The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-05-05

10 insign1a. N1I,n 70 un3tlhs'iness and
| sympathy and service. And In that Order
you shall not be least. measured py either
| your sacrincs or the spirit In which you
| accept II.
| But you are yearning for his last word;
4 for some voice which VIII seem to you
| now almost q voice out Of the grave. and
] am happy to be able to bring you that
| word. IL was something more than chance
that guided me that night-as Il IL every
| night.
| We were well behind the line Of actual
| lighting. but /. had become detached from
| my party In moving to another station;
lost. II you like. yet not lost; never have
| While trying to get my location, became
aware of q presence; II will sound strange
I 10 you. but / became intensely aware OF
your presence. or course knew II could
not be you, in the flesh. but you It seemed
TO be. nevertheless. ! moved as though
led by an invisible hand. and presently
found bit OF shattered wall. In the
gloom I could just discern the form OF
man lying In the shelter OF the wall
you could call 1t shelter-it rose sea-
foot above the ground.
knelt beside him and turned my torch
on his face IL was pale even through the
brown skin; the eyes were closed the hair
was wet and plastered on the forehead:
there were smears OF blood on IL and on
his cheeks. AS my light fell on his lips
Trey framed a smile.
'Reenie." he said sit wan good OF you
10 come. j knew you would come"
II am here. Dave" / answered, and
think you will forgive the impersonation.
Now let me find out where you are hurt
ana Wen fix you up, and get you moved
presently"
He opened his eyes and looked at me
with the strange look OF man whose
thread of consciousness is half unraveled
"Oh, It's you. Edith" he said. when he
had taken me In. Funny, / thought IL
was Irene, ] must have been dreaming"
questioned him again about his wound
and began feeling his hair TITS not
There" he said. Guess l got IL all over
my hands. They got me this time. Don't
waste time on me- Some other fellow
may have chance"
found. with a little examination. that
the case was as bad as he supposed. For
tunately. the wound had induced local
paralysis and he was not suffering to any
great degree. / placed my hand in his
and felt his grip tighten on It.
I'm going to stay till it's over Dave.
Wen see IL out together"
That's decent" he answered, and then
was still for quite time.
i've often wondered what was on the
other side" he said. at length. II shall
know presently"
you are not afraid?" whispered.
mo. Only sort of-curious Andrew
erent guess it's reverent You
know / haven't been much on religion.
Never seemed to get the formula. What
Is the formula? I mean the key--the
thing that gives IL all in one word?"
I'm one word-sacrihce He that loseth
his life shall find it, quoted.
He did not answer. but l could see his
lips smiling again. His breath was more
labored. A few drops of rain fell and
some of them spattered on his face.
Presently be chuckled. II was an eery
sensation. out on that broad plain OF
death. alone by the side of this man who
was already far into the shadow-to hear
him chuckle
THAT splash of water-you remember
II made me think of the time we pulled
the old car into the stream. and the har-
ness broke or something. and / had to
carry you. You remember that, Reenie?'
could only say. Yes" and press his
hand. His mind was back on the old old
trails
He became suddenly sober And when
Brownie was killed." he went on, 81 said
II was the Innocent thing that got caught
Perhaps was right. But perhaps it's best
to get caught. Not for the getting caught,
but for the-the compensations. It's the
innocent men that are getting killed. And
perhaps It's best. Perhaps there are COM
pensations worth while"
His voice was weaker and had to lean
close to catch his words
I'm going-out," he said. kiss me,
Reenie."
And then I kissed hm-for you.
Suddenly he sat UP. '"The mountainsl"
he exclaimed. and his voice was athrill
with the pride OF his old hills. "See the
moonlight-on the mountains"
Then his strength which seemed TO
have gathered itself for this one last
vision OF the place of his boyhood gave
way. and he fell back, and he did not
speak any more
And what can I add? Dear, II is not
defeat. IL is promise. II Is hope.
Some day we shall know. But until
then we shall 20 on II Is woman's bit
to carry on But not i'm dependency not
In bitterness. not in anger or despair. He
didn't go out that way. He was reverent
and little curious. and he went out
with smile. And we shall go on, and
carry his smile and his confidence through
the valley of our sacrifice What am 7
doing speaking OF our sacrifice?
] salute you. sister in the Order of Suf-
fering-and Of hope.
EDITH DUNCAN.
handed the letter back 10 her, and
for time had no words won't you
let me tell the story? | said, at
length. ''The world is full Of sorrow,
and it needs voices to give that sorrow
words, md perhaps turn il into hope
as this letter does"
She hestated and realized then how
much | had asked. at is the story
Of my life-my SOUL she said ''Yet,
X II would help"
Without Names" / fastened to ex-
plain. without real names of places
or people"
And So in that little whitewashed
home, where the brown hills rise
around and the placid mountains look
down from the distance, and tongue
Of spruce trees beyond the stream
stands sentinel against the open prairie,
she is carrying on, not in dependency
and bitterness, but In service and in
hope. And so her sisters. all this world
over, must carry on, until their sweet
ness and their sacrifice shall fill up and
nnnd oil ho 80 hof