The Washington herald., 1920-01-14

understand that four aces beat two
pair; but If fellow has to cut OUT
| any language more fervent than
Gee" and can't play for even a
quarter of a centime il takes away
some of the first fine careless ran
ture of the game. doesn't it? And
can pay no higher tribute to your
splendid chivalry and superb mem
dacity. my A. Z. F.. than by saying
that never. never did you fail to
make me feel that the party would
have been a dismal failure without
me.
l have been in hospitals with you
when you were dying. and 1 had to
smile at you; and when I thought
that I was dying. l had to smile at
myself-and that was a good deal
the easier of the two. I've written
your letters for you. when you
hadn't any fingers to write with,
or when you hadn't any words;
when you had been so brave that
you couldn't tell them about it, or
when you had been so weak. I
think that have looked at $50. 600
photographs that you carried with
you, and once in a while the lady
has been so devastatingly plain
that I've barely been able to MUIR
mer feeble Hasn't she got a nice
straight look in her eyes?" and the
baby has been so Enthusiastically ugly
that I've just managed to gasp
heartily. but ambiguously, We'll,
that is a baby" But oh, I've. loved
them all.
l have taught you MY French,
and you have taught me yours
and they're both very good Ian
guages. ! may also state that
though the Alexandrires of Racine
and Corneille. those companions of
my childhood. may grow DINNER
and DINNER with age. firmly ex-
pect to go down to my grave say
ing, "BeaucoUp francs" and Ca ne
fat rien" and Pas compris." "Ah
oui,' my A. E. F., we are citizens
of the same far country and speak
ers of the same tongue-In say
we arei
You've taught me more than your
language. my A. Z. F. You've
taught me that there is nothing bet
ter than the average mantle man
who is building bridges in Oregon
and planting corn in Iowa. driving
truck in Newark or an engine in
Nebraska; that whether he has a
cattle ranch in Texas or a hardware
store in Tennessee he Is OF the stuff
OF which heroes and comrades are
made-because he is the A. f. F.
he Is you.
don't idolize you, for all that
l love you; well. well do I know your
faults-did you ever hide them? In
tolerant, Arrogant, over-confident
1 IA king nj a. hot H.
too good for you: to draw too swift
conclusions, too slow to relinuuish
them; sure that II things are not
done as you would do them, they
must be done wrong; reckless Of
consequences to yourself and others
no saint, my A. L. F. But you are
the average American, and You are
more generous, more chivalrous
more humorous and gentle and gal
liant and strong and fine than any
knight Of Arthur's CORTLAND a lit
tie maid whose comrade you were
Tor so many weary months will love
and honor you until she dies. Be-
cause you did something for her that
she can never repay-no, not though
she served you all her life with the
hands and feet and heart and head
that were so eager to help YOU, You
tie, narrow, pretty world, full of
furs and frills and flowers and fool
ish, pleasant things-you took her lit
tie world and made it safe for de-
mocracy.
Democracy! We learned that the
railroad engineer was as good a
fellow as the railroad magnate: that
the railroad magnate is Just as good
fellow as the engineer. Because
we weren't snobs. were we, nv A.
L. F.? We weren't snobbish even
about the upper classes; they were
all right when you got to
Know them. You see, they were
that vague generality. humanity.
and you learned how ridiculously
unimportant were the great acci-
dents of birth and fortune. Why.
the only man that we ever knew
who could be cheerful and X, p.
at the same time was a Harvard
graduate whose income ran into
higher Mathematics
And because I've loved You So
because we were such pals-I want
you to come back to me Just once
my A. E. f., before you leave me