Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19
SHE FINDS HERSELF
BY ALICE KILLIAN.


"Come right in, Cornelia," said Mrs.
Connery Hospitality.
Mrs. Connery was rather surprised
at seeing CorneIia Barclay so soon
after their conversation regarding ex-
emption from military service, and she
was very glad to see that the girl har-
bored no Ill feeling toward her for
having spoken so plainly. Noticing
the pale face and heavy eyes of her
guest, she asked: whats the matter?
Aren't you feeling wellF"
Cornelia slowly nodded. "Tm all
right" she said with an effort, "but
Bob-Bob's gonel"
"Gone?" echoed Mrs. Connery,
"Where?"
Rockford He's in training"
A glad smile Illuminated Mrs. Com
nery's ~countenance. "Tm so glad, Cor
nelia-and you must feel proudl You
couldn't help it."
81 am proud" Cornelia %assented,
'but," sobs came fast, Tn SO lone
some"
Mrs. Connery patted her hand COM
fortingly. 81 know, DEAR" she muir
INJURED.
Cornelia dried her tears. "Don't
think I'm hunting sympathy, Mrs. Con-
nery,' she said. "I'm not, but I just
had to talk to someone, and I knew
you'd understand. When / left here
that afternoon my mind was in a tu-
multi, You had made me see how self
ish I really was, and the question
scared my burning brain. Who am
/, that my husband should be exempt
ed from service? Am I a Stacker? Oh,
you don't know how that word shriv-
els one, when you feel that it may be
applied to oneself I'd say, It's
Wall streets war; let the rich do the
fighting! I'm willing we should fight,
to defend our country, but why send
our boys abroad to be shot by German
shrapnelT"
"You know what kind of a con-
science I have" Cornelia continued.
"It never gives me a minutes rest
when I feel that I'm in the wrong, and
I knew that I was all wrong. 1t isn't
a Wall street war; we are fighting for
a great principle; our boys are going
abroad because we must be protected,
and that is the best and only wayG
Still, I just couldn't see Bob among
them.
"When I got home after my talk with
you," Cornelia went on, "Bob was
waiting for me. I tried to get his
views on the military situation, but
he'd say very little. We went down to
dinner, and at every table all you could
hear was war-war! l couldn't eat;
I excused myself and went back up
stairs. Soon Bob followed, and then
we had it out.
ri don't think I ever saw such ABB
solute joy in any mans face as there
was on Bob's when I told hffa 4
thought he'd better waive exemption.
He stared at me stupefied. then, as he
finally grasped my meaning, he drop
ped his head on his hands and sobbed
like a baby"
Cornelia's voice choked.
"Little by little he told me just what
he'd been up against. Downtown all
his friends knew that I had been work.
ing for a long time after we married.
Also they knew that I had resigned my
position, and blamed him for it. They
thought he was simply hiding behind
my petticoats and evading service. OF
course, he wanted to know what had
made me change my mind, and"
Cornelia giggled, 81 told him that I'd
been listening to an inspired lecture on
patriotism, and that I wanted him to
CO."
"Poor Bob" said Mrs. Connery SYM
pathetically.
Sand" continued Cornelia, "Mr.
Baker, his employer, has been wonder
fully kind. Bob said that when he
told him he was going to Rockford, Mr..
Baker just wrung his hand and said:
MY boy, I'm proud of you. I just
couldn't reconcile your hanging back
at a time like this, with your previous
record Poor Bob! Wasn't 1t a shame
that poor, selfish I had placed him in
a position where he had to choose be-
tween loyalty to his wife or to his
country and, by being loyal to me,
make everyone think he was a cow
ard and did not love the fag2 Mrs..
Connery, I just hate myself for my
blindness"
"No need of all that ESTABLISHMENT,
Cornelia," said Mrs. Connery- "Being
cheerful and doing your bit will make
the separation easier, and you Know
Bob would worry if you regretted his
going"
81 don't regret it for n minute"
said Cornelia emphatically. "He looks
simply great in his uniform, and his
heart is in his work. I know Bob will
make a good soldier. But" Cornelia
struggled with her tears, "Tm awfully
lonesome !"