The Press., 1919-12-18

cause Anne Dawson was going into the navy as a yeomanette, Janet de- cided to take up stenography and go' too.
 But she was disappointed. Several weeks after she graduated from the business school in the heart of town an order came through for stenog- raphers at the gas defense plant on Long Island. She hesitated. Anne was appointed in the navy. But could she not do the same bit in the army?
 Her selfshness in merely wanting to be with her girl friend came to her in full realization one morning when she had seen the first transport of wounded soldiers land, and she has tened to the plant to offer her serVlces.
 Janet, with the knack of her fathers aptitude for business, got along eN- ceedngly well. Meantime the war ragged at it's fiercest. Battles came thicker and more often, and the yell of the newsies' husky voices on the street corners at every edition of the big metropolitan daily made Janet's
 
 aids wonderful decd.
 She mad followed every line of the account of how he had saved whole squadron by repairing the motor ambu- lances so rapidly. Janet knew that a new and greater love had come into her life. There was a change, too, in her parents view Janet's mother, al!
 .t,t ,tINf CTS at the war camp community serV- ice, said she always knew there were big things in "Jerry.'
 But Janet had cried herself to sleep that night.
 In vain she wrote letters abroad. If only she knew his definite address, She had read where he had been wounded, but no hospital number was given. The Red Cross took down the data she was able to supply them, scant as it was, for she had refused even to see him the day he graduated from the training camp and was or dered over.
 That was months before, and bit ter repentance grew in her heart be- cause of it. She had been selfish. mar TOW minded and vain. The words she had uttered that day he had enlisted burned and scared like blue flame now.
 But morning banished all the tears, just because there was work to be done, and Janet, dainty from the feather in her little trig hat to her neatly polished shoes, went to the plant to take her place among it's many other workers It was her last trip this day. for orders awaited her to report in Washington.
 A word of thanks to her captain for recommending her as most capable, a hastily packed travelling bag, host of imagination-and Janet was on her | way to the great center from which radiated so many executive spokes of the worlds war. It was glorious! But the old feeling returned to quell her enjoyment every now and then on the train trip going down.
 "MrS. Cummings" Sergeant Nun i sey read day later from her slip to l the lieutenant sitting at the huge oak desk to his right. And Janet had tim i idly acknowledged the title and mount ed the stairway to the next floor with him.
 "You are to work for the major, are you not?" he asked. and Janet said she i had not been told. "Yes," continued , Sergeant Munsey, "the new major ar | rived yesterday. guess you'll like 1 him all right, with his flashy smile and | good humOr always. So much as we | have seen of him I don't wonder he was so popular with his men" But they had reached the doorway of the majors office and Sergeant NIunsey stopped.
 A somewhat faint yet emotional Janet wheeled the next moment and sat heavily in the chair the major of. fered. The shoulders had looked ia. miliar, and, yes the head.
 But it was prepOsterOus. And yet
 "Thank you, sergeant" Major Cum mings said quietly. q will swear the little lady in, you need not wait"
 "Swear me in?" Janet said bit breathessly as she turned her wide eyes. radiant but tear-dimmed wtf happiness on her husband, Jerry.
 "Why, yes-a mere custom of the service, Mrs. Cummings" he saiG haughtily, "but-" and there was q note of the Jerry Who used to be- "but if you wish" he smiled this time, "Pl swear you in-fOr life"
 And as Gerald expressed it few weeks later when the armistice was signed and they both got their honor able discharges. it was the first time he had ever kissed a stenOgrapher the
 frs, hny he engaged her, and-tht >trv first lime he had ever taken enc
 Il tn I"""h the same day