Show ram bild 94 MAIN 0 V M I 1 1 l h 0 1 I 10 v A ti d by BOOTH copyright by doubleday page company compa ir F CHAPTER XVI XVI I 1 18 1 a a 8 V eliat thunder in tie soil at first too CIC ilton ep within it to be audible lind had come ifo the surface now novi and gradually ile bi benine heard as the thunder of a million upon ulon ilia he training brounda alie alie rang sharper the drums will cifes fifes of town and village and country count i ilde wre were the drums and cifes fifes of a ar r tat lint came closer und anti closer to i sentry every li 11 earth cartti between the two 11 y V all tile lie old symbols became symbols bright and new ns as if no une one hud had ever eer ideen een feen f I 1 beat before america Amerl cn ans as I 1 liken ike n xich word ft oid and tile the song Ail leIcil was vas like a new song all lie dusty of orated seek king to rouse roue bored blied auditors eth tile lie ald flag nil all the mechanical ak vt school and church and club nil all obese timeworn time worn flaccid things leaped 3 suddenly denly into living color the flag be becaria cania brilliant binl strange to see frangu avith a Ine aning that 8 L emed new a 0 9 long cnown biet never nemr known till now and so hearts that thought they knew themselves cattle came upon ambushes of f ento emotion tion and hidden In dwellings of spirit not guessed before dorn dora yocum listening to the star spangled sung by children of nf linnia grants to an all out ot of old plano piano in ja a mission clubroom in chicago found heiselt herselt lier crying with a soul shaking in a way different from oth tr iva ways aj that aliat liat she had cried among itlie ittu ic any things she thought of then livas that the banner afie he calill wren dren weris were singing ging about was in dan lier the 9 areat r edit country almost a con janent had always seemed so table able so go safe and sure I 1 she had never oan able to boncele con cele of a tins hostile power mighty enough to shake or even barat jar it arid since so sol great anil and dunlin mental a thine filing could apt ap be injured a war ar for its lt defense e lind had appeared to bp be in tier her oyes aca not only buly but ridiculous at last less and less vaguely Ja vaguely guely she had come to comprehend something of the colossal geranan threat and the shadow that touched this his bright banner of which the immigrants grants children piped so briskly in the mission clubroom ashe 9 she began to understand though she could not have told just why or liow or ot at whal ahn anoni moment nt understand f t ing readied reached tier her slie site began to under ta lit that her country to the llie life had lung flung its line those thousands I 1 of miles across tile lie sea to stand and field hindenburg and Luden ladendorff dorff at ard idall all kings dukes and crown princes their krupp tind skoda monstrous engines and their monstrous arous trous other engines of men made into armies through the long haze of fe misted sea miles and the smoke of 1 inn a nd d in tl ei ifie perceived that brown liney of ours iiii and nd knew it stood there that freedom lind and ilia ho nation itself i might elligh not perish from the eartle i at and I 1 d so a week litter later sit she a went vent home t and came nervously to It amseys mail i er and found how low to i direct 11 the letter site she wanted to write ile he was in france As tile the old phrase went she poured 1 out tier heart it seems seeing to apply to he glicr letter site she wrote ID ant ont misunderstand tile me lault that ito i my lily bitter speech to you tiu find driven you I 1 to hike abc the ste step pyou you did I 1 felt that I 1 had sent you to b be killed all and 1 I that hit I 1 bought ought to be e killed for doing it but I 1 knew that you ion find other oilier ini thes s loo 1 I knew of course of 6 the country more ilian you y ou did of f me ane or of tiny any mini mail tiling thing I 1 conw slay but p I 1 thought bluit what flat I 1 said mid inight have been alip prompting thing tile the word allitt you into it so fo it before you ou were vere ready perlO ilis I 1 dreaded to iwar bear hint dial terrible response I 1 hope you 1 my aly great lalli talce has ian I 1 thought I 1 wua wits so ad It agIca 1 1 alln ixon alln in iny ni leiting mery Leith thing ng i a thought thou gln id it never n elliut wat ix im lle borsi worm tiling filing und and till all other evils were lesser les I 1 was wrong I 1 wits war the lie vorst acl evil claery Is it a morse evil ell unit now 1 want mn to ti tell vou iii I 1 have come to fe alint you ion are making war on 1111 those that make slavery sl aury avs you tire are those ilia hat make both war and slavery im and tiu oil are bigit and I 1 humbly rev ence and honor nil all of you ou who are tin