Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-11
Little Talks By
Beatrice Fdrfdr

| Before the war. my sweetheart and
| 1 being young never talked of mar
riage, but we loved each other dearly.
In passing anyone, we would very
pleasantly say How do you do?' but
she would never stand and fool and
talk to any fellows nor I to any girls
Now l do not speak to a certain
| girl because my sweetheart Is angry
at her and asked me not to. / have
gladly done this and do not say more
than hello to any other girl, even IL l
am alone.
I Now, my sweetheart fools with some
boys, and if l seem angry she tells me
not to mind, for they are young. Once
while we were out with my sister and
brother-in-law, she ran away from me
to talk to another young man.
There is also young man two
years younger than she, whom she has
been out riding with and when 1 said
something to her about it she said she
wouldn't go out with him again. Then
she said I shouldn't be angry for he
| is so young.
| Now. Miss Fairfax, l believe she
doesn't mean anything by these things,
| for she loves me and tells me So
Il love her and to leave her would
break my heart, but there must be
some way to stop this. Is there?
| BUDDY"
| Buddy. I have to turn right around
and ask you a question. You drive
me to it. When you were Over There
back in the days when we wrote the
words in capital letters and meant
something very special by them, did
you ever have superior officer-be
1t sergeant or lieutenant or captain -
whom you didn't trust?
! suppose you had an officer like that
one whose word you didn't take
whose actions you questioned and
whose decisions you didn't lke-how
we'll do you think you'd have served
with him in command? How cheer
fully would you have undertaken a spe-
cial and dangerous detail with him?
Would you ever have thought OF pre-
tending to be devoted to. an officer.
or a buddy when you didn't take his
word. didn't trust him out of your
sight? Would you-now we're getting
10 the crux of the matter - ever have
fallen into such a narrow way of in
! terpreting friendship that you'd have
refused to let your buddy speak a
friendly word to some other young
doughboy who happened to be sta
toned back of the lines or out in the
trench with you?
"Of course, wouldn't" you say
All right buddy, / know you wouldn't
1t doesn't strike me a bit better than
1t does you even to suggest the thing
1t wouldn't be fair to doubt a pal
and not tell him so and let him clear
1t up. And when he offered a decent
q n n Of xa,bo
him that would be the end of the mat
ter, wouldn't 1t?
Why under the sun shouldn't you be
as square with the girl you love? And
why under the sun should any one ever
get to the point of exclusiveness and
dog-in- n-the-mangerishness where he ex-
poets n pal or a sweetheart to stop
knowing there are other folks on earth
besides himself?
"As you went up and down the she'll
torn highways and by-ways of France
didn't you find that a pleasant word
with passing Tommy or a smile from
Frenchie or bit of banter with one
of your own comrades frightened the
day lot? Don't you like passing the
time of day with folks you meet here
at home?
OF course you do. Il you're human
anu young ana not a prlckly old crouch.
Well then. lad. why shouldn't your
sweetheart like to have a friendly word
with folks? Why shouldn't she be jolly
and amiable and do the thing for which
all of us are always striving if we know
1t or not-that is, make people like her?
1t isn't fair for you to fuss about
her being friendly with people she
passes. And. moreover. it won't do any
good. You love her for her sweetness
and friendliness and nice warm human
ness. And the rest of the world likes
her for that But her heart is yours.
Now. my boy, don't estrange that heart
and drive all the affection out and put
resentment or tyranny in its place.
That won't get you anything.
Where there is no faith and no con-
fidence there couldn't be any military
discipline, could there? There wouldn't
be a friendship worth having, would
there?
And do you actually think there can
be love without trust or tolerance?