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Show j; "KHAKI" ii By MISS RUTH E. BURNHAM. ; Jrry slowly opened her eyes, uud for a moment she was startled, then she laughed softly as she glanced around the little camp bedroom surely sure-ly it had been familiar enough a year ago. She sat up and reached for her watch as she looked out of the window win-dow 5 o'clock and a beautiful morning. morn-ing. She would take the ciinoe, she thought, paddle around to the little cove and dream until breakfast time. Her hostess would understand. Ten minutes later she softly closed the door of the screened-in porch and stood on the little float. The canoe was gone! Perhaps Dick, the husband of her hostess, had gone on an early errand and would be back soon. She sat down to wait. It Wat all so familiar, the float, the little camp with the screened-in porch, the beautiful lake ! How many good times and happy days she had spent there last season, sitting quietly on the piazza, paddling on the lake, strolling stroll-ing along the country roads ! The pictures pic-tures crowded through her memory, and always beside her in them all was a tall figure in khaki camping clothes a lazy figure, content to do her bidding, bid-ding, with apparently no other aim in life than the pleasure at hand. It had all keen very pleasant and happy, and then he had proposed. As a chum and playmate he had fitted admirably, bet (or a husband she wanted a man, a competent, commanding man, she had told him, not an indolent boy In khaki trousers and flannel shirt. So it had ended. Her friendship with his sister had remained unbroken, but the good times had ceased, and now after a winter of hard work, she had been glad to accept Sylvia's kind Invitation for the week-end, with the tacit understanding un-derstanding that the fellow In khaki camping clothes should be absent. Then rudely her dream was broken. A canoe came gliding into view, and there was something familiar both in the craft and the straight figure paddling. pad-dling. "Stephen !" she cried as the canoe craped the landing. The tall, good-looking figure la the khaki uniform of Uncle Sam's army looked squarely Into her eyes until bar lashes dropped. Then he steadied fee canoe with a hand on the float and held ont the other hand. "Get In !" he said, and there was thing indolent either about voice or Banner. he stepped squarely Into the center ef the canoe, settled among the cushions, cush-ions, and he paddled off with a steady, clean stroke. Not a word was uttered until they reached a little cove which abut off the view of the cottages. Then ae stopped and looked at her until she could feel the color dye her cheeks. "Where did you come from?" she stammered, to cover her confusion. "Had a few hours' leave from camp. Cane en the last train last night," he replied. "Did you know I was here?" she asked quickly. "No, I didn't," Stephen replied, just as quickly ; "but I should have come Just the same If I had. I had made up mf mind to go to Boston next week, anyway, Just to see you. I'm going to France soon, very soon." He heard her catch her breath sharply ; then he weat on very quietly: "You told me last summer you wanted a 'man' for a husband, not a lazy boy, and It struck deep. Uncle Sam has been frying his est to make a man out of me, and I'm deiag my best to help him. They say feat 'absence makes the heart grow etreeger for someone nearer home,' at It hasn't my heart, Jerry !" His eyes held hers until it seemed they looked into each other's hearts. "Ton do love me," he said as he leaned tarward. Tes," said Jerry softly. She had nod her commanding man. Some two hours later Sylvia saw feem land at the float and pull up the sanoe. Their faces told the story as they came Into the cottage, and she congratulated them warmly. "Bat what really Is the difference, lorry, between the lazy boy of last waatner and his bold young man be-tare be-tare us 7" asked Sylvia. "He was dreaming then ; he's awake now," said Jerry as she held his arm tighter. "Tea, but the real difference Is in the khaki," explained Stephen. "My caaaalng clothes were to play around la and enjoy myself, and I did, too; but Bade Sam's uniform makes you forgot yourself. It's a khaki suit for a mi who has hard work to do and must be ever 'on the Job,' and with It ob tad your goal before you, you Just have to go forward to victory." . "Ia love or war?" laughed his sister. sis-ter. The soldier smiled tenderly down Into his sweetheart's eyes. (Cossrtcht, IMS. by MoClure Newipaer Syndicate.) |