Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-03-25
CHAPTER III.-continued.


shoulder, Mr.. Cullen strained to de
cipher the uneven penmanship. He
began to read aloud:
Dear Mr.. Cullen:
~ am asking Mr.. Henry Hllliard
to bring you this letter personally.
want him to tell you what I'm not
writing, too. And you can tell other
people, if you care to.
II want you to know that since I've
had time to think, I've changed my
mind about a good many things. I've
come to the conclusion that you were
right and l was wrong Maybe you
won't remember the last talk we had
together, but l do. You told me then
that I didn't have it in me to make
good unless l learned that l was about
the most worthless young man in town,
and the one with the hardest row to
hoe in order to make something out
of myself, and set out from there.
Well, I've learned it. l had to. OF
course, / couldn't agree with you at
the time. That wouldn't have been
expected. But over here I've had one
lesson after another. Some of them
were pretty bitter, but they've all
helped. And since May, when / was
hurt, I've had lots of time to think
them over.
81 never deserved your kindness and
now can't ever repay 1t. But it may
please you to know that this war
has taught me what you tried to, and
couldR t-khas WAS as Gloss 70 zero
value at home as man could be. It's
only through this war that I've got
any pride in myself, and I'm sort OF
like Kipling's gentleman ranker-Im
prouu of myself because I've done
away with all the other kinds of pride
used to have. And l believe I've
made good--not as great general
but as a private soldier. That was
the trouble at home-I was only mt
to be private, and l thought | could
be a general off hand. You said I'd
do well if I learned that, and l have.
They gave me the Croix de Guerre,
and in a way, that proves it, doesn't
it? Notice that they didn't even make
me corporal, though That's all
right haven't had enough training |
yet to be corporal! It's curious
that I'll admit that, isn't it?
IT want you to know that I've
thought of you great deal. l don't
blame you for letting me 60. ana
once. but l don't now. Please think
of ME, though, as man who came
at the finish even If he'd been
pretty hopeless before.
billiard, the best man in the world,
has promised to bring you this letter.
/ hope you'll be glad to see him, ana
to hear his side of the story. This Is
nv apology and my blessing, if that's
worth anything to you. l send KISS
"R. NJ"
Mr. Cullen ended with falling in
Fiction, and let the hand which held
the letter drop to his knee.
THE letter, as you might guess from
the looks of it." said billiard, was
written at several different times-ac-
cording TO his strength. l want you
to realize, too, Mr.. Cullen, that it was
no small effort for him to write 1t.
And then / was in Switzerland when
he died, and his possessions had all
gone to one of those tape-bound blu.
reaus, so that had fearful time to
Identify myself and get what he had
meant me to have, and after that, !
had to make sudden trip TO Russia, {
md back to England again. There
we're delays-delayS. | was Ill for |
several months myself; had typhoid ,
n London. l should have mailed I
hese things to you long ago, but he
lad begged me to come in person, and |
had promised. And every day l ex-
,ected that in another week or two !
should start for home. feel that {
owe you this explanation and =
treat plea for forgiveness for what [
must seem to you like gross indllfer- Ii
nee on my part. But | landed hard h
Y two weeks ago, and | came up to
on at the earliest possible moment n
an some ways, he was most re- t
young man." said Mr.. Cul-
IN, irrelevantly. Nobody ever I'M c
erstood why he turned out such a
lack sheep. Came from a fine old @
amily. | suppose his father was one I
( the most loved men In Onondaga Il
ounty. Dick lived for years on his