The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-10-26


to enlist he went on reflectively, the
soft green wall lovely background
for his reddish hair. ~
MIMI" said Kathleen.
"The draft will get them eventual
ly," he continued. They say draftees
get treated far better than enlisted
men,
Kathleen laid aside the imaginary
portrait. What did you say?" crisp
ly she questioned. <.;.,.
He repeated the remark, a charming
smile about his merry lips.
,'fO-oh," returned Kathleen, whose
red-brown eyes could be danger sig
nails on occasion. Her companion, .un-
conscious of this, hummed bar with,
the orchestra before he spoke again.
-, Il may be gone for a long, long time,
A lo1fg-long-
Again he smiled across at her.
Though her lips returned the smile,
her eyes narrowed. Il couldn't enlist
if / wanted to-" he disclosed to her.
"I'm with a big motor truck concern.
We do practically all government
work now. Business fairly zipps along,
The head manager said the other day
that he never could spare me-" Polite
disparagement in his tone.
Il see," said Kathleen; you naRke
the motors" ~
He laughed delightedly. "Bonsk no."
he answered; 'I'm not in the Mctory"
"You inspect them for ~ govern
ment?" she essayed thenaH ..:
Once more he laughed at the girls
ignorance of big business.
mo, Miss O'Connor,F he confessed,
mot that, either. 4, we'll" Her
glance was piercinsly interested. Il
take orders for eag," he finished very
lamely.
Her smile, as they rose to dance,
was enigmatnAl. ...a... kills.
At one tAe next morning the two
girls still ehattered about the dance.
Julie, wrapped in kimona like a drift
of applsfblossoms, sat cross-legged on
her bed. In chair, before her draw
ing board, Kathleen was putting final
TOUCHES to an ultra-modern magazine
coYer. She had kicked off the prim-
rese7yellow slippers, but still wore the
dance frock with paint-smirched
apron above it. Her brush few no
faster than her tongue. q. -. and,
my dear, had bright hopes for him
when heard his name was Pat-gen-
orally they change it to Parker or
Pierce!-but from his, conversation l
deducted that he's just common, or
binary job-hound! Won't enlist for
fear of losing umpty, dollars a week. +"
Julie shivered at the scorn in her
companions voice, and drew the drift
of-apple-blossoms kimona closely about
her. Don't stamp up and down on
him." she pleaded. "NicRy says he's
very clever He's only twenty-six and
has worked his way up to a very good
position, It's hard to give it up,
''Give up" Kathleen flashed. What
have some given? Eyes, arms, life it.
self! Pat McKeen has a face like ST.
George of England and he stays here.
selling motors! He's so secure $3.50
SNUG, when this whole world is fight
ing Super-devils. lag
There was silence. Julie ran a
small, pink hand through her short,
blonde hair. Kathleen surveyed her
sketch and yawned deliberately.
Guess we'll call it days work, .
she said, tossing off her apron,
Through the quiet, the wall tele'
phone rang sharply.
Some one has reported that our
lights are still on" Julie giggled ner.
vously.
Kathleen's brow puckered. Answer
it, please, Ju," she asked her com.
panion. ... -a
"Hul-lo," the younger girl breathed
into the transmitter. There followed
a silence while some one on the other
end of the line. evidently explained
something. Julie hung up the receiver
and faced her roommate. ITS for
you, dear. Some kind of silly, reg.
istered letter. I'll get it."
Open,mouthed, Kathleen stared, at
the door through which Julie vanished
1t seemed a scant second after, when
she returned, painting, letter in hand
The elevator had stopped for the night
and she had run down and up four
flights of stairs. She handed the let.
ter to her roommate and stood while
she ripped off the envelope and read
the single sheet. Then she saw Kath
leen's mobile face slaeken above the
foolish dance frock. you read it, Ju,'
she whispered, and passed the crack
ling sheet. Sudden, typed words flick
cred before jules eyes.
We regret to inform you
Peter O'Connor, ambulance driver
. !. killed =. on duty I.
She dropped it as if the words
scorched her fingers and flung her
self, in a torrent of weeping, at her
stony companion. ..u
oh m-my dear, don't Hook so!
Dearest, don't l-l-loek So" ~
Shivering, she turned from the com
fort of. jules arms.
Would yoil-please turn off the
light" asked Kathleen heavily.
After a time jules mingled pray
ers and sobbing ceased. Kathleen was
glad. The sobbing had bothered her
She herself lay quiet, fearless. Her
narrow bed was like an. island. All