Catoctin clarion., 1918-02-21

ner time Molly was alone in her room
sitting up on her little couch by day
and bed by night, knitting. There was
a tap at the door and Molly, not wish
Ing to put down her knitting-it was
the fifteen minutes during which she
knitted on her own sweater-called OUT
"Come in," without rising. The door
opened and the tall young man who
had wound her wool stood there.
wont you come in?" said Molly,
rising and motioning to the one chair
In her neat little room.
The young man first said that he
couldn't and then did come in and,
after five minutes of embarrassed
searching for a cue to his errand, fin
ally came abruptly to the point. He
wanted to get from her little of the
soft green wool, just enough to make
three or four rows on mans sleeve
less sweater. He told her he had tried
to find some stray pieces when she
was knitting downstairs but had been
unsuccessful.
Molly wound off generous ball
from fresh skeln, gave it to him and
asked no questions. As he rose to
go he glanced toward the service flag
that she had pulled into her room for
the night. He walked over to it and
fingered the flag. !,
''Is it brOtherT" he asked appar-
emily with some difficulty.
"N-o-o," said Molly, blushing guiltily.
"That is, l have no brothers." Molly
was prompted to add, I'm not blush
ing for the reason you think l am"
but Of course she didn't
1t was not till after the neighbor-
boarder had left her room that she be-
gan to wonder why he had asked for
the length Of green wool and her
curiosity increased so that, as the time
passed, she determined to ask him.
Still when she met him ut breakfast
it was not entirely easy. Then when
she came home for dinner and paused
in the sitting room she heard the lat
est clearinghouse gossip.
Yes, the tall young man was going
he had his commission in the engi-
neers' division, or something of the
sort. He had known that he would
get 1t all along and had never said
anything about it--and now he was
practically gone. 1t really was too
bad-Mrs. Dean told some of the
pretty girls-that they had not known
before. He was not such bad-loOking
young man, only very quiet. He would
not be back for dinner--he would per-
haps come back for his things after
dinner and that would be the last of
him.
Molly was devising scheme where
by she might make sure of seeing the
young man. The excuse she made to
herself was that she wanted to know
what he was doing with the green
wool. She left her door ajar into the
hall and when she saw him passing
to his room to get his things she
called him. He came into her room
told her he had come back specially to
see her as he could have sent a mes
senger for his things II wanted to
tell you about the WOOL he said. II
know you won't laugh at me. I'm a
queer sort Of fellow-I never knew
any girls. guess they don't see much
In me. And the other men were all
having their girls knit sweaters for
them with stripe Of the color of the
sweater they made for themselves
along the edge, and-well, 1t was fool
lsh of me-but / wanted sweater
like that. l didn't want the fellows
to know l didn't know any girl that
would make one. So knitted one for
myself and when came to the edge
| made up my mind wanted to wear
the color you were going to wear"
"Why didn't you let me knit the
sweater for your" begged Molly, al
most in tears.
"Well, you see, you had your Sam,
my" He pointed toward the little
service flag.
81 think that that flag Is for you"
she said. Il got one because the other
girls did wanted to have man at
the front, too."
And the next day when Molly told
the girls she was engaged to the youngi
engineer Mrs. Dean said she had
known 1t all along and before long
she told her boarders that she made
the match.