Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-04-15
CHAPT Err |.

NltH ull VI
I crumpled up the note from my great
uncle Rufus and flung it on the floor.
My disappointment at its ccntents was
the one thing needed to complete the
utter misery of Il wretched day.
Only that morning my roommates,
Birge and Roller, fortunate fellows.
had been informed that their applica-
tiOns for the ambulance service had
been accepted. Our year of happy
cOmpaniOnShip had come to an abrupt
end.
"Chepr up, old man." cried the op-
timistic Birge, "'your luck will change
| some time"
"Right," said Roller, as h" stopped
to give final tug to the straps Of his
new kit bag. "a chap as crazy about
Adventure as you are is bound to meet
her soon"
"Stop it," cried in desperation. "1t
is you two who are to have the great
opportunity. Soon you'll be seeing
shrapnel burst. airpancs battling. reg
iments charging. heroes dying, and I
I'll be sitting here alone in hall
room, eating my heart ont with lone
someness and envy, spending my days
at an uncOngenial desk, and my nights.
God knows how, after you fellows have
gone"
"You never can tell" chirpcd old
Birge. "all kinds of strange things hap
pen right here in New York You may
| H., hat ln. I,,,l 1,nl Al
adventure before we return--if we do
His last three words gave us all
SOLDERING thought. There was Il chance,
more than Il chance, that never again
i on this earth would we three be to-
gether again. Eight of our college
mates had preceded Birge and Roller
to the great battlefield. Already three
of them lay in hero graves somewhere
under the lilies of France.
The silence nf sad parting fell on
us. The taxicab came and we drove
together to the pier with hardly word
spoken.
As we shook hands at the gang
plank old Roller spoke again, EliS-
ten of tears in his eye. something al
most prophetic in his voice.
"NelsOn," he said, 81 feel II in my
bones that something is going to hap
pen to you soon. something thrilling
81 wish to God somathing would :"
I answered bitterly.
Disconsolately | waved them last
adieu from the dock. In Il black mood
I rallied against the fate that had left
me behind poignantly lamentng the
lack of the eight hundred dollars that
would have set me free to accompany
them.
Two letters. thrust under the door
in lodging house fashion, awaited my
homecoming. One of them ] recog-
niZed at once as my mothers weekly
billet of good advice. and tossed aside
to be read when | was in II better
frame of mind. The other was In n
cramped, unfamiliar handwriting. As
I studied the envelope curiouSly Il Sus-
picion as to the writer's Identity
flashed into my mind and eagerly |
tore it open. Ny grcat-uncle, Rufus
CASTOR, was an old, old man. II must
he from him. What could he he writ
ing to me about? Rufus Castor was
rich-worth many millions.
! It was merely an invitation to dine
with him and his wife. Disgustedly
flung It aside. 1t capped the climax of
my dissatisfaction with everything.
Here were my two chums starting of
to the war, and here was I. Spalding
Nelson, twenty-siX. strong in physique,
save for "footbnll knee" that had
barred me from military service, thirst
ing for excitement, left behind in the
rrosaic business world and now bid
dnn to an uninteresting meal with two
dccrepit old relatives. l made up my
r,inG not to answer the note. My great
uncle Rufus could go hang. for all of
his millions. I would not go neal
him.
The sight of my mothers letter lying
uIoI,tncd on my desk served to recall
to me that II was she who had prevent
ed my going. Poor mother! She and
had been at cross-purposes ever since
nv fathers death while | was young
| SLIT. IL Sttlil'u w NV '''''' ''"'''7 DIV
had opposcd everything wanted to do
After l left college she had found q
place for me in the office of one of m.
fathers friends in the little western
city where our home was. ! had beer
two years getting away to join Rirg,
and Roller in New York. Most of al
she had set herself against my goins
to France. She did not believe In war
I was the only man left in the family
She was far from well. If anything
should happen to her my young sis
trrs had only me to look to. Whci
these pleas had failed to move M
she had not hesltaied to remind mt
that I was in her debt.
Unfortunately this was true. NJ,
years at college had cost me more tina,
my small patrimony. had borrowc,
freely from her. expecting soon to b'
able to repay her. Like all young grnd
yates | hud vastly overestlmatcd m!
eurning capacity. Three years hat
elapsed and | still owed her eight hun
dred dollars.
81 do not see" she had writer
ms, "hew you can honorably feel fre'