Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-03-25
God WAS there he would cry out until

was INeTet lie WOulON CTy OUT until
he made God hear, him!
son was Sunday and he went over to
the Y. NC. A: auditorium. !. They
were having a Mary Pickford moving
Picture show there.l II he had hap-
pened to go at any timetduring the
he might have heard some
fine sermons and perhaps have found
the right man to help him, but this,
was evening and, the men were. being,
amused. 'f5Tf w
He stood for. a fewsmoments and
watched the pretty show. The sun
Light on Mary's beautiful hair. as it
fell, glinlmering through the trees in
the, picture reminded him of the red
gold lights on Ruth Macdonald's hair
the morning he left home. and with
a. sigh he turned away and walked
to the edge of camp where the
woods were still standing. +
Alone he looked UP to the starry
sky. Amusement was not what he
wanted now. He was in search OF
something vague and great that
would satisfy. and give him a reason
for. being and suffering and dying
perhaps. He called WtGod because
he, had no other name for It: Red.
gold hair might pc for others but not
" - / W
he would and he would not takeNit
where it lay easy to get. If he had
been in the same class with p some
other fellows he knew he would have
wasted no time or follies. He would
have gone for the very. highest, finest
woman. But there. sWhat was the
use! Besides, even if he had been
and he had t~hd---every. joy Of life
here was U q passing show alBd
at the end: would be. this. pld prob
l4m. sometime he would have had
ftA realize 1t. even If war had not
come and bought the revelation pre-
,,maturely. What was itsthat he want
ed? How Gould he thdl out how ito
die? Where was God?.. IA d
But the stars were high and cold
%n1xns rave nos answer, and the
seothed' him, sighed and gave no
The feeling was still with him next
morning when the mail was dis
tributed, There would be nothing for
him. His mother had written her
weekly letter and it had reached him
the day before. lie could expect
nothing. for several days now. other
men were getting sheaves OF letters.
How. friendless he : seemed among
them ALL. One hadia great chocolate
cake that a girl had sent him and athc
bit. 1t was doubtful if the laughing
owner got more than a. bite himself
He might have beentone OF the group
# .he had, chosen. They. All liked him
we'll enough. although they knew him
very little AS yet. for he had ken,
much to- himself. Rut he turned
sharply away from them and went
out. Somehow he. was not in the
mood for fun. He felt he must b,
growing morbid but he could no
throw it off that morning. it al
seemed SO hopeless, the things il,
had tried to do in life and the SLOW
progress he had made, upward; 'ant
y now to have it all blocked by war
None of the, other fellows eve
dreamed that he was lonely, : big
husky. handsome fellow that he was
with a continuous joke on his lips 70
those he had chosen as associates
with an arm of iron and "A Jaw. tina
set like steel. grim and enthusiastically
brave. The awkward squad as the:
~wrathfully obeyed his stern : order
would have told YOU he had no hear,
tho way he worked them. and woul,
not have believed that he was jus
plain homesick and lonesome TO
some oneEto care for him.
He was lot hungry that day whe:
the dinner cali came, and flung him
self down under a scrup oak o,l,sid
the barracks while tile Others rush
\ ed in with their mess kits, ready 70
beans or whatever was provided fo
them. He was glad that they wer
gone. glad that he might have tn
luxury Of being miserable all alon
for a few minutes. He felt stranger
as if he were going to- cry, ana "
he didn't know what, about. Perhap
he was going to be sick. That woul
be horrible down in that half finish
ed hospital with hardly any euuir
mont yeti: He must brace up ar