Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-03-08

AIS fair, they say, in love aDe %ssr;
| which accounts for the fact ts.at Lieut.
David Ashley and Private John Robe
son were in love with the same girl.
Less than a year ago, before the war
cloud overshadowed all other consid-
erations. they had both been promising
young business men o. Glendale, N. J.
Every morning they took the 500
train for New York, and every evening
they caught the 4 80 back 70 Glendale,
hoping that Margery Smith would be
free TO entertain them after supper.
So things stood when President
| Wilson declared a state of war ex-
fsted between this country and Ger
many.
ut means that Wen send hundreds
of thousands of soldiers over there"
Dave announced "And believe me,
I'm going to be one of the first to CO."
But John laughed disparagingly.
at doesn't mean any such thing, he
answered. "All wen do will be to
patrol our coast more carefully and
to make more munitions for the oil
les"
And so, according to their lights,
Dave applied for entrance TO the First
Officers Training camp at Fort Myer,
Va, and John continued his duties as
assistant manager for james McCul-
lum & Sons. In the course Of few
months Dave was commissioned a first
lieutenant; and John, his skepticism
suddenly dissolved, found himself
drafted into the National army. A
short time later he was ordered to re-
port to Camp Dix, ~. j., where he
found Lieut.. David Ashley as one Of
his company officers.
| Meanwhile, the contest for Margery's
hand had progressed merrily. Taking
advantage of the axiom that all is fair
In love and~war, John had had a rath-
er glorious time of it during Dawes
three months at the training camp.
Margery was rather lonesome and al
though she wrote at least twice week
to Dave, she welcomed Johns visits.
So, when November found both Dave
and John at Camp Dix, the latter had
drawn almost on even terms with his
rival.
But rs an officer Dave had the
easier time Of it. Occasionally he
found it necessary to give orders to
his rival, but when he did so there
was twinkle in his eye which robbed
the situation of all bitterness. In the
matter of leaves of absence, he was
perfectly fair also. Each of the men
was permitted to visit home once
every two weeks, and Dave managed
to fix Up things so that he and John
alternated on their visits to Glendale.
Things might have gone along with
out change until the end Of the war,
but one evening Dawes division COM
mander told him that within three
weeks it was expected that the young
officer would be ordered to report at
Camp Mcclellan, down in Admission,
Ala.
1t was Friday when he received word
Of his probable transfer, and on the
following Sunday it was his turn to
visit Glendale. He told Margery then
that it was probably his last visit !;
and something In her eyes filled him
with sudden hope. But although his
brain urged him to ask her the ques-
tion which quivereL ON his lips, his
heart failed him in most unsoldier
like manner; so he went back to Camp
Dix feeling very much as If the bit.
tom had fallen out of the world.
But when his last Sunday in the
Northern environment approached. and
he picflred John Robson sitting be-
fore the big CRATE fire in Margery's
library he hurried to company head
/ quarters and talked long and earnest
~ to Margery over the telephone.
"0f course I'll be glad to visit camp"
she said. Ell was wondering if you
were going South without seeing me
again.
Dave wondered, too, how he could
ever have thought of such thing, and
when he met Margery at the station
the next morning, he told her so.
They had lunch together in way
side inn which was really a converted
farmhouse, and after they had finished
eating, they sat still for long time
and just looked at each other across
the table.
why didn't you plan to come to
Glendale this Sunday?' Margery asked
finally.
II did," Dave answered, "but knew
that with John there. / couldn't say
what / wanted to. 1t wouldn't have
been fair to cancel Johns leave of abb
sence, because had promised him not
to early in the fall !; so the only thing
could do was to have you here"
Margery nodded.
"What did you want to say to me?"
she asked.
The room was deserted the waitress
had miraculousiy disappeared; and 50
Dave told her what he had wanted to
say for ages. And when he had fn-
ished she reached her hand across
the table and told him, so softly that
he hardly heard, that she had always