Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-06-30
hi CALL OF DUTY
BY A 0 H. ANDERSON

In the daily news, read them, won
dered II she ought to offer her serv-
ices, and then forgot them, for her
seemed quite sufficient for the sum
total of her existence, and for three
months she ignored Uncle Sans con-
slant and Urgent appeals. But one day,
when n of the stenographers came In
and calmly announced that she was
going to Washington, Ann Rogers took
up the newspapers again, read and re-
read Uncle Sans appeals, and finally
decided to follow in the footsteps Of
the former s~tenographer.
Two months later, having followed
the call Of 'The Great Adventure" Gas
she called lt). she was happily en-
sconced In one Of the Offices Of the war
department busily checking names Of
applicants for one Of the branches Of
the var service, despite the fact that
larger salary If she would have re
NAMED, and quite W that be
side her an officer, whom she had
hardly noticed, would be a great par
tlcipator In her "Great Adventure"
and forthwith treated him with de-
llberate u%nconcern. But the days
stretched on to weeks, and each day
the officer by her side began to loom
up of greater and greater interest or
the horizon of her happy existence.
Finally she admitted even to her CO
workers that she thought he vas aw-
fully nice and the days slipped by.
Three months later an order came
from the adjutant generals Office, or
dering First Lieutenant Downs to go
to camp. and there he would be as
signed to some company for early
overseas duty. Ann had known for
some weeks that the order was coming
through. but the days chased each
other 20 sublimely that she did not
realize what the order would mean to
her until 1t came. But when she read
the order that within three days he
was to report to his commanding Of
icer, she knew. The three days
dragged by-they no longer flew-and
the nights we're an eternity of tears
and prayers; but on the morning Of
the last day when the first lieutenant
said good-by. Ann was smiling, and for
all the world none would have guessed
at the tears and prayers. The week
following his departure dragged
through its course, but the brightness
and novelty of the throbbing, crowded
city had died for Ann.
One afternoon when a letter arrived
Mr.. Marchant asking If Ann
would not come back to her old posi-
lion, she dispatched an immediate re-
ply to the effect that she would be
In three weeks. The next day
she handed In her resignation.
"Oh, she's got the blues on account
Of a sweetheart back home" confded
the sergeant to the corporal, but Cap
tain Downs knew, and accepted her
On the morning that she presented
at the Office Of Burr & Mar
chant she found a beautiful bunch Of
red roses In a vase on her desk, and
attached to them was q card bearing
Mr.. Marchant's name. 1t occurred to
her then he was a bachelor, and she
asked herself. us It possibler but
soon forgot the question In the busy
of her old desk and type
Later when Mr.. Marchant
came In she shook hands with him and
him for the roses.
"Are you glad to be back In this
city7" he teased.
"It's the best city In the world" she
rejoined. laughing.
Again the weeks began slipping by.
but Mr.. Marchant was quick to notice
that the happy laughter in AIMS eyes
was gone.
"You ought to take a vacation" he
told her one day. "You seem so tired"
"Oh. I'm not tired" she quietly re-
piled.
'Then. have a doctor.
"Why?" and her eyes widened.
you'll be having a nervou break
down before you know It," he said.
"why, there's nothing the matter
me. or, perhaps it's just a little
touch Of the blues" she smiled. But
she did not go to a doctor.
A few days later when Marchant
was watching her he saw q soft light
In her eyes, and the doubt In them
seemed to have vanished. And he
said to himself. "He has written to
He talked to her Of the transports
with troops arriving daily, and
what a fine thing 1t vas that the war
was over, but all he could get out Of
her was her quiet. II am so glad"
and he knew that 1t vas not the brand
Of gladness for her.
And one morning she came in ra- |
diant. There was a buoyancy to her
step, such a shining brightness In her
eyes that 1t electrified the whole Office
staff. and Mr.. Marchant. watching her. |
said to himself, HE has come back, |
and she had to go to Westinghouse
was destiny" He did not stay In the
office that day. He went out and
for miles. and finally too tired
TO walk back took q taxi home, ever
his prayer. "Oh. I hope she win
be happy" but had he seen Ann at
the moment that he was entering his
and had he seen the look In |
The eyes Of the man In uniform. he
would have realized that AIMS happi.