The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-27
A Story in Two Parts.
PART TWO.

them was of a bandaged hand.
He was thinking of this picture one day in the
spring as he slowly paced back and forth on
guard duty, with heavy rifle on his shoulder
The blue water of Lake Michigan lay calm and
smooth in the gray light of early dawn; only the
faint splash of the waves against the foundation
of the Municipal Pier indicated to the lonely man
the existence of motion and sound in all the uni
verse In the west few stars shone dimly
above the Jagged skyline of Chicago's loop. From
the east came fitful breath of air, to remind
him Of the riimor he had heard the day before
that before many hours they would be on their
way to the rocking, laundering battlefields of
France Well, over there-yes, OVER THERE
he could forget the bandaged hand. For him,
at least war would have its benefits An excit
ing battle would be a good place to lose this
eyer-present, torturing recollection.
The eastern sky was suffused with rose and
saffron as the sleepy sentinel turned to walk up
/ the pier toward the shore. Soon be could expect
to see few early risers coming to view the sun
as it slowly emerged out of the lake; and only an
hour or so later he would be relieved and allowed
to quiet his memory in the sleep of WEAKNESS.
When he arrived at the end of the promenade,
he saw woman and little girl approaching the
pier. 1t was unusual for young children to come
so early in the morning, Ted thought, as he
turned to retrace his steps toward the lake; but
this was an unusually fine morning, and perhaps
+ the child was about to see her first spring
rise. He shifted the heavy rifle slightly on his
narrow shoulder, and again allowed his thought
to dwell upon the bandaged hand.
81 wonder" he said to himself, eff Slingerland
got any stokers at Alden Well, l turned
down good job once in my life, and I've never
y stokedna day since. What is war" x
SHelp! Help!" he heard woman scream be-
hind him.
Turning quickly, he raced toward the frantic
figure She was alone on the pier-hurrying
back and forth along the edge, wringing her
hands in anguish, and peering down into the
green water She about to leap after her
loved one when Ted reached her side and pulled
her back. He slipped the gun from his shoulder,
and had reached for his cartridge belt, when his
eyes caught a glimpse of the face which was
turned toward him. The woman's face had wild
ened in terror She shrank back as if she ex-
pected blow and stumbled ON the rough planks,
yet kept her blue eyes fastened on the face of the
man.
A horrible lassitude overwhelmed the sentry,
/ and in front of his eyes appeared the image of
: bandaged hand. All the pent feelings of his
bitter life swept across his soul, and left him
shaking and bent. He was brought to conscious
ness by the piercing cry of the woman, "My baby /!
Save my baby Oh, in Gods name, save her. save
herp
Ted Rusten held her eyes with his gaze.
Madam, can't swim"
Her hand clutched at her breast and her
blanched face confronted his incomprehensibly
Her lips tried to speak, but there was no sound
Her eyes opened wider and wider, as she slowly,
tensely retreated STEP then suddenly with a
heartrending cry she ran to the edge and threw
herself into the water.
AS Ted poised on the platform before plunging
to save her, the last sight that met his eye was
a bare little white hand, where the baby girl was
sinking for the last time.
, A ND So until the day of his death, two pictures
remained in Ted Rustens memory, one was Of
bandaged hand, the other of babys out
stretched fingers Wherever he found himself
on the deck Of ship, in a photograph factory,
deep down in coal mine or in any of the dozen
different kinds Of construction camps-there,
also, he found the two pictures No one ever
knew what occupied Ted Rusten's memory; he