Show F SOLDIER THE ath m by DOROTHY D 0 R DOUGLAS copyright 1218 by Abl MC luro Cluro newspaper Newn syndicate lucinda purled burled the lust last row on tier lier seventh tile sweater six of the boys she alie had grown up with already hall had their warm khaki swea sweaters tere somewhere in fronice Fr orice and tills seventh ono one she would send bend to john watson when it wils finished luanda put plit a suggestion of in ill the woolly folds it would remind jolin john of femininity inin ity she felt sure fiure ho he would like met familiar scent also she tucked in sonic chocolate and many packages ct tits his favorite cigarettes her letter was long and gossipy goss lily lai Lu cluda tried in ili nil all tier her letters to the soldier hoys boys to give them it touch toilet of homo home a feeling that they were still near und and dear to lit aci and a part of 0 tho the dally daily life lit at homo home IL if seemed tin an unusually long time before she elio beard from france F rance she supposed johns regiment had gone into action perhaps that was tho ilia dolay 1 bt it when word crime from tile Af iier it was in another handwriting than that of john watson lucinday Luc indas fair liend dropped for word and eho shook with twine boba jolin john wits was tho the first of her seven bravo lighting fighting friends to fall in huttle battle I 1 when tier tears permitted lier her to continue tho the letter she found tho contents peculiarly pecullar ly touching ilo ile ilia soldier who had written it wits johns closest pal they had stood blood tilde side by little in fit the ond and I 1 visit tile tho shell had taken me rather than john tho ilia letter ran ile flo had much to uvo live for wello im one of it tile tho lonely soldiers you rend about john has haa spoken of you to me lite and I 1 know youre ilia kind of girt girl that would want mo ine to tako take alio sweat er you mado for jolln jolin I 1 need it baldly and know lio lie would want tile me to have it tile tho package came calne just litter jolin john fell I 1 refill read tho the letter and ilia cigarette and chocolate cho elloe colato with vill tile the rest of tho the hoya boys if you have a moment for a lonely soldier gleaso write mo me as you would linvol jolin john site she wrote back it ft long letter and sent more cigarettes and chocolate clio na all well as wristlets wrist lets and it helmet she made lill minute inquiry ns to tiny any epo caal requirements lie had und and thanked him for the alio plots he be had sent while letters and messages were crossing the wide ocean fuchida wrote a 0 story that brought brou klit her in the biggest check slie she had received front any magazine tho the vivid bits of life that david mcleod tho tha seventh soldier lind had sent her ter had added a stron strong gouch of reality to her work she wrote him of taio tn 0 success sl of ilia story and told him that site was putting halt half the check la in it little bank when you come over to america after the war sho she wrote we will spend nil all your half of the ilia check funk ing you forget tho ilia tragedy of war I 1 mil am spending mine alfon airon soldiers doing just the little things that I 1 con can lucinda and david continued their strange correspondence and found enuch pleasure in it her stories improved wonderfully and tile the small hank bank for lite returning soldier bulgy baegy with checks hut but the ilia day came when lucinda waited lu in vain for an answer to her ter letters after long lang does ot of depression when site pho had quite giver given up hope that david was oil one of the living heroes filie had find n letter from a hospital in franco france they almost got me lie wrote but loin im putting pulling through like it team of american mutes mules guess it takes more than a bunch of botches to kilt kill this globe trotter loin im coming over to your country when my wounds anro sufficiently healed to let me travel lucinda put down lier her lend head dignin I 1 find nd cried tho the tours tears were happy and bright have leavo sent tiny flowers springing up tip had they fallen on earthly gardens her stories were decidedly li happier appler now the endings more complete in the little bank a considerable sum awaited david lucinda realized that it would take a lot of going to spend nil hat aliat on milking making david forget lie ho had told tier her to look for a one legged man when it came near alnie for life arrival and when ho he stood outside her door lucinda gasped with joy tit nt ills his nearness david litia had told her the exact date ills crutches for the second toro at her heart for it meant that lie ho had suffered buttered and suf but dreadfully 1111 here cre here he said brusquely wanting to tilde hide hla his emotions loin im a with ft a grand medal not it a baby doll this was when lucinda fluttered about doing the thousand and one things nil an ultra feminine woman must to do for a soldier who has fought she blushed hotly but continued tor for in davids eyes elic abe read the hunger for mothering and bobe lio ir site sho felt in that her ar seventh soldier needed tier her more than any of the others othere in fact lucinda felt many filings among them that her own need ot of david was waa going to bo be great she had written of so many ano ana men but david embodied tho the fenest of them all she hoped desperately that he would fau fall in lovo love with tier her well write plays together and novels els and do all sorts sorta of big things he said mild voicing vote ing her very thoughts and some day when youve used up lull fill all the plots we will globe trot for form more Bre you yon nee mee lie added tenderly tep derly a lonely sold ler gets geta a grawe great chance when a knitted kw enter arrives M rr |