The Rice belt journal., 1920-07-10
CHAPTER !.

With an exclamation Of annoyance
/ Crumpled up the note from my great
uncle Rufus and dung it on the floor.
Nv disappointment at its contents was
The one thing needed to complete the
utter misery of a wretched day.
Only that morning my roOmmates,
Blrge and Roller, fortunate fellows
had been informed that their applica-
slons for the ambulance service had
been accepted. Our year Of happy
cOmpanlOnshlp had come to an abrupt
end
Cheer up, old man." cried the OPP
tlnlstC Blrge, "your luck will change
some time"
Fright" said Roller, as he 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"
aStop It." l cried In desperation. ut
Is you two who are to have the great
opportunity. Soon you'll be seeing
shrapnel burst, airplanes battling, reg
lments charging, heroes dying, and +
m be sitting here alone in a hall
room, eating my heart out with lone
sOmeness and envy, spending my days
At an uncongenial desk, and my nights,
God knows how, after you fellows have
gMe.o
You never can tell" chirped old
Blrge, "all kinds Of strange things hap
pen right here in New York. You may
be the one that has had a bellyful Of
adventure before we return-if we do.
His last three words gave us all 6
soberlng thought. There was a chance
more than a chance, that never agar
On this earth would we three be to
gether again. Eight of our collegC
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 Of a sad parting fell OF
us The taxicab came and we drov,
together to the pier with hardly a wore
spoken.
Az we shook hands at the gang
plank old Roller spoke again, a glis
ten Of tears In his eye, something al
most prophetic In his voice.
Nelson" he said, II feel 1t in m
bones that something is going to haI
pen to you soon, something thrilling.
! wish to God something would |!
answered bitterly.
Dlsconsolately I waved them a las
adieu from the dock. In black moo
rallied against the fate that had LEI
ne behind, poignantly lamenting tn
hFk Of the eight hundred dollars tha
N1aid have set me free to accompan
them.
Two letters, thrust under the doc
n Westinghouse fashion. awaited m
homecoming. One of them I recoI
alzed at once as my mothers week.
billet Of good advice, and tossed asid
g be read when | was In a bette
nalae Of mind. The other was In
samped, unfamiliar handwriting. A
ssudied the envelope curiously a su
gielon as to the writer's identit
aasaed into my mind and eagerly
seie Il open. My great-uncle, Ruff
ea4scn, was an old. old man. 1t mu
q rom him. What could he be wrl
lg e me about7 Rufus CASTOR WI
1eh-wOrth many millions.
Z was merely an invitation to dil
via him and his wife. Disgustedly
Aqng i aside. 1t capped the climax
g dissatisfaction with everythlr
ie We're my two chums starting
we war, and here was l, Spaldi
elsen, twenty-six, strong In physiql
foF football knee" that h
.sed me from military service, thir
Ior excitement, left behind In
Aie business world and now b
g an uninteresting meal with t,
seps old relatives. I made up !
not to answer the note. My gre