Show THAT OLD SWEET SONG by DOROTHY DOUGLAS copyright 1915 by the mcclure r syndicate Enid Enia smiled softly to herself while she bho labored over the tha task of selecting a number of songs preparatory to journeying across tho the ocean she was going over to do her mite in the great war crisis by singing at numerous bon ben eilts and concerts and in the hospitals tor for wounded soldiers and sailors it was not until she had reached the lowest shelf of her music cabinet thai that enid found the old old song that capt cyril blaker had givelber given give lher her the irresponsible fascinato fas fascinating cinat ing young aca pe graco grace of the british army had been in new york just long enough to capture a few foolishly feminine hearts to borrow money from everyone who was unwise enough to give it to him and to disappear into a future no loss less vague than the tha past from which he 71 7 1 ha had come sly my mother used to sing this to me he had said softly will you too sing ing it to me I 1 want to hear you now the effect of the dainty homage on enid camo came vividly back to her as she sat three years later looking over the sal song ng A flush crept into her cheeks even as it had on that other day and enid wondered it if she would ever see the flattering natt ering young neer do well again enid put the beautiful little song called ruby into her overburdened folio with a hope that its donor would find that salvation held out to so many men in times of war perhaps among the thousands of khaki clad figures she sha would see captain blaker she was curiously and without much reason interested te in the career of the ild handsome irresponsible officer 0 0 the men had been brought into the tha big sun parlor of the hospital some carried in on stretchers others in chairs and some of them could limp in on th thoams arms of their nurses enid eald had never expected in the whole of her musical career to sing before so completely wrecked an assembly ot of living men sho she was Bt standing anding quietly after a storm of applause when ono one ot of tho the hursei nurses approached the platform have you by any chance a song bong called ru ruby Y the nurse asked enid one of 0 zy my patients Is longing for it enid smiled and glanced swiftly over the mass of 0 upturned faces it Is not a very cheerful song she bald but I 1 will be glad to sing it her hurried glance bad tailed failed to find a familiar golden head bead that somehow she ehe had expected with the request tot for the song her accompanist left the tha platform and enid sat down dowa at the tha piano and played the tha dainty rippling melody in so tar far as she cyruld watch her audience aud lonco enid watched tor for ono one soldier among them who was nm more than interested la in the song she was aurl curious ous to see who it was that was familiar millar with the old time favorite aiji b trio the tar far corner comer a man so wound with bandages as to bo be unrecognizable unrecognizably was vas leaning forward but when she had bad finished the officer who had been leaning forward had been wheeled away enid searched tor for the nurse who had spoken with alth her but she too had disappeared y V out in the corridor enid was waa stopped by one of the surg surgeons bons 1 I am going to hold you responsible for the sudden desire bathe oni the part ol of one of 0 my patients to live 1 W I enid laughed backai back at theburn geon aaa hat have I 1 done you yon have hava sung life back into the heart of a young daredevil dare devil officer whom we had all given up ho had come back from rom the battlefield wounded a hero who has won the victoria cross and has stepped into a title and huge estates but it took your song to make him fight tor for his bis own life he has begun the fight and it if hewins he wins you and your song bong have saved him bin desire la Is a great factor as a eimu lant along with our medicines you have given young blaker that desire and I 1 want to shake bands with you when enid stood beside jIls the young officer who was lying with his face to the wall she did not cot speak until the door had closed upon the surgeon burgoon why did you sot make youri yourself elf known to me me she ehe asked softly and blaker turned swiftly 1 I am ashamed of my past he be said and did not offer his hand but his hie eyes devoured the beauty ot of her face and told bald that a now new man had bad arisen from the experience of 0 thelast the past Thol gentle flattery waa waB still there and enid suddenly knew that it would always bethere be there tor for her she put ut her hand softly over his you have doi doie e much to be ua ashamed of and your future Is before you the blue ot of blakerq Bla kera eyes deepe deepened ried he looked steadily etea dlly into enids suddenly blushing i face she scarcely realized that during three long yesra yeara ar A er heart had clung to the hope that one day she would stand face to face f the scapegrace captain of alis the orl tish irmy army and that honor and love would meet her glance 1 I have been rall fall anre blaker said eald with all that I 1 haye bays kept you la in my heart hearty eod though I 1 have not been halt half worthy to the future 2 is sl path of sunshine enid 1 I am glad she ahe added shyly that I 1 camo came over to sing doilis soldiers to Ps be P s lived through lite life has been good to me and as I 1 look back upon it no one thing seems more precious than the thought that I 1 have been much trusted with deep things in the lives of ot other her mew men and women next to lilii living ag great things for ones self we learn by and by to put that aside it Is wonderful to be lived through it Is wonderful to know a human soul and ask nothing of it save its utter confidence prom itom Hempfl hempfield eld by david grayson in the Anie american rican il magazine agazine |