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Show Kindest Regards By Eiia Randan p,.-, f TS JtY sister sends her Wnd- !f I 6st rear(is to yui" said &.VJL vviiiiam jor(iail popu. larly called Billy by his camp comrades com-rades to whom he had endeared himself through a pleasing personality person-ality and a lively spirit that made for entertainment In the disciplined life of the barracks. He spoke with formality; then, perceiving he had made slight impression im-pression on the person addressed, he gave a fillip to the letter he had folded and bawled: "Sister's regards re-gards catch 'em, Steve! They're on the wing." "Aw, quit your ldddin'!" Sergeant Stephen Hull lazily shifted his long legs and yawned. This young soldier was not in high spirits today. to-day. He was a long way from home, and there was no one who cared sufficiently to send cheering letters and comforting packages, such as had flooded the camp that day. for instance. When Sergeant Hull wanted tobacco, to-bacco, or chocolates, or books, or what not, he went to the post exchange ex-change and bought them for himself. him-self. And as to letters. Uncle Kenny never wrote to anybody, and Aunt Margaret managed a few dry, labored lines once in a while, and that was all. There were girls back home who would have written gladly to handsome Steve Hull, but he had never cared enough to ask them. And for this he sometimes felt a pang of regret. He had been mourning over his cheerless condition when the letter reader broke in upon his thoughts. It was always small and fairylike, fairy-like, and the eyes were laughing bright, and there was a nimbus of shining hair. Oh, yes: and when fbe vision spoke, there was a voice gentle-sweet. Sergeant Hull was by Star Company. Great Eritain I sure of that but right here cams the bawling tones of his frivolous disturber. "You don't believe it, huh? Well, old dear, come out of your grouch and look at that." Sergeant Hull, still . languid, unfolded un-folded the letter thrown to him and read the added line at the foot of the last page. "Kindest regaris to Sergeant Hull." Well, well, it was .true! His eyes brightened; his spirits rose several degrees. He read the line over. To be sure. It was written at the last moment, a sort of afterthought; still, on consideration, con-sideration, wasn't the message really more impressive than if it had been included in rhe letter? Sergeant Hull sat straighter, infinitely in-finitely cheered. After all, a woman had thought of him. "Very nice of your sister, Billy. Tell her I said so when iyou write again." He gave the letter baok almost reluctantly. . "Oh. Teeky's a nice girl," replied the other heartily. "Teeky?" "Name's Teresa, so we call ber Teeky." Sergeant Hull recalled the nebulous nebu-lous vision. Small, fairy-like, laughing bright eyes and shining hair. He spoke hopefully. ""Is does your sister resemble you? Or" "Or." responded Billy promptly. "I'm the beauty of the family you see. Teeky's a dear; awfully good and all that: but even brotherly love can't paint her as a charmer. You see. Teeky has to be good she's so darned homely." "Oh!" Young Hull gasped at the frankness of the revelation. He waved a hand as If to check further confidences, but Eilly did not notice. "Teeky's big and bony. aDd dark as a snuaw. And you can hear her lights Reserved. all over the place. I call her the War Horse, but she doesn't mind. She's awfully good and kind." "Th-huh. Well, Billy, don't forget for-get to thank her for me." The young soldier strolled away. "Kindest regards to Sergeant Hull." The girl wrote in a very dainty style for one who was big and bony and dark' as a squaw. If she had only been fair and well-favored well-favored like Billy, now. "Can bear her all over the place" and Stephen Steph-en Hull adored gentle sweetness in a woman! And, as he went, behind his back William Jordan was going through a series of strange contortions which would have amazed the languid lan-guid sergeant if he had glanced around. Then came the day of the accident; acci-dent; and young Jordan was carried car-ried wounded to the base hospital. Stephen Hull wrote with tact and consideration. Teeky Jordan replied; re-plied; and after several days another an-other letter came from the young woman, stating that she and her mother were not satisfied with the brief hospital reports, and they were coming to camp to see the patient for themselves. So, on a certain fair day, in his best uniform and with his most ceremonious air. Sergeant Hull met the anxious visitors. And hospital before it dawned on the young man that Miss Teresa Jor dan resembled In no particular the Picture her graceless brother had drawn and labeled "War Horse." Instead, she was small and slender slen-der The hair under, her trave 'Dg turban was yellow and fluffv and she was looking at him wi'-h the "orld 4 A,e-ninSK b'Ue eyes in the world. Also, sha was saying in a vo ce as gentle-sweet as t x voice ever could be: "You saf my brother is rearTy out of danger! Mother and I have 'been so worried. wor-ried. And when we thought he might have to lose his arm" She shut her eyes and shivered. Stephen broke in with eagerness: "Oh, no! It was never as bad sj that. Infection and fever, you un- ,;. derstand but Billy's quite all right N now." f "It was so nice of you to write to me as you did. I could see. You tried to make your letters kind. "You were more than kind to me v- when you sent your regards In J BiHy s letter," returned Stephen. ' ,., ,glances "ent to his head ..If 7m" And theQ he found hlm" SnH ul nS ber of BiI1y's 6trange and libelous description; and suddenly sud-denly Teresa Jordan's eyes were laughing bright, and she was whispering whis-pering back: "Why, Sergeant Hull! Billy wrote to me that you were a lonesome lone-some chap because you were so y:.V wou,dn,t ,00k at thJireWhiSpered a wh,,e l0I"!er in un nnd m Crner" Then' PrPP"l UP on pillows. Billy saw them corn-One corn-One Zl th,9 Tard aisle "wether. nromnn ,at their faces Promptly closed his eyes beatn!,n!DSt,t0neS of Se,"geant Hull beat upon his consciousness. dan Tn yUr motber' B1l'y Jor-your Jor-your Net Tr 8,5ter' And bore's dear " If1 115 to . old froBmtt!,!!rS?'at HU"' ,ookiD awa vras se?nf t?e ?f fami'5' reunion, and III B biS trear viRn again? was deTed by au '""net w hich tTtrr; hrf6,t longer s tc be ione!5" no . , |
