South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-22

IN the service commented Mrs.
Dean from her citidal behind the
coffee urn az the head Of the long
boarding-house table. She nodded
IN the direction Of the newest and
quietest OF the young women who +
tenanted her rooms and partook OF
the bounty OF her board. and that
young woman nrst dropped her eyes
TO the pancakes on her plate and
then looked up 10 Mrs Dean with .
the suspicion OF a blush on her
face
Didn't you2" she said and then .
the other boardcrs whose noses were f
not buried in their morning papers
looked back at Mrs. Dean 10 see .
how she would take Miss Pringles .
calm reJoinder.
II happened TO see a service fla
flying in your winCOw-that was
all" she shifted II always go IN
to inspect after Macy has given the 1
rooms their weekly turning out, AM +
MaVgy said t. was something new. .
Wen. thinks I. Miss Pringle has been
keeping something from Us. ! knew
you had no brothers in the service.
Miss Pringle. and we hadn't yet
seen any soldier beaus around hero
evenings. or any other beaus for that
lnatter-so 1 says 10 myself Miss
Pringle IS a sly one--she got her
Sammy at the front like the rest OF
them"
Miss Pringle's color deepened anC
she studied the brown and buff Of
her pancakes with el en- more scru-
Tiny. Some OF the bcarders who had
been deep in their papers felt the
oppression OF the silence that fol-
lowed and looked up, so that almost
all eyes were on Miss Pringle. But
she made no comment And after
breakfast in more than one group OF
dispensing boarders the question up
permost was Did you see poor Miss
Pringle ." Poor girl, I suppose she
has a young man at the front-sho
never mentioned MIN and I've nevec
seen a picture didn't think she
had any beaus-b but you never know.
still waters run deep such werc
the comments.
AS Miss PrinEle passed. still lit
tie embarrassed. from the dining
room. q tall. Ioncly-lookns young
man stood back 20 hold the door
open for her. she had seen him sew
eral times before lie was one Of
the new Icarders-had back hall
bedroom somewhere in the higher
regions of The house Apparently he
had 40 claims 90 stellar cOnsidera-
ton from Ms. Dean. She had never
introduced him 10 any of the pretty
girls Of the house and she never.
never asked him % have more syrup
on his pancakes lie mad heard Mrs
I,ean's prying remark TO Miss Prin-
ple. for as she passed hin. 70 leave
the room lie looked into her eyes
for Just "a second.
Don't Let her worry YOU" he said.
That was all; Jut Miss Pringle felt
that i'm that mthHi of "a house she
had az least one friend. And Molly
Princle needed a frieud-she needed
TO know aaal someone believed ir
her-for as a matter OF fact she
knew herself 10 be a fraud. The
service fIts was merely flas tha-
nuttered outside her window be-
cause other girls she knew had sim
liar FLAGS nuttering from their win
dows. She hadn't meant TO Cneat,
but when the man with the little
flags on the street corner called out
ever. evening as the girls from the
store were passing Got a man az
the 'front.' Buy "A rlaZ 20 show YOU We
eot "a man at the front" other girls
stopped and bought flass, some Will.
one star. some with two. some with
three and hurried away seemingly
much happier FOR the small! pur-
chase Molly had no man at the
front or anywhere else. for that mat
Ter but still she bought her little
flag and let IL wave from her board
ing house window. Then she started
10 work knitting muftlctS ana sleeve
less sweaters and wrIstlets for tie
general Red Cross supply; and, as
She worked her needles far into the
night. she pretended that they were
AN going Tor her soldier-for the
sammy for whom the flag IN the
window was waving Then she
bou-ht some soft green wool and
started knitting a sweater for her
self After knitting an hour for heI
sammy she would knit Is minutes
TOR herseIf-that was what the other
.-t-ls did-the other girls IN the
store VINO mad real Sammies
Sometimes Molly took her 500
Green knitting into the boarding
house sittiug-room-wh she was
waiting for dinner that was mo-
ready quite on time. she hesitateo
about taking down the soldier knit
ting for fear another inQuirins re-
mark might come from Mrs. Dean
Tho girls had watched her knit an,
had told her she was "a rapid worker
end once she had wound a skeln o
,xorsted ON the back of chair an
another time the tall. forlorn youn4
man. who had once held the dooi
open for her. scented 20 rise up from
u shadowy part of the room and Of
f.red 10 hold the yarn for her. H'
bal held TO the last end OF the WOO
and as II crawled through his hand
as Molly wound tho ball TO compile
tion. he looked at II and stroAcd j
with his other hand.
IT'S a very pretty color he SAID