The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1919-04-05
FATE-AND BILLY
BY AGNES c. BRoGAN.
sNNRRRNN%R ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Some one had sent to Billy, a local
town paper, and four thousand miles
from home, incidents heretofore con-
sidered unworthy of attention, were
read with absorbing interest. France,
with its thousands of fighting COM
radeS, its continued excitement and
impending danger was lonely place,
lonelier than Bridgeburg had ever
been.
Seeming to stand out among the
| personalities" was a familiar name,
Miss Elizabeth Brown" so the col
umn announced, twas spending the
/ summer with her aunt"
Elizabeth Brown" Billy wrinkled
his brow perplexedly then memory
came to him. "This was Betty Brown,
of course, black-eyed Betty, his jolly
companion of past vacations. Betty
had come out from the city then to
spend her summers with her aunt.
To Billy somewhere in France"
came vision of the town of his child
hood, the white house with its flowers
and vines, where saucy Betty had held
sway.
What sort of a young person had
Miss Elizabeth Brown become? he
wondered. With the requirement of
her first long skirt, her visits to
Bridgeburg had ceased. Following a
sudden impulse, Billy drew a card to-
ward him. He would surprise her
with a message from overseas.
''DO you recall" he hastily wrote, "a
youthful admirer, Billy West? Used
to devote himself to you when you
stopped in Bridgeburg. Well, this is
from Bill. I'm fighting for Uncle Sam
now, and a fairy has whispered your
name to me over in France. Won't
! you send line to cheer us along?"
When the card was dispatched Billy
wondered at his own temerity.
"Oh, well, no harm done, she need
not answer" But she did
''What do you known he murmured
to himself, and perused the letter.
Miss Brown honestly confessed that
she couldn't recall exactly the identity
of Bill West. But if he was the good
natured boy Handsome, slyly inserted
Miss Brown) who used to let her tyran-
nize over him when she visited at
Aunt Lucy's, she'd be glad now to
make amends by adopting him In q
certain way, as her soldier, forward
Ing to him little things which might
add to his comfort, and being as de-
sired, generally useful. "Of course"
added Miss Elizabeth, 'he must not
consider her foolishly romantic per-
son or anything like that, for she was
merely trying to help, in a spirit Of
pure patriotism. And if Mr.. West knew
of any other lonely soldier, her assist
ance could also be extended to him."
Billy did not know of any. He has
tened to tell her so.
When he lay wounded in the hos
pital, his first thought, strangely
enough, was of Betty Brown. There
were many anxious letters awaiting
response from near friends and dear,
but Billy turned painfully to the nurse.
''Please write to Miss Elizabeth Brown
of Bridgeburg," he begged; "teIl her
I'm going back on sick leave and will
see her soon."
Billy's injuries were not serious,
the doctor assured him, but his mend
ing would be long and tedious.
eyes" he answered the eager ques-
ton of the soldiers eyes, you'll be
back with us on the fighting line"
Throughout his long homeward jour
ney, Billy thought of the girl who had
written him letters of inspiration and
courage. "What a kind little soul she
was!" Then Billy paused in his pleas
ant meditations. "Little? How did
he know? She might be tall, neither
had Betty been prepossessing in ap-
pearance. His boyish respect, Billy
realized, had been won by her sheer
domination. He had fallen in love,
/ yes, there was no doubt Of it, with
Elizabeth Brown, on paper. And she?
She had confessed that romance dwelt
not in her. she had been unable to hon
estly recall his identity. Billy sighed.
He would personally thank his hene-