tin this right war I 1 have haie come lionie tto to work in tile the lied cross here I 1 work there all day find and till nil day I 1 keep ga tiny ying ill myself but hut I 1 really mean lo io yom rits r its hill I 1 pray and uh oil ito liow I 1 pray it god ila ho with you anti grant YO ou ithe 1 he vict victory Iryl 1 for xou ou must wip win and tt ion 11 1 ty wh I 1 I 1 I 1 win A I 1 n Forg vp nie me oil please ile alq and it if you avill could you write to io nig me I 1 know you lieve ali clings 1 nga to do more tant 1 than carla iris but oil ob you please i this letter which she had token taken dampen ns as she wrote went insa in IP the Amer americal icah hr ex forges I in fi france fiance ance nil ni k 1 lound him whom it patiently fRo bought tight Heel ned not long ions to answer annd ind in afine blim inn ina daml athe lie penciled lie he had sent her you forget nil that colfle talk lt inie le bt nur aufa of dwir telling ellan ell ln 0 1 ill akrit tow lily an fn t her ians 9 going at the llie lt first hance chance a month slid a half before tuat tint day when you nm said it II my mind was made up nil the first time there was ns mi all of and you jou butt ciul about ns as much responsibility for lily going gning us as some little arrow or sonie of course I 1 dont ideall I 1 ry any tit attention to tile alio different alus you ion said because I 1 always did anil I 1 ftfe d to coiry arr over it ila bo cause I 1 was mig afraid some tiny it w 0 tild get you ou into trouble ind and I 1 im tit ill II 11 1 t glad buo ouo cut it out chilt dints I 1 you lie ile a girt now you always were wile oie and I 1 knew lne that hint nil 11 right ini im not as tu to write waltr to boll on as I 1 wits to talk to you ou to so I 1 guess acue a you ou know kaiu I 1 ill fickli d to get your our letter it sounded blue but I 1 wits glad to get it vim bet ril ill write alte to you I 1 I 1 dont suppose u could contil liliie any idec liow glad elul I 1 aas to 0 o get your stir letter I 1 could sit bit hem unil and write to t you nil all day di if they rhoid d lt ift nie nic but im it 11 i when you tills this I 1 visit nuil bay sn liow flow lilt lie alil dowil looks and it if flit alir grubs lif in tile front burdi elrd I Is ans ns green le usually asand s ami everything eo liliar lili iR and tyll me ine inore rubout everything you ou think of blieu yott off are working down tit nt the HM cruss cross like yun tun said raid I 1 guess ive ic rend read your air letter five nillion inns dinies ruid mid tint thit part felt million I 1 mean eliere you ou lined that you IDU anti abat you fu scald to yourself ut the cited cross olt oh in larder but I 1 wits ais glad to rend read thal I 1 dont forget about writing anything else you juu think of like that hint well I 1 was interrupted then anti tills this lit IB the next lily of course I 1 cant bell ell you vl nr we e are because that stint darned censor will read this ills letter but t I 1 I 1 A KL they wre were Sold idlers lart iguess I 1 guess lie he wit jet J tills this much by 1 who lu do you ou think I 1 run across in 11 yesterday two bo bos ys arpin Ili llie eold alil school days buil id we e billil III shake lounds a few fes dillett it unit that old foolish dutch and albeit blaxton both iwah of thein fleuti nunn I 1 aicard fred mitchell is 1 still training in ili the 1 and altwie crazy they send nihil over mer yet et it if j you u have uni auy idam lu how kind I 1 was lo ir get your letter arll er you Mould nt lose iny ani time answering tills this one ine any alii how li ilin im got ruing ig to write to you ou agillon every few aas it if I 1 get ert the chance lie cause boull answer more inore than if oil en I 1 allm set MC fiera till eui out that til split you kou to le ile killed stuff youve gol ill the arong roni lilii iden li lii altogether kt git tit alif dig jut jot of our allws we MP know hint lull hill were olliff to tn do it therell alk li till nil takee and bud bad but we mr wont full all down now ov excuse tile fur fill say tux ill it tills wity dont dint lint lilt I 1 dont know filst till KIM tv tit til Ut lf except bellm nf lit course couise we tto know ily going to t get home lout tell we come tur over lire here to get killed we vaine iain ovi ovir irr r it glie give dim 11 t 11 ll Perli tilis you u van ain language it if I 1 write it with aili it blank illo that hut but tM fire we P ret get back amk fc lei in da il what we for they inay not 1111 all of be ag 18 had ila sollie of if flit m its lt it 11 gad thing thine you wt dont kiino dimir what we ild do he 1 mise some of f it t you jou sl silk k As ar I 1 sa limy bv little a lot of ar good imps ones among ii lull but we up kt atia iA kallial dont to tip this thin country and we know what they mena mellik to