lot that is interesting he can tell us about the war"
 Lettie wrote a heartsome letter to the refugee in the East forthwith. She took pleasure in fixing up their spare room and each succeeding day looked for the arrival of their expected guest. A week passed by.
 
 q hope MT. Vance has not met with delay or accident" said Bruce, and Lettie was growing anxious: She would go outside and look across the half-mile expanse between their hum- ble little home and the city's' limits half a dozen times day. Their plaee was quite isolated, except for several houses in the same remote group as themselves. They formed the nucleus of a new subdivision of slow develop ment. The roads were as yet unpaved and they had to use we'll water, but the house and lot had been offered to them cheap on long payments, so they had decided to pioneer and made the task more hopeful, then certain, for Bruce had position that brought in a very moderate income.
 One morning Bruce went out, as was his routine, to let the chickens out for the days fOraging, when he came to a dead stop with a stare. A man was just stepping from the shed. He was old and bent, poorly clad, unshaven, and the loose straws clinging to his hair and clothing indicated that he had been sleeping in the shed all night.
 Sort of late for your breakfast, aren't you. friend?" bantered Bruce in his natural jolly way. 2
 "It's got to seem so good to sleep without Il lot of shells exploding all about yOu," responded the intruder whom Bruce had at once put down as a tramp, "that could sleep anywhere and enjoy it. I got here late and the house was all dark and didn't want to disturb you, so l bunked in among the fresh straw" :.
 'sWhy!' shouted Bruce, enlightened, grabbing the old man and giving him a friendly hug, you're Hubert Vancei'
 ''What's left of me-" asserted his wis itor. grimly, swinging bandaged arm and pointing to a lacerated ear. You act as if you were really glad to see me-
 'Don't you ever doubt it!" said Bruce briskly. 'Lettiel" he called to wards the house, Here's the good ole friend we've been expecting for over a week.
 Iettie came tripping from the house welcome arms extended. Bruce could note the wrinkIed, wearied face of the old man thaw out under the influence of genuine delight at his truly hearten ing reception. sE..
 Uncle Hubert Vance slipped into harmony with the domestic econosny of the family readily and comfortably He had been for ten years conner l ciaI agent in Belgium, had acquired l quite some property, had shared in the | frightful descent of the enemy upon that country, and had narrowly es caped with his life. The lads of the neighbOrhoOd learned all this, and many breathless juvenile audience he entertained with stories of the con- fict that had robbed him of his wealth. One thrilling incident in his adven- turous career he loved to dwell over. It was where a shell came through q window in room where he was sit ting. Just in time he sprang at the messenger of death rolling across the floor. seized its spluttering fuse and shipped off and extinguished its burn ing end.
 Eve kept that shell as mementO, the old man would continue loqua- ciously. And then he would take them to the old shed and show them, high up on special shelf, the round black object, the sight of which aroused their fertile fancies, later dwelling upon the frightful havoc an accidental explosion would create in the peaceful subdivision tract.
 The old man was failing fast. Bruce | an6 oftio n0fiOod ft and ha 1nIroeAl%