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Show . "Maybe I urn." 1 answered. Tfd I Bower brinjr them?" Thin time- she laughed merrily t "I really shouldn't tell you. silly boy - hut In confidence I'll confute, that 'the lovely posies cam this afternoon -from the )rn at the office. Wasn't It just dear of them" And she burled i her fjice In the fraifmnl houquet. "Hut what was Mower worried about that he had to rail?" ? persisted. I really couldn't keep my voice from ac- renting the j.ersotml pronoun. T "Mv!" said Hetty her eyes" widen -'. tk In amazement. "You are in a ; pretty humor: 1 don't know whether tell you or not." Then, with a quirk chanae of m.inner. she continued Hut I'm. ho elated tonight that I jnM must t -i I you -even If you do net like a Iwar1 Mr. Ituwer has Jnwt told me the ; nu-f-ft things " She w!i. talking vrrv slowly now I lakitia fleliuht tn the 'discomfiture of I mv evident impatience: "M. Hower ftava they've mied me 1 terrlhlv at the office, but that isn't CHAPTER 19. I My Duty to. My Country! i L was lata getting- to Betty's that '. iiiKht, und I waan't In the beat of H" humor. For the day had brought me : nothlnjr but dlai1olntmenta. In addition to my Inability to close Vatl, had com' the news from our medical examiners that Creson, the ! shoe manufacturer, hat been limited to a ten-year endowment policy on icount of overweight. I'd been at hi nffice urR-tnir trim accept this form, ' hiit the beat I could fret waa hi uxual answer thnt he'd "think It over." 1 As I approached Hetty's house f saw ;in automobile standing- at the owrh. ami then I saw Bower cmim out of the , hooKi', get into the machine and drive f off He passed close to me without see-. see-. fn m. but I noticed that his fnce was wreathed In smiles, j Whv had Flower called at Hetty's hoti.1"'? I knew that the office had ( 'phnneit daily to ask how Hetty waa l setting on. And I could see no reason f"r rh tunlor pnrlnrr hnviniy tn mil 1 In pt'i-m'n to. inn'tir. aVioi.t hr wlf ir' -oh .fack'" Itt.y rrtn1 n I enrci : Oit rtnifii, it ml face w:il rarilnnt VVI ' r wnnt?" I anltrd. a Mt 1 pl it In ( . v I m .'fral.l. trtr ll-ttv l-tok'1'! nt wuli h nu Uty twinkle in hr v sli .fr tii a rorkr hfr f.4 r. M . . tr "ii '. pHlow. i 'lliisins ,.f ., i ah naiil with tiiiwk Knlmrvt', !I"w iin you aup-; aup-; pop, a t.ir: i lik. nurii r:n art ton w.ihout ronAultlni; Hif moat tm-portHnr tm-portHnr "mtirr f thp firm?' j "Vkp :ultutl.n h.iv b-n known to : hr Kiici . Mrully conrtuotl with thw ftUI ) of a t -i phonf," I w-'i.l. h;iif in )at and 1 half i:. t.ittpr Mnv r. 1 "Tin rp are For,-- ihinKfl," ah fun--toril ytr't'. "iV.t ar a. Imiiortant I thpv mn- p nttpnrtwl to In irwn " ! "I.lka i 'li nn (1arrra?" t Mnrtfd j 'mt. -for thre waa ashouituit of violet j on thi? tahla tieatilf hf-r anil inv hut ; hart ban fnacinatpd by thra from th j inonmnt I pntred thP rynm. j Thr a.rt look on FHly'n fnoa at my l aalty mail tnr rsrret IM apokrn so I haiittly. Rut aftpr a moment TV.ttv' aanap of humor camp to thr rfartin iinrl ! hpr voir held a lauah na php rit-j rit-j rl'iimpd. Why, Jack! f bPllpye you'ra Jeal-'ntia!" all. Mv bs-nr winn to hav m1 ( htm roi'lizf how valuHhl I m, and. j -n h has fust tiikn ovpt th rontml ! f 11 ht;r w)itr company. ho pnine to j ' t ),' thp svt rnt.ti -1 nn.l h:i nut ,111' mi their ti.iyrn t h wwk!" 1 Tlr es - wcrf rllntnin and hr rhfhn wrp fltish'.' with pxrltmnt. "That'-i mluhty finr- for you!" I tx-I tx-I rlalined. J "?'fnf?' h rhod. Whv, lt pr-, pr-, frtlv uttlndiil' Think f It, .Tark? . Twputy -fiviv iftillorw .1 wk ' Vh,v,, I'll h ni'ikin? a.i much an any nthor 1 girl In town. 1 Hut I ..Tt wtrangWv iffnt. A thoTipht. ja w"f thought that had hn In , hfirk nf my mind for worn a tim took ' form nnd waxd Mirier a I listened. ' l.lhort v hnndt - the war iny duty to I mv cot) n try ! TTfJtv woul.t indr-,f ).- flnnnrinllv ln-i ln-i d.'jnont. With th llttl monov Hr , nmthfr h;i thfrp n"fd b no f.-.r for j I lioir ftitfir - ' W h 1 1 'h the 1 11a 1 1 or. dT r " n 1-d ; Hftty, In a mrninorl voicp. "Ton don't : ffm a Mt ploaaotl and I'd thought--" ' h. tn t 1 am. dear " I protfitd. I rouintr nivsolf and irolniT over fit hf-r 1 rhnlr J'nd kis?!ntr hr. "Aw you nay, I H'i wonderful f was thinMny rnpidtv of a half-formed half-formed res.hitln that 1 hnd hon pn t-j t-j tine- "iw.'ty from mp up tin now. 1 T'rh.'ips th(- wn the way our. ! Rut h--nvith it nil wni thV wish that thi nrw offor this folortdld rhru- 1 mlirht hnv( rnrnf la Rpttv from liiiy-j liiiy-j on but Itower. CHAPTER 20. Jack Depidaa to Enlist. T-.tP llmt t..n;r.o- urn I faH,.l . thr hlli from Betty'a hous-. my mind intent on Rtty and hr titw position, I literUly ran into a chap In uniform., j "Sny!" a blij votcp J.oomed, "what'r you trying to io run over the I'nited ftatf'a army?" I lonked up npolntjrtionllv Into th hiiiiinnK t;n of - Tom Cherry of all ; peopl'! Mibt. ' f:it, c.