Show f. f Etching f A PRETTY grove of elms and maples beneath a girl is sitting on a bank of clover wild and buttercups buttercups buttercups butter butter- weaving roses cups into a wreath Now and then her eyes are raised and she gazes eagerly down the dusty road How brightly shines the sun Everything is bathed in a glory of brightness Far off in the field a meadow lark is giving its simple call while a robin sits in a near-by near tree and trills forth an answer to its fellow- fellow creatures creature's song A young man is advancing up the dusty road The girl rises to meet him Darling he is saying my conscience conscience conscience con con- science tells me I owe my life to my God and my country country I I have enlisted O Oh John And the bitter tears fill her blue eyes Yes Tomorrow I go probably never again to see the light of my life Do not cry Heaven is a reality And vainly endeavoring to choke down something that rises in his throat he sobs a last farewell presses her to his breast and nd turning strides hastily a away way It is autumn The sun will shine pleasantly in spite of the troubled state of her heart The birds seem seers to tobe tobe tobe be teasing her wi with th their noisy chirps f. f The flowers have assumed extraordinary f hues while the leaves are painted in int t aggravating tints of beauty She cannot cannot can can- t. t not appreciate these glories of nature Perhaps at this very moment he lies wounded on the field of battle A company of soldiers is advancing up the dusty road They halt opposite to her and the captain with four of his men who carry a litter ad vance toward her Saluting and reverently lifting his cap he says Miss it is a avery avery avery very painful mission But she heeds him not Springing forward she snatches the coverlet from the dead body Oh John And an unspeakable able grief filled her eyes The wind sighing softly through the elms and f maples seems to chant a requiem over her broken heart Shady Stringer |