The Omaha morning bee., 1924-10-23
/, THE KING
By WAYLAND WELLS WILLIAMS.
Copyright, 1s24.)

you'd be almost sure to discover some.
thing. The world Is so full of a num-
ber of things
I'm sure we should all be as happy
as kings.-Are kings happy, I won
der? Why don't they ever say?"
Are rich men happy" asked Jack
cycling him.
"They are mott don't know.
though. l can't call myself unhappy,
come to think of it. There's some.
thing in it, the possibilities. |
wouldn't say rich men were neees-
sarily unhappy. not unless they were
born fools'
Perhaps the same may be said. of
kings said Jack. yawning. "'Oh.
polished perturbation, golden carer
See now-I'm sleepy, and you're not.
That's because I'm the happy low lie
down. and you're uneasy rests the
head that wears crown. Ha,-Go
to bed, Mix Tewell. and don't let your
gold chafe your spine. It's a good
spine. at bottom.-Oh. I'm sorry.
didn't mean that, really,
VII.
This was honest comfort. and
enabled Kit to face senior year secure
in the choice of war, journalism or
travel at the end of it But this
was In the fall of 1916, so that senior
year had no end, properly speaking.
The first alternative, swelling into
pre-emptive duty, cut 1t short.
Kit was as astonished as the ma
jority of his countrymen. He had
read books and heard lectures. but he
had never contemplated war as an
occupation. The days suddenly be-
.,.I..
passed: the thought of action became
the one hope of Well.being. There
one evening in Woolsey Hall, a great
.eace meeting; a speetacled speake.'
carefully picking his wordy way over
the susceptibilities of undergraduates
who had come but to find fault Then
from the street outside. coming near
er and nearer, the sound Of brass
band playing THE Stars and Stripes.
Feet shuffling, students seizing their
hats and scurrying out; then Kit sour
rying with them, in torment till he
was marching behind the band, his
mouth wide open. yelling. It was in
one: there was no gainsaying 1t.
The Campus became a medley of
farewells Kit himself chose easily;
he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and
waited only to be called out. Jack,
less sure of himself. was equally hos
pitable to the general idea.
II hate marching because I'm a
Californian, and | hate the sea be-
cause | was sick once going to Santa
Catalina Island, SO / think III try
the Air. Probably l can't pass the
exams, but that's my first choice. I'm
told that any boob can fly If his re-
actions are normal; also that 1t doesn
necessarily kill you.''
THE idea darned near kills me,
said Kit. "Our Intrepid Birdman.'
ITS a pretty picture, isn't it,
Jack was Indifferent to kidding
now. But there was a note of hui
initiation in his voice as he went on:
Though to be sure. even 1owlier
worms than I have sprouted wings.
How doth the busy caterpillar |
The Alembic of War. Gosh, how
bored our grandchildren are going
to be-
Late in April Kit went down to the
Yale boathouse, received a suit of
blues which he wore only when on
liberty, suit OF dungarees which |
he wore all the time except when
washing it. and general understand |
ing that war was a game of pretend |
ing the boathouse was a ship. When |
out of it you were ashore, when on |
1t you were aboard; floors became |
decks; objects were located topside |
or inboard Kit swore cheerfully |
his comrades, not really mind |
ing It. Every few days he saw Jack.
and together they screamed with /
laughter over things in general. War
was simply another and sillier KIND
Of peace. after all.
And then one warm May evening. |
when Kit with twelve-hour liberty |
arrived to spend the night in Van
lerbilt, Jack greeted him with a
changed face. Its all fixed up. Tew
Nikell. I'm directed to report at
School of Military Aeronautics-what-
ever that may beat Cornell. I'm
leaving tomorrow. to become what
Shakespeare so beautifully calls
courier of the air
Gee, that great" said Kit and
then it was hard to say anything.
Their study faced northward, on
the Campus. The quadrangle was |
nearly empty. but brightly lit as
usual and one might easily have |
looked at 1t without noticing anything |
The night breeze blew |
over II carelessly, unsentimentally |
And yet as the two lolled over the
window seat, the inner lights turned |
off. the conviction became present |
that there were an immense number
II beings not far off. who Knew and
cared. intensely. Conscious and con-
tinuous life, such as this place had |
known for two centuries. could not
vanish utterly from existence. Those |
Of 81, those of IL, those of rs
they must be near. they must
know. :.
well" said Jack, blowing a puff |
OF smoke at Polaris, this Is an end. |
and there's something solemn about |
an end, even to people to whom life !
a CIT A. ~ W.