The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-03-09
THE WAR SERVICE
.(Lopyright, 1918, by the McClure Newspa
per Syndicate.)
BY MELVIN STEVENS.

1t was late spring in the mountains,
and bud Embury was gazing question
ingly into the clear blue eyes of Doris
Baldwin. They didn't know each other
very long; only for two weeks, to be
exact, but both were graduates Of the
same college, which makes all the diff
ference in the world.
"It's just as if we had known each
other for four years." the man ex-
planned. $50 1 want you to treat me
as one of your oldest friends"
That had been two weeks ago, when
bud had arrived at the Smith farm
house for a brief rest from business
worries. 1t was just a coincidence that
Doris happened to be the village school
teacher, but the new arrival cOnsid-
cred it about the luckiest thing that
ever happened to him. For Doris
eyes were like the october sky OF a
~cloudless day, and her lips matched the
petals of a crimson rose. She had only
been out of college a year.
Their two weeks together had flown
on enchanted wings, and the time had
finally come when it was necessary for
bud to go back to the city again. So
he looked into the depths of the girls
eyes and became suddenly brave.
81 love you" he said.
He had always thought that when
he spoke those words, the girl to whom
they were directed would open her
arms and smile at him. But Doris did
no such thing. Instead, she dropped
her eyes and traced an aimless pattern
on the floor of the porch. The man
could not see that her heart was wild
with the Joy of his confession; that
her whole being quivered for the touch
of him. He only knew that she did not
come to him at once; and because his
knowledge of girls was limited, he i'm
agined that she did not care.
So, very quietly, he turned away
from her and hurried upstairs to his
room.
He went away the next day while
she was making a mockery of her geo.
graphy lesson; and for a seemingly
endless month he ate his heart out for
her and then, when he could not stand
1t an hour longer, he wrote her a let
ter, telling again of his love and asking
her if she could ever care for him.
But in a week the letter came back
with the announcement that Miss
Doris Baldwin had gone from Noun
tainville and had left no address.
And then, having found business
suddenly uninteresting, he applied for
admission into the first series of Off
GERS training camps and was admitted
to Plattsburg early in the ummer.
In the course of three months he
was graduated with a captains COM
mission and was assigned to Camp
Dix, n. ]. Then it was that he heard
about the war service bureau of Glen
wood college. The bureau was estab'
liShed by a claSsmate of his who was
unable to fight because of physical
defects and who had decided to devote
his time to the Glenwood men who
had entered the service of the nation
Every week he sent a letter to the
alumni and students of the college in
the camps telling them of the campus
meetings, the football games, and all
other gossip. He offered to answer all
questions about Glenwood men in serv,
ice, sent sweaters and socks which the
ladies of the faculty knitted, and did 9
hundred and n things to make easier
the days of those who had answered
the nations call.
bud enjoyed the letters immensely
and n time in the late fall, wher
hn honnnnn1 70 ha In fhn COLLAGE fry-n
he dropped into the office of the wal
bureau. Jim Handy, the director
greeted him cordially.
Gwen the co-eds are doing things
he said enthusiastically.
"Who are they, and what are they
doing?" asked Dud..
"Oh, lots of things. There's Doris
Baldwin, for instance. She has
charge"
"There's who?'
buds eyes were popping out of hi!
head and his hand had gripped the
wrist of his classmate convulsively
The director of the bureau looked a
him wonderingly.
"And you mean to say you know
where she is?"
"Of course / do"
Duo rose suddenly from his chail
and clapped the astonished Jim Handy
resoundingly on the shoulder.
"Jim," he announced jubilantly, I"
thought your war service bureau wa
a pretty good thing before, but nov
I know it's the greatest thing ever in
vented. Where is she?"
81 suppose you mean Doris" Jim an
swered. "If you do, she's one of the
ladies in charge of the Hostess house
at Camp Dix. Where are you going?'
Jim was already half way to the
door.
There's a train for camp which
lnnuna This fonun In inst Aun minntao