The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-03-13
CHAPTER l.

With an exclamation of annoyance
crumpled up the note from my great
uncle Rufus and flung it on the floor.
My disappointment at its contents was
the one thing needed to complete the
utter misery of wretched day.
Only that morning my rOommates.
Rirge and Roller. fortunate fellows.
he'd been informed that their applica-
tons for the ambulance service had
been accepted. Our year of happy
companion ship had come TO an abrupt
end.
Cheer up. old man." cried tho OPP
timiStic Birge. "'yOur luck will change
some time"
Fright" said Roller, as he stOOp"d
TO give a 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," I cried I'm desperation. 1T
Is you two who are 70 have the great
opportunity. Soon you'll be seeing
shrapnel burst. airplanes battling reg
iments charging. heroes dying. and I
I'll 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
gone"
you never can tell" chirped sld
Birce "all kinds of strange things hap
pen right here in New York. You NAV
be the one that has had bellyful of
adventure before we return-if we DO
His last three words gave us all a
SOLDERING thought. There was chance
more than chance. that never again
on this earth would we three be 10
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 of a sad parting fell OF
ne The taxicab came and we drove
together to the pier with hardly wore
spoken.
As we shook hands at the gang
| plank Olu hOiitI Sp'he oS"ih' -
ten of tears in his eye. something al
most prophetic in his voice.
"Nelson." he said. 81 feel ii in m,
homes that something is going to hap
pen to you soon, something thrilling.
81 wish TO God something would
I answered bitterly.
Disconsolatelv I waved them las
adieu from the dock. In black moo
rallied against the fate that had lief
me behind. poignantly lamentfng TN
Lack of the eight hundred dollars tina
w Md have set me free to accompan
them.
Two letters. thrust under the doc
in lodging house fashion. awaited m
Homecoming. One of them | reco:
nized az once as my mothers week.
billet of good advice. and tossed asid
70 be read when I was in n bette
frame of mind. The other was In
cramped. unfamiliar handwriting. A
7 studied the envelope curiously su
nicion as TO the writer's identt
An shed into my mind and eagerly
tore II open. My great-uncle. Rift
CASTOR. was an old. old man. II mu'
be from him. What could he be wrl
ing to me about? Rufus CASTOR VIZ
ricn-worth many millions.
1t was merely an invitation to dir
with him and his wife. D!sgustediy
flung ii aside. II capped the climax
nv dissatisfaction with everythin
Her. were my two chums starting g
Ia TIE war, and here was |. Spaldir
Nelson. twenty-six. strong in physiqu
save for football, knee" that nj
barred me from military service. thirs
ing for excitement. left behind in q
prosaic business world and now bl
dn to an uninteresting meal with ty
decrepit old relatives. made up y
! r,ino not to answer the note. My gret