Evening star., 1921-12-25

was due to crash with him almost
any minute. Twice he was tished out OF
the water after a wing collapsed, but
neither time was he much hurt. Any
way, 1t didn't get his nerve. 1t was
after the second smash that we got
engaged OF course, Ted wanted to
, be married right off, but L wouldn't
have it. His mother needed all of his
pay that he could spare, and my folks
were just scrubbing along. 1 promised
to wait until he came back. We
thought it might be six months. may
be eight. You know?'
nodded Yes" says I. I'VE were
going to finish things in hurry,
there at first. He got across. did hep
cCDIE. said he was among the first
~ lot sent over, and that for a while
he was stationed on the west coast of
Scotland, helping the English patrol
the Irish sea. That was dull but easy
and fairly safe. Then, after the big
Hindeuberg drive, when the British
lost so many of their flying men, he
was transferred to a land squadron,
taught to handle d scout plane. and
sent over the lines. That was where
he got smashed up. Not in any heroic
above-the-clouds battle. No. She said
he wouldn't have minded il it had
come that way. But to get 1t miles
from the front, and simply because
the driver of supply truck had been
on too lively a party the night be-
fore-that was what Ted Collins called
rotten luck. He'd been sent out from
the rest camp to scour the country
for a Thanksgiving turkey, so 1T
wasn't even official business. How
ever, when the bleary-eyed truck
driver had swerved into an ammuni-
tiou camion the crash had been just
as complete as if he'd taken a header
into mine hole. 1t finished Ted's
flying days, very nearly finished him.
1t took months to patch him up, and
one of the best surgeons in Paris, who
happened to take an interest in Ted S
case. The rib and arm fractures were
rather complicated, too, but they finally
got those Strengthened out Also the
big doctor did wonders in restor-
ing the right side Of Ted's face. He
almost gave him back his old smile.
The right hip, though, was stubborn.
1t Just wouldn't heal properly. So,
months after the armistice, Ted Col
Inns came limping off transport at
Hoboken and was farmed' out to a
badly managed reconstruction hospi-
tai for treatment.
So he was out of luck generally.
He had come struggling home after
everything was over. The war had
been won. The parading and shout
ing had stopped. We were busy get
ting back to normalcy, so busy that
Ted Collins and thousands like him
were forgotten by most Of us. Sudie
keefe remembered. though. She sold
two liberty bonds for what they
would bring and came on to New
York, where she could be near her
Ted. For a week or SO she tried to
do what she could for him during
visiting hours. But she found that
she couldn't help much. She could do
nothing to better the wretchedly
cooked meals or the sloppy nursing.
Then she formed her plan. With no
practical experience at all and very
little idea of what she was letting
herself in for, she went after a job
as manicurist and got 1t.
"In a hotel barber shop" said she,
Struggling her fine shoulders. you
don't quite know what that means.
Well. you're lucky. But stood 1t
somehow. And just as soon as I
found out how much I could make
told Ted he had to marry me. He
wouldn't, at first. Said didn't know
what a wreck he was. Maybe he'd
never be any good. anyhow. Well. I
wouldn't listen to talk like that I'd
got to take care Of him. and tho only
way I could do It was as his wife
fairly dragged him to the minister.
Then found three little rooms, one
q A<1lEitehanatta. and Wa-ssk Ap+ house