Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1919-04-23
|CHANGE OF BLOOD
BY ALICE ROBERTS.
Copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)

Walter ChamberS-now Lieut.. Waiter
Chambers-from blue-blood to red
blood. Incidentally, it also changed
the whole course of his life. This was
due, not to the mere gassing he suf-
fered at Foret Noir, but to deep,
subtle transformation of his soul. He
had seen life and death. He had be-
come man.
Yes, Chambers had red blood In his
veins now. And the difficulty he met
most often since his return to his
old life was in realizing that the old
blue-blood of his stay-at-home friends
had not changed its color in the least.
OF course they were all very kind.
They suffered brief recital of tale
of his adventures-and then asked him
If he had heard Of the slump in the
steel market. Jack Rogers, his oldest
friend, patted him gently on the back
and asked fer information about the
style Of evening dress in Paris. Then
old Baker had offered him his former
position at the bank. OF course he
refused 1t. He could not think of 1t
now. And, besides-there was that
offer of Beard.
He was telling Katherine about it
now. Katherine had always been re-
garded as his. There had been no en-
gagement-but engagements are mere
conventions. I need not tell you that
Katherine boasted Of the size and num-
Der OF blue corpuscles in her blood.
"And so," he was saying, "this offer
Of Beard looks pretty good to me. l
could never work indoors again. The
gas, you know, touched a couple of
tubes in one Of my lungs, so that"
"You never told me that, Walter"
She seemed alarmed.
"Oh, it's nothing at ALL" he assured
her. "But I've grown so used to being
out of doors that I could never bear to
go back to the bank and dictate those
highly exciting letters-'Yours of the
steenth received, and in answer would
say
"There are lots of other things you
could do"
"N0 doubt! But Beard was with me
across the pond, and wants me to go
out to Dakota with him. He has big
wheat farm out there He wants me to
go partners with him. Wants to run 1t
on a business basis. We were great
pals in France"
He glanced up. Katherine was looks
ing at him in horror. He arose and
went over to her. He spoke doubtful
ly:
"Wlll you-er-will you come with
me, Katherine?"
"To farm? In Dakota? Why, Wal
teri What are you thinking Of? Leave
all my Misunderstanding I am inter-
ested in-for a farm in Dakota? You
know 1 could never live there!"
Well, a year ago he would not have
blamed her. And yet he could not help
thinking of the women he had met In
the past month-the nurses, and the
war workers, who ri&ked life, even, not
for love, but for an ideal Why there
was Nance Richardson, who worked
so near him at Thierry. He would nev-
er forget Nance. How different she,
was from Katherine.
"And I. Katherine could never live
here" He was frank.
"Well?' That was all, except for the
almost imperceptlble raising of a deli
cate eyebrow.
"All off. eh, Katherine?"
"What do you mean? You need not
bury yourself in the wilderness. You
are young and clever. There are many
things that you could do. Why, Jack
says"
ooh, it's Jack, is it?"
"Well, yes"
"You never loved me, did you, Kath-
erine?"
81 don't think so, Walter"
Two weeks later the engagement of
Katherine Leonard to John Rogers was
announced in society circles. Shortly
aftcrward Chambers swung off a train
at little station in the heart Of the
farm lands of the Dakotas.
Boards welcome was warm and
hearty. The atmosphere of the coun.
try was bracing and energetic and
virlle.. This was a mans country.
They drove swiftly over the rolling,
snow-covered plain. Chambers threw
hack his shoulders and hreathed deep
ly for the sheer JOY Of 1t. Life was
worth living there. Just as they ap-
preached the great farmhouse, after
the long drive, Beard stopped his chat
ter to say:
"Rempmher Nance Richardson"
'Do remember her? Will ever for.
get her! Why, she did more for our
boys at Thierry than"
But they were at the door now, and
of a sudden there appeared, as 1t
seemed to Chambers, vision.
"Wclcome home, gentlemen" It was
Nance herself.
"Wh-what? Say, Beard, Is Nance
your-your-'