Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1920-01-16
FATE AND BILLY
BY ANNA l. SMITH.
Copyright, 1919. Mcclure Newspaper Syn
dicate.)

Some one had sent Billy a local pa
per and, 1000 miles from home, incl
dents heretofore considered unworthy
of attention were read with absorbing
interest. France, with its thousands
of fighting comrades, it's continued ex-
element and impending danger was a
lonely place, lonelier than B%ridgeburg
had ever been.
Seeming to stand out among the
personalities" was a familiar name.
Miss Elizabeth Brown" so the column
announced, was spending the summer
with her aunt"
Elizabeth Brown" Billy wrinkled
his brow perplexedly, then memory
came to him. This was Betty Brown"
of course, black-eyed, jolly Betty, his
companion of past vacations. Betty
had conn out from the city, then, to
spend her summer with her aunt.
To Billy, Somewhere in France"
came a vision of the town Of his child
hood, the white house with it's flowers
and vines, where saucy Betty had held
sway.
What sort Of a young person had
Miss Elizabeth Brown become? he
wondered. With the requirement of
her first long skirt, her visits to
Bridgeburg had ceased. Following a
sudden impulse, Billy drew a card to-
ward him. He would surprise her with
a message from overseas.
do you recall" he hastily wrote,
"a youthful admirer, Billy West7 Used
to devote himself to you when you
stopped in Bridgeburg? Well, this is
from Bill. I'm fighting for Uncle Sam
now, and a fairy has whispered your
name to me over in France. Won't
you send a liner
When the card was dispatched, Billy
wondered at his own temerity.
"Oh, well, no harm done; she need
not answer" But she did.
"What do you know! !" he murmured
to himself, and p~erused the letter.
Miss Brown honestly confessed that
she couldn't recall exactly the identity
of Bill West. But if he was the good
natured boy Handsome, slyly inserted
Miss Brown, who used to let her
~tyrannize wei him when she visited
at Aunt Lucy's, she'd be glad now to
make amends by adopting him in a
certain way, as her soldier, forwarding
to him little things which might add
to his comfort, and also be generally
useful.
"Of course" added Miss Elizabeth.
che must not consider her a foolishly
romantic person or anything like that,
for she vas merely trying to help, in a
spirit of pure patriotism. And if Mr..
West knew of any other lonely soldier,
her assistance could also be extended
to him."
Billy did not know of any. He
FASTENED to tell her SC.
Throughout his long homeward jour-
ney Billy thought of the girl who had
written him letters of inspiration and
courage. "What a kind little soul she
wasl" Then Billy paused in his pleas
ant meditations.
little? How did he know? She
might be tall neither had Betty been
prepossessing in her appearance. His
boyish respect, Billy realized, had been
won by her sheer domination. He had
fallen in love yes, there was no doubt
of it, with Elizabeth Brown, on paper.
And she?
She had confessed that romance
dwelt not in her; she had been unable
honestly to recall his identity. Billy
sighed. "He would personally thank
his b-enefactress for her letters; then
perhaps that would be the end" His
own sister added to the quandary.
elizabeth Brown, who used to live
mex door," She answered his Ques-
ton. "Why, she was married last
week. They showed me the invita-
tionsr
White-faced and more shaken in dis
appointment than he would have
thought possible, Billy. the soldier,
passed down the Bridgeburg street,
Their on to his boyish haunt near the
stream.
A girl sat on the messy bank. She
was engaged in knitting, but she raised
her blue eyes at Billy's approach,
gravely regarding him; then she
smiled.
81 see you have followed me-" said
the girl. ST came away from home be
fore you should call, in order to save
you embarrassment. Last night only 1
realized your mistake. When your re-
turn was mentioned aunt referred to
your boyish devotion to my cousin
Elizabeth, who has recently married"
She laughed. Probably my own Wis
its escaped your notice, Mr.. West. l
was much of a child at that time. And
So" Elizabeth Brown rose to go, W
will consider the matter dismissed"
Billy looked into the lovely face be-
fore him. 1t was of such a face he
had dreamed, led on through nights Of
terrifying darkness; such a face which
had smiled promise through the light
oe h;e hoepifaI window