The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-02-22
To My Sweetheart
SOLDIER
Every Girl Should Read
These Wonderful
Letters.

Darling:
Your wife has been out into So
eiety todayI It couldn't exactly
Be called a frothy event-and !
doubt Il any account Of It gets
into tAe newspaper; but it was a
Uuficiently novel and unusual af-
fair to bear special mention 10
you.
The church wouldn't heat, to-
day, snS 70 the minister's wife
Ssksd rs all to 20 to the parsonage
b complete our daily stint, and
have luncheon. It didn't mean any
special work or preparation for
her, for We always carry. our in-
afVidusl baskets and then mass
Them together in q sort Of giorihed
Jack Pot" So It meant simply
transferring our luncheoH from the
church to the parsonage. The
house was fairly svarmfng with
children! You couldn't believe that.
twelve would make as many! They
came in twins and triplets and lots
Of splitscres! The minister loves
To- refer to them as olive branches,
but don't see the connection. The
olive branch in the days Of Noah
was supposed to be q sign of
promise. 1 should think these
twelve children constituted a
pretty substantial fuIfIlment.
The minister's wife seems 10
2utter less. and have q little more
Neise in her home. She feels
greater assurance among her own,
9Ares and penates, than when
wandering around among other
peopls's-eopecially Il oVershadow-
Cd and awsd by her husband.
eant make out whether she re-
Gpects her husband or fears him, or
simply accepts him as one &C.
eept8 . curious dispenSation OF
Dro1idence. / know she would
nsver Lift her voIce In argument
- dispute against his superior
vll-but sit back In drab resigna-
ton no matter what issue prevail
ed Maybe she Is like the woman
eat West whose house and goods
were demolished by a hurricane.
When Buocored by q neighbor, she
aAu0unce6 with admirable decis-
Ion No, I'm not sorry q mite that
evSfything is swept away and
futned. It Is the first thing that
0ysf happened that my husband
couldn't blame me t0rI"
A. We sat down to luncheon to-
day the children were distributed
Heaely among the adults. The min
liter WIN his air Of detached piety
held the head Of the board and said
m ample grace. The wife flut-
tered around attending to our
wants. All went well till sudden
b one Of the younger olive
branches for some cause not quite
apparent, muttered Col darn it"
under his breath. The reproving
eyer Of the parson fastened itself
UpOa the offender, and in terms Of
no compromise, issued forth a
stern parental rebuke. At that, the
youngest olive branch, with the
tEcS Of an angel and a voice Of
XtheF1ng sweetness, piped out,
Oil Papa, that's nothing, you
Should him say, God damn it."
Win, my beloved you could have
been thersi l know those poor
oliVe branches underwent a season
Worse than the Diet Of Worms after
eur party disbanded, and they
hadn't the faith and experience OF
Martin Luther to uphold them. l,
being an ordinary vile sinner,
would have rewarded them all with
cookies. 1t is seldom one meets
WITH unabashed truth in these
AayE.
have . fire in my room tonight.
The hearth opens wide arms to the
eanetng flames! In the pickering
hight ! Sc your fRce-tender eyes
breeding with the sorrovs Of the
W0rid-but shining through all
With love for mel see your curl
ing hairi Your broad low browi
The wind outside IL cold! II
VhlEtles down the chimney, and the
eAnsS leap and sing. Your face
looks out upon me now-smiling
gently, full Of hope, full Of cheer.
~Be brave, little Wife" It says,
~ little general, be brave" Yes,
beloved, will be braye-through
FIRE and water and pestilence and
death ] will follow you, until the
waves break for US forever on the
Soundless shore.
GOODNIGHT