The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-19


| it is the life for me you bet. I am
feeling great how are you all
Ma Werner wasted an entire morn |
ing showing it around the neaghbor-
| hood and she read and re-read it until
it was almost pulp.
Six months of this. Buzz was an
| intelligent machine, composed of steel,
cord and iron 1 think he had forgot
| ten that the Kearney girl had ever exc
listed. One day, after three months of
camp life. the man in the next cot had
thrown him a volume of Hipl.ng, Buzz
fingered it disinterestedly. Until that
moment kipling had not existed for
Buzz Werner. After that moment he
| dominated his leisure hours. The Y.
NJ. c. A. hut had many battered vol
umes of this writer. Buzz read them
i all.
The week before Thanksgiving Buzz
found himself on his way to New
York. For some reason unexplained to
him he was separated from his COM
pany in one of the great shake-ups
i performed for the good of the army.
i Re never saw them again. He was
/ sent straight to a New York camp.
/ When he beheld his new lieutenant his
limbs became fluid, and his heart leap
ed into his throat and his mouth
stood open, ana his eyes sbulged. 1t
whose aristocratic nose he had punch
ed six months before, in the Hatton
pulp and paper mill.
And even as he stared young Hatton
fixed him with his eye, and then came
over to him and said: Its all right,
Werner"
4 Buzz Werner could only, salute with
awkward respect, while with one great
Eulp his heart slid back into normal
place. He had not thought that Hat
ton was so tall, or so broad-shouldered
He no more thought of telling the
other men that he had once knocked
this man down than he thought of
knocking him down again. He would
almost as soon have thought of taking
punch at the President.
The day BEFORE Thanksgiving Buzz
was told he might have a holiday. Also
he was given an address and tele-
phone .pumber in New York City and
told that il he SO desired he might
call at that address and receive
bountiful Thanksgiving dinner. They
were expecting him there. That the
telephone exchange was Murray HILL
ana the street Madison avenue meant
nothing to Buzz. He made the short
trip to New York foundered about
the city. found everyone willing and
eager to help him find the address on
|
OF the house on Madison Avenue. 1t
was a large, five-story stone place,
and Buzz supposed 1t was a nat of
course. He stood off and surveyed 1t.
Then he ascended the steps and rang
the BELL. They must have been walt
ing for hin. The door was opened by
la large, Arniable- looking, miadle-aged
man, who said, WELL we'll! Come In,
come in, my boyi" a great deal as the
folks in Chippewa, wisconsin, might
have said it. The stout old party also
said he was glad to see him, and Buzz
believed 1t. He went into a great
bright sitting-reofn, with books in it.
and a freplace-vefy cheerful. There
were not lot of people in the room.
Just middle-aged woman in soft
kind of dress who came to him with
out any fuss, and the first thing he
knew he felt acquainted. Within the
next fifteen minutes or SO Some other
members Of the family seemed to ooze
In, unnoticeahle. And tall.- black
haired girlss who made you think of
girls in the movies, only her eyes were
different. And then, with a little rush.
girl about his own age, or maybe
younger-he couldn't tell-who came
right up to him and put out her hand,
and gave him grip with her hard
little fist, just like a boy, and said,
Pm Joyce Ladd.'
'.Pieased to meetcha." f1iunbled Buzz.
And then he found himssn talking to
her quite easily. W
Then four other men In uniform
came in. and tt turned out that three
Of them were privates like himself,
ana the other sergeant. Their awk-
ward entrance made him feel more
than ever at ease, and ten minutes
| ali a
ana laughing and joking as If they had
known these people for years. They
all went in to dinner. Buzz got pam
ieky when he thought of the knives
and forks, but that turned out all
right, too; because they brought these
as you fesded them. And besides, the
things they gave you to eat, weren't
mitch different from the things you had
for Sunday or Thanksgiving dinner at
1honie, and were cooked the way his
mother would have cooked 'them-even
better, perhaps. And lots of It.
After dipner Mrs. Ladd said: What
would you boys like to do? Would
YOU like to drive around the city and
see New York? Or would you like to
go to a matinee or a picture show? Or
do you want to stay here? Some Of
Il Joyce's girl friends are coming in a
little later"
/ And Buzz found himself saying. I
I'd kind of rather stay and talk with
the girls" Buzz. the tough guy. then
bIushed like a shy schoolboy.
They did not even laugh at that
They just looked as if they under
stood that you missed girls at camp.
Mrs. Ladd came over TO him and put
lher hand on his arm and said. That's
splendid. Wen all go up, to the ball
room and dance" And they did. And
Buzz. who had learned to dance Mt
places like Kearney's saloon and at the
mill shindige, glided expertly about
with Joyce Ladd of Madison Avenue,
and found himself seated in a great
window-seat, talking. with her about
Kipling. 1t was like talking to another
| fellow almost, only it had thrill in It.
1 rrt... .....o.i .......-- "a |