-isy icofiiff Toin, 1 could hiirdh- helirvp rny yea and must h:iv Ii oktd my amazement, for he laughed "What'a the matter? Pon't you rec- ! oftnii your little playmate now thai he's donned the drab'?" "When did It happen?" 1 &ked. "!ay before yesterday. Wouldn't keef-mt -of H ftny longer. f HHy fttiff Jut Kt me. Service flaps flying everywhere and me doln nothing but buying a few bonds- and that wort of thitiK. So i Just finally felt It wait up to me A be iket4 waa thinking. What h:ut I done? Why. 1 hadn't even a Liberty bond to ahow a an evidence of my patriotism. Hut Tom waa atlll ' rambling in: -'S you ic, .lack. It'a off the eav life and into the cute littl uuitorm for mine' I'm a rejrular -Mier -it in the life!" H" natd It ItKhtly enough, in the ' chaffing: way Tom aays ever thiiiu, ' but beneath It till 1 felt the warm gK.w ; of a fine patriotism, the Hptrit that ; will ico through and do things with a -Htitile' "Tom." 1 said suddenly, "you're ri;ht I with " "That the npirlt. he shouted. rlitppitiK mp on the ahoulder. Uittle old recrultlntr office's just nfi f h atreet! u to It' S'lonK. see Vou later." j And he waived his hand gaily as he, walked away. j I stood stock still II - took it all an litthtly and easily. If I could only take war and Its acrtf as lightly as : that. What hd mftd me sav I'd enlist? Thn I realiwd iht 1 hadn't said it , Tom h;d r.ttd It for me. I 'i ! I w ant o or didn't 1 ? Then in a rush of recognition It came over me that thta was the one thlntr I d been wanting to tio for . months. ' Hetty Is provided for so there's tio shadow of an excuse now no fear for her welfare to hold nie back. j "Ye, I otiuht to en I let." found my- ' self thlnktUK over and ner fiuain as' 1 w.vkrd up the stairs to my room. And then I sat down on the edge of the bed to think It ovr more calmly. ! "It's the btcaeat decision of your ; life." I admonished myself with that 1 canny sophistry which so often pus- , Hes us in ourselves. "Better not jump t a.... I, 1 " A . t U 11. I I j All that nipht I tossed on my bed. ; thinkin?- thinkimc. nly with the I darkness th:t seems niost Intense Just before the dawn did 1 fall acp. -j When I awoke the sunlight was ; streaminff Into my room. I sprang- out i of bed and turned the alarm clock j which I'd forgotten to set around to 1 see the hour. It wasn't yet 7 o'clock, (and I'd fenxed H was noon. And then I faced my pioblem hut t row there wasn't any prol-i- m to solve, f Somehow It had solved it?e . ; Kiret thlnK I'd see i'ayn For with 1 the decision to K' h;.l come, the im-. ' p ilsc to balance my aff tirn at the pf-i pf-i flee so that I d Je free from debt, j F'ayne was splendid. "You're all square with ma." he said. I And that Kjirron and Kins; policy cleared you with them. Yes. you do j owe me a few dollars, but Uiere are criouuli, renewals iminjr to yti to Ce:r nur score. I'll follow' up what e;i.--B you hav emlmg and credit I you with any I Close." ' ' "That's swfullv a;ood f you." I said. I "Not st all, m hoy," said Pavne j warmly. "You're d'uns; the risjht tliine. Your country needs you. If I were a j young: fellow I'd do the same thins , myself and remember, the Job's here Hie minute sjet back." i We shook hands and there were ; tears in my voice as I said: 1 "Thanks. You're s brick.:" So I'm square with the world and ' free to pive my country the one thin I can Rive my energy and my life if need be. Now comes the hardest part of all ; to tell Hetty. We've never discussed the possibility of my koiii4c since the day, months aco, w hen word was flashed across t he coimtrvy that America had entered the war. We neither of us realized then I Just what war means. I I've boosted Liberty loans and she's" ! worked for the KI Cross, but always i there's been the fee liner rat the work ; we were oVin was f- 1 i.thers. Now the thinK bp roe home to us. Hetty will be t 1 know but tellin her is going to bo an awfully hard Job. - , Tu bo contifisedj , - |