Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-27

| Night after night she began watch
! ing the paper for those telltale letters.
\ And they came with a fair degree az
| steadiness. Then there was lull.
| Several weeks went by and no more
| letters appeared. Nor had Judy heard
directly from Tommy. Was he i'll?
! She picked up the evening paper
/ hopefully, turned the sheets, scanning
/ each headline.
| Two Washington Boys Among the
| Missing
| Her eyes ran down the opening sen
fences, Then, very slowly the paper
/ slid out OF her hand and ratified to thu
| floor,
/ Missing Missing! Jack Darien ana
/ Tommy Carter! Gone. Gone into the
black NAV Of war. Gone as Dabs had
gone. Children stopped in their play
| with strange weapons. Gone Miss
ing. Tommy and Jack Darien.
Jack Darien. Missing. Dead Nov
the latch on the garden of her hear
would never be lifted And there was
only darkness in that garden, dark
ness and woe,
She felt dizzy weak. She put out
her hand. chung to the arm " her
| chair, tried 10 stand up. And then
| there was a blessed darkness and
| peace.
Judy came TO herself to find
Honey's worried face above hers.
What on earth was the matter
Jude?" Honey was saying over and
over as she dabbled water on Judy
And at the kindness in her voice
Judys taut nerves broke and she be
gan to sob.
Dead she cried. Dead Or.
Honey. he's deadl'
WHO is 1t that is dead? Judy?
Honey turned TO the Crumpled paper
beside Judy and her eyes fell upon
the striking headline, Two Washins
ton Boys Among the Missing"
Her quick eyes glanced down the
item.
"Oh! Tommy, Tommy Carter"
Honey was shocked, but her greatest
shock was to see Judy so unnerved at
the news about him. She had never
dreamed % any emotion other than
friendship between her tall slim girl
and the laughing. arrogant youngster
who had frequented the place.
! Judy could not control her shuddef
Mot Tommy! she cried helplessly
oh, not Tommy! He will be all right
He always comes up smiling" Her
sobs shook her. ITS Jack Darisn
He's dead!'
Suddenly she realized all that she
was revealing. Horror came upon her
and shame. She pressed her haRd
against her shaking mouth to stop the
wild words. She mustn't betray her
self to Honey, to any one! Where
was her pride?
She struggled TO her feet. threw OF
Honey's hand. Let me go!" she
begged. "Oh. please let me gor'
She broke from Honey. ran to her
room and locked the door. Her world
had fallen about her In ruins. jack
0an I'd Il a a.
prince any place! How could she go
on living?
She dropped down upon the edge of
her bed her clenched hands In her
lap. How could she bear Il? Present.
ly she got up restlessly and began
walking about and then suddenfy
stopped, remembering Honey's rest
less feet, pacing, forever pacing.
Then this feeling she had had for
Jack Darien had been love? 1t had
been real? Not just a dream. as she
had tried to make herself believe
She loved him! Surely there was II
shame In admitting that---now.
Rather she could glory in 1t, Her
head went up. She could weep for
him as much as she chose! Death
had made him hers.
And there was no longer even q
shadow Of Tommy that could fail
across that love! She was sorry for
Tommy. racked at the thought OF his
death, but 1t was like the death Of a
friend. She was not Tommy's! Sha
was a girl who could grieve freely
for the man she really loved! Hon.
esty at last
If only she had something that had
belonged to Jack Darien! Something
of his TO touch and keep! Her fingers
ached TO rest upon something that
had once belonged to him.
She ran to her desk and tumbled
out the contents. hunting for the little
box that held the fine handkerchief
with the initials 81. D." But before
her fingers could reach it there tum-
bled up before her eyes a package.
1t was addressed in her handwriting
to Mr.. Jack Darien."
That package! The letters she had
forgotten to deliver. She had gotten
them ready for him before Dabs'
death! Some place there would be a
letter to the War Department asking
for Jack Darien's address overseas!
And she had never posted il! And
ended. These letters! What must she
do with them? How could she ever
return them now?
After all. the letters were for him,
and he was dead They concerned no
one Of his family. Why need she re-
turn them?
But suppose there should be some
thing in there that was important?
She picked up the package and turned
II over irresolutely. She could feel
| the depths of shame she might he
| called upon to test II she returned
these letters at this late day to Jack
| Darien's family Oh. why need she
| do il? If she could only be certain
these letters were not important!
! With a sudden decision, as though
driven by n force outside herself, she
cut the string that bound the package.
unwrapped the paper. Letters! a
| whole neat pile of them She sat
down outwardly calm beside the desk
and began to read the letters.
They were and they were not love
letters. Sometimes, reading a gentle
| phrase meant for the ewes of SOM,
other girl her cheeks flushed, her
heart ached. Sometimes she marveled
at their calm acceptance of what had
evidently been girls deep affection.
Not on any Of them was there a name.
Who was the girl? Sometimes the
writer had called her Sweetheart"
est Girl" But without fail he had
signed himself. ''DevOtedly yours.
Jack" or Yours. till I see you
j. D."
Laying down the last letter. JUDY
sat with flaming cheeks staring out
of the window. Certainly the letters
were not 81 importance TO any one
save the writer and the girl who had
returned them to him. And what OF
that girl? Certainly she. too, must
have loved him. What had he done
10 her 10 make her send back his let
tiers without so much as a word? She
picked up the paper, toyed with H.