Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-06-10
AU REvOIR
BY LILLIAN e. HALPERiN.
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With her neat but worn coat but
toned to her chin, her shabby, black
hat drawn down to meet her thought
full brows, and with two books under
her arm, Rolla was running down the
stairs of the Home Boarding house.
Then something happened. Something
serious enough to bring tears to her
grave eyes. The heel of ROlla's Slip
per caught in a treacherous place in
the ragged carpet; she clutched the air.
dropped her books. then fell in a de-
jected heap.
To add to her discomfort and hui
initiation young man in navy blue
came to her assistance.
THANK you, I'm not hurt" she said
CURLY.
With flaming cheeks and close to
tears. Rolla hurried out, and not until
she had turned the corner did she stop
to brush the dust she had gathered in
her mishap from her skirt and sleeves
and to pull her hat in place. When
she reached her destination-the Muir
ray Hill school-and glided in be-
tween the swinging doors, the tense ex-
preston on her face relaxed and she
breathed a sigh of relief.
ROlla he'd two passiOns-her mother
and education. She never passed a
school without sigh, and witnessing
graduation of high school class was
at once a joy and an anguish to her.
In her heart she Rugged hope that
some day she would take up the broken
thread of her education; and now
she had moved into this boarding
house because it was nearest to "her
school," She could slip away to the
evening course as soon as she had re-
turned from the Office and swallowed
her meager supper.
And how she loved those hours she
spent among the serious. evening stu
dents. They were the only bright spot
In her drab, lonely life.
"Good evening, Mr.. Franklin" she
murmured, as she passed the tall prin-
cipal, whose towering head and Shout
ders she could see above the moving
throng of students.
She offered this greeting nightly,
though she never received nor expect.
ed an answer; not that Mr.. Franklin
would purposely ignore her, but be-
cause he never heard her low voice.
On her way home after school that
evening she ran full tilt into sailor
who politely lifted his white cap, while
the confusion she had felt earlier in
the evening returned to her. She felt
a sense of shame at her ungr8 cious de-
pertinent toward this man, and she
made desperate effort to mend ii
now.
II thank you for-you must par.
don me-" she stammered.
Perfectly all right" he murmured,
lifting his cap again. Then, with a
smile and pointing to her books, he
said: Studying French?"
Her embarrassment was forgotten
In q moment, and she felt as If she
were conversing with an old friend. He
had struck common note and she had
answered, and soon they were "lost"
In books.
"Pm trying to have some one teach
me the meaning Of couple Of words,
too. Need it for over there you
know" he told her.
Rolla was on the point Of offering
what little advice she could, when sud-
denly she remembered that he was the
friend of the quiet girl on the second
floor.
81 went to see the Great Lakes Ma
val station. Our boys make won
derful showing, don't they?" she re-
marked.
Eyes," he agreed.
Rolla began to thaw out in spite Of
herself because of the boys wholesome
frankness.
do you know" she found herself
saying, 81 fancy l saw you there"
"You might have; was in the let
ter "A in America and in Y' when
we formed the word navy You
must have recognized me by my white
cap"
They both laughed.
"You call here often" she remarked
irrelevantly.
Eyes, 1 come to visit Alice regular
ly," he answered.
She bid him sudden and cold good
night" and ran up to her room, resolv-
ing to avoid him in the future. To see
him was not right toward the quiet
Alice.
When school was dismissed next eve
ming and she was making her way out
she noticed Mr.. Franklin In converse
ton with a sailor-the Sailor!
few minutes later as she turned
the corner to her home she heard some
one repeating her name. She turned
to find the sailor greeting her. He
surprised her into cordially.
"How do you happen to come to my
school?" she demanded.
II know the Murray High school
pretty well. I taught French there !;
besides, am a nephew of Mr.. Frank
lin as well as Of Uncle SAM" he
laughed.
"But you said you wanted to learn
French!" Rofla gasped.
81 do. 1 want to learn-oh, so much
the real meaning of love and home
And since the first day 1 saw you
knew felt that you-that wanted
you to teach me. VIII you, dear?"
Rolla's face whitened and her eyes
famed.
"And the girl upstairs?" she re-
minded.
you mean Alice?" he asked.
She nodded.
'why, little sister Alice will be the
hsppiest girl to own you as a sister
my little-Rolla."
Ten days later the sailors wife and