Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1919-10-30

For nve months prior to his return
with twelve hundred comrades from the
Great Adventure, Floyd Hobart had
not received so much as one letter from
Beth. Yet as he sat in the train that
was speeding him to the home town on
a seyenty-two-hour leave the second
day after the docking of his ship, his
heart was high and no carping finger
OF doubt plucked at his heart strings.
For Floyd was not the only soldier,
by many hundreds, who had gotten no
mail from home for weeks and months
upon end, though many were the low
ing messages that had been sent them
And he knew the especial liability to
loss of their mail that fell to the lot
OF men whose experiences were like
his.
Hobart had been one of those sol
diers whom the fates seem to conSpire
to keep away from ther commands.
Within a week Of debarkatiOn in
France he had been detached from his
company had sent 80 regional head
quarters. whence had come a loud cry
for help from expert accountants
among the enlisted mon to straighten
out the tangled "papcr work" of the
organization. Thence ne had been
chased back to the port of debarka-
ton on a hunt for some unaccounted-
for military property.
Next came a transfer to brigade
headquarters and an expert clerical
job under which he chafed
Then, all unexpectedly, the "big
push" and for a month Floyd almost
slept on a motorcycle as a dispatch
bearer, tearing over the roads of
France and eneountering every organ
ization in his division but his own bat
TALON, which had been meantime de-
tailed to serve with the French.
Twice for a fevered hour he had
gotten into the red food of battle each
time with different and stranger unit.
and gone through the carnage I'M
scathed. Then, back on the motorcy-
Gle, returning to division headquarters
after delivering a highly important
message to the commander of q bat
TALON just "going ill.," the end of the
world, seemingly, had come out of the
sky where a Hun bomber had evaded
the vigilance of the American scouts
and Floyd had found consciousness
on train headed for base hospital.
There he had remained for seven
weeks while the two broken and
mangled arms We're restored to use
fulness. After that Il period in a con-
valescent hospital and one day an
order TO report again to division head
quarters,
And all this time. and the rest OF
the time over there. without one word
from home. not a sign from Beth-but
who could wonderf Wars must be
fought as best they may and soldiers
must be here or there as the eXigen-
cies OF the service demand, whether
one hears from the loved ones or not.
And Floyd Hobart was n soldier to
the marrow of his bones. Too brave
soldier and too true ., man TO doubt
the constancy of the girl who had
promised TO be his wife, just because
her letters had gone astray.
So there was no shadow, no premo-
milton of evil no cloud upon the strong
mans faith as the hurrying train car
ried him nearer and nearer to home
and to the happiness he had yearned
for all this frenzied year,
Floyd had wired Beth Hardwick that
he would arrive in the home town by
the train on which he was travelling.
There were many people on the sta
ton platform as the soldier, first pas
senger to alight, swung from the car
step, hut his keen eyes found Beth's
erect and well-clad figure instantly
Then It was that the first warning
came.
The girl had not yet seen him, and
as she scanned the trickle of detrain-
Ing passengers Floyd could see none
of that eager anticipation, none of that
10y Of imminent welcome in her eyes
of which he had been so sure. Beth
was pale, and worry mad stamped itself
upon her face.
In a moment more she had seen him
and took step or two in his direction
as he hurried to her But as she held
out her hand to him there was appre-
hension. nervous gayety and a queer,
unaccustomed air of defiance, all at
tie same time Floyds heart turned
to lead within him.
"Tm very, very glad you're safely
back, Floyd" Beth said-and even as
she spoke, in a constrained, unnatural
voice, Hobart saw that the little soil
taire was gone from her left hand.
He drew her aside from the crowd
on the platform. 81 can see, Beth
he said. "Tell me about II. I've learn
ed to stand things. Who is III"
And Beth told him.
It was Fred Terrell, Terrell Of
Floyd's own company-Terrell the
lawyer. who had come home from the
training camp the week before the
regiment sailed, utterly cast down be-
cause at the last moment he had been
rejected by the medical officers on ac-
count of lamentably imperfect vision.
He had almost wept as he told Beth
Of the bitter disappointment a strong
man suffers at being, against his pro-
fasts and In conflict with his dearest