do to ours so were going to attend to elbein of course hints why im here it you i dont forget to write pretty soon purll pani you say in your letterel let letter I 1 certainly wits was kind glad to set get that letter you say I 1 have things filings to do more inore important than girls dorn dora I 1 think you probably k know row with without jut lily iny saying so that of course while I 1 have got important things to to do just a ns s every man over here has and everybody at home for that mattir well tile the tiling filing flint la is most important in fit the world it to tile nie next to helping will wn tills this gilr its its reading the lie next letter froin you dont forget liow how glad ill lie ile to get it and dont forget yau you litlie have anything to do with my being over here that wils basit it was w something LIW else anti anil you bet whatever li alever happens ini im glut glud I 1 camel dont ever forget allut I 1 dora know knew it was something else tier her memory went vent back to her ber list first recollection ol of him in school from froin that time on it lii lie had find been justan Justl ln ordinary everyday boy stif somehow lellow gli fit his bessona lessona in school and through ills sweetheart hig us its tile millions lons of collict ot tir boys noun alered along lilt their own lessons and their own tt illas she saw alln swinging ills bouin and romping homeward from the lilt or going whistling by tier lier fill fathers bers front yard rattling a all slick k in ili the ftc fence ice as he went vent carefree care eare free and masterful but shy us its a deer if strangers stran gars looked nt at will and always not much of a bulker tulker slit alic had always felt so BI superior to filin she shuddered its as site she thought of it ill 1114 quiet hall had been so much better thill than tier lier talk ills intelligence ns its proven now no when hen it came to the great tet to by of a stronger sinnio er burt than liers lie ile wits wise and good und abid und a fighting man innel I 1 we ww what lint lone done to this alda couil country try and blint they wean to to do to ours so were going to attend to thein she read this over OUT and she knew that Rn insey wise lse and gentle anti and KOI good would fight like nil lilt unchained devil and tent lie und and ills lit comrades would indeed and indeed do whitt they tinne came for it you ion lie said she site nodded gently agreeing and it ew ahot I 1 it was that sent him yet itai usey lind ills his own nn secret here anti and did not tell it sometimes there rose fulst in ili ills his inenio ry a picture yet et one that hud alas much to film lie out ouli see till an old nian man klitin fitting with etli it a little lioy boy upon a i rustic bench bench under it 11 walnut nl tree it to bratch the ole decoration day un pant e go by mid and etain boot spy would see sec a or sunshine that had somehow got albrough the alnut walnut tree art aind make a bedazzlement of glinting title fine lines over oer a spot about tint tho size of it 11 saucer upon the lie old chick white linler and in ramses memory wei nory the lie little boy bay sitting beside the lie veteran el eran would half close ills his eyes drowsily linying that this sunshine spot wasn uns gasn a ilet until lie lind hail n dream of it glittering little bird that dwelt there ind and wore a blue soldier cap on ita ila head anti and y auld would bring out of hs hi memo Ih that the file old man imd flad got into the ilia childs head that day lve ve duew that anniles lighting fighting for alic e freedkin Fre edoin of man alan had to win vin in ili 1 til alie e long run ran we were cie on oil the side bide of gods cods ilan long ngo ingo we e begun began to sec hints of if ills I 1 glnn ilist man tuis ling to win ln ills his freedom front from himself men in ili tile lie light have to lo light against men inen in ili tile the dark that light Is 1 tile the answer we ve had find the light flint ande us never neer douht doubt A long ions title dorn dom bat the lie let ler lor in it lier irr hand before she blie answered it anti took look it tier henrt heart to wear TI 11 at wits the lie t to ll it since it wits ns already within tier lier heart where awre lie kulil find it when lie mine cattle houle again anti ami she belfeld the lie revelation nent to in tier her this alfe of ionin hua heys with HS tint flat the ilia gl ng of lit it 11 high und and spirit ns as high and t us its eartis enn show and yet et it MIS as only biml ill alio lire life or of at an everyday aim hoy 1 the streets of the town tomi were ull nil now nn of boys anys like ionin wy sey at first tars they wre just boys in uniform then lien one saw savi that they bere boys 1101 no inora they hie wera vire soldiers nun ITHE END |