Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-04-17

It had now received. And in the faces
Of men on the streets; in the faces OF
women and children, there had come
a new expression. It was that Of grim
joy-the savage exultation OF the vic.
tor.
Corwin was sitting at his desk one
day in November. He had not been
able to work. Somehow, though he
had no sympathy with the war, he felt
eager. expectant. 1t seemed to him
that great events portended. A dozen
times during the day he had got up, to
90 to one of the windows and look
down into the street. He saw people
hurrying, with springy step and alert
manner-as though they desired to
finish the tasks before them before
that something for which they waited,
should occur.
Corwin did not see Molly King
watching him; he did not see in the
girls eyes certain CLEAN of under.
standing and pity. For Molly knew
that the end was near-that victory
for the army in which her brother was
fighting was imminent-and she knew
that there would come day for Cor.
win when he would wish, sorrowfully
and regretfully, that he had been
an enthusiastic supporter of the Gov.
eminent.
And some glimmer of that regret
was already clutching at Corwin. He
vas uneasy. restless. For he, too. felt
that victory was at hand. and he had
done nothing toward winning it.
| Something lacked in Corwin; there
was a void somewhere in his heart.
He felt as child feels who has not
received an invitation to party
which all its friends will attend. He
was an outsider-forgotten, unconsid.
cred.
Corwin's face was grave and slightly
pale when he walked away from the
window and resumed his chair at the
desk.
1t was not long after Corwin dropped
into the chair until the screech of q
whsle floated into the Office. The
1t seemed to shrek acknowledgements
to bear message-the message. It
rose, clear and penetrating, rocking
the air with its resonance. Then it
was Joined by others-hundreds, it
seemed-of varying degrees of power
and volume. Huge and deep, they
came, and shrill and piping-trebles,
basses, baritones-harsh, soft, trilling.
blatant-a chorus, a bedlam Of sound.
At the first long, continuing blast,
Molly King bounded out of her chair
and ran to an open window. Her eyes
flashing with delight, her cheeks
flushed, her voice high-pitched and
eager, she called to someone in the
street. Corwin heard the reply:
THE Armistice has been signed! +"
Falltown was already celebrating.
A multitude Of varying sounds arose
and eddied through the Office windows,
assailing Corwin's ears. 1t seemed to
him that every citizen Of the town
must be in the street in front of the
! office, and that each citizen was try
ing to make more noise than his neigh
Dor.
Molly was putting on her hat when
Corwin again looked at her. Her eyes
were very bright-they glowed with a
light that made Corwin's widen with
admiration.
"I can't work any more today, Mr.
Corwin!" she said: I've simply got
to go out and celebrate! I shall be
back tomorrow morning-if sur
vive,"
Corwin sat alone in his Office. He,
too. was glad the war was over But
his gladness was tinged with bitter
ness. If he had been a hypocrite he
would have joined the crowds on the
streets. But not being hypocrite he
did not go. He sat there, his chin on
his chest-thinking And quite prom
inent in this thoughts was that theory
of individualism which had bothered
him for many days.
CHAPTER VII
1T was pure perverseness on Corwin's
j part that made him antagonistic
toward the fifth loan--the Victory
Liberty Loan. To be consistent he
must oppose it. He had not sub
scribed for the others-except to the
extent of the thousand dollars Molly
King had forced from him-and he did
not intend to subscribe to the Victory
Loan. TO Molly. one morning in late
April, he said. derisively:
"It's time for people to wake up and
realize that the war is over. Do they
think the country will stand for these
loans forever? Don't those grafters
ever get enough?"
"Grafters?%, Molly's voice was cold.
Her gaze was scornfully defiant. "Mr.
Corwin," she went on, evenly; you
don't mean to, say that you think all
OF the money obtained from the bond
issues has been stolenE
Corwin's smile was almost sneer.