Richmond Hill Public Library News Index

The Liberal, 27 Dec 1917, p. 6

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“Ay,” said Tom, “but I feel so ashamed. I feel as though I have no- thing to offer you. I am only a poor Tommy with a bob a day, but will you wait for me Alice till the war is over ?â€"â€"and then if (lod spares my life I will work for you night and day, and I will give you as good a home as there is in Brunford.’ “I can’t help waiting for you,” sob- bed Alice. “Can’t help! Why?" asked Tom. “Becauseâ€"becauseâ€" oh, you know." It was not until an hour later that Tom and Alice appeared at George Lister’s house. During that time Tom had told Alice the story of his life since he had parted from. her. Told her of the influences which had been at work, how he had been led to pray, and how his heart had all the time been longing for her. In spite of Alice’s repeated questions he had said very little about his hour of peril, when he had risked his life to serve his country; that seemed of little im- portance to him. His one thought was to make Alice know that he was ashamed of himself for leaving her,‘ and that he loved her all the time. l “Ay,” said George Lister to his wife when Tom had left the house,‘ “our Alice is a fool." “ 'Appen she is," replied Mrs. Lis-i ter. ‘ gram “Do you mean it, Alice? do you really mean it?” and Tom’s voice was hoarse and tremulous. “Can you forgive me? I chucked Polly Powell long ago, and IJet her know it yesterâ€" day when I came home. She met me at the station with the others. and I never knew what a fool I had been till I saw her just as she was. Ay, I must have been mad!” “I heard all about it," replied the girl, “but it didn’t need that to tell me that you would come back to me, Tom.” “I knew, Tom,” and the girl almost sobbed as she spoke, “I knew all the time you could never really care for her, andâ€"and that you would come back to me n’l‘_hat_wgs_whyâ€"’ “nu ‘ “Why what ?” iaékvéav Tbnnj. “Why there was never anybody else buj:_you, Tom.” Lancashire people are very unde- monstrative in their love-making, as in most of their things, and although Tom was nearly swept ff his feet with joy at what Alice ha said, he still walked on by her side quietly, and for some seconds did not speak again. “I never really cared about Polly Powell," he said presently, “even at the time I-,â€"Iâ€"" “Is it true what mother told me?" he asked, after what seemed a long silence. “What did she ‘tell you?” “That you are engaged to Harry Briarfield.” “No!” replied the girl eagerly, “I never was!” “Then is it that young parson?" “No, Tom; who could have told you such lies?” Alice did not speak; perhaps she was delighted at Tom’s self-condemnaâ€" tion’, or perhaps, whicfi was more like- 1y, she was eagerly waiting for him to say more. “Ah, but that is nothing,” was Tom’s replv, “I could not help doing that, no clecent lad could. But the other now~ay, Alice, I am ashamed of myself. iIrwas such a fool too!” “May I walk home with you, Alice?” he stammered. “Yes, if you will, Tom,” and the two walked away side by side. They walked up Liverpool Road to- gether for some( time without speak- ing a word. On every side the crowd passed them, but Tom did not heed, his heart; was too full for words, his mind too occupied with wild, turbul- ent fancies. Presently they passed into a quiet lane where they were ap- parenily alone: “No,” and Alice interrupted him, “you are a hero, Tom, you have done wonderful things.” ‘ “Alida,” said Tom at length, “I’m fair“ ashamed of myself, Iâ€"I’m just CHAPTER XI.-â€"(Cont‘d.) , Presently the service was over, and Tom made his way towards the vesti- bule of the church. Scores of hands were held out to him, hundreds of greetings were offered to him. Many congratulated him on his bravery, and on his distinction. Then suddenly Tom's heart ceased to beat, for standing before him was Alice Lister. w ‘He may be a rand lad,” retorted r husband, “an I don’t deny that has behaved vary wee], but how 1 he kee a wife? What sort of a me can e give our Alice?" Bflt‘ Ay_on's a, grélhrdi i213: lad the 124E felf Rt can do what he has tongue Cle ction. Tom’s heart ceased ling before him was Author of “All for 9. Scrap of Paper." "Dearer Than Life,” etc. Published by Hoddosr & Stouxhton. Lixnltcd. London and Toronto TO.M.MY rlgvruéh _-.\.. Kr»), ‘fli’s epfzg‘gg’ocf/fi ave to the could not almost as fair 1 When Tom’s leave was up, George lLister said he had business in London, .; so Alice accompanied him. Truth to ‘tell, the business which George had was only a secondary matter; he saw [that Alice wanted to accompany her 'lover as far as she could, and the lbusiness was a pretext. I also made gmy way to Waterloo Station to see Tom ofi“ that was only a few days ago, and what I saw and heard is lfresh in my memory. But however long I may live, I shall never forget the look in Tom’s eyes as he stood on the platform with Alice by his side. A great light was burning there, the light of love, and duty, and faith, and chastened _joy. Will he come back again, or will'he be one of those who give their lives for the defence of honor and home? This I know: he with a great host of others will fight on, and hold on until victory is won, the victory which means peace. _ Slowly the train left the station. At the carriage windows hundreds of men stood waving their hands, and shout- ing. They were going back to the grim, cold trenches, gomg to danger, and possible death; but they were going with brave hearts and the light of resolution in their eyes. Amongst them was Tom. He, too, was waving his hand, although his lips Were tremulous. It is much on a cloudly 1 “Ay, lass, I do, that’s why I’m not a bit afraid. It’s not good-bye, Alice, it’s only an revoir as the French say. You will be brave, won’t you '2” “Yes, Tom,” she spoke bravely, al- though her voice was husky; “andâ€"- and. Tom"â€"â€"this with a sobâ€"“I shall be loving youâ€"loving you all the time.” tremulous. _ “God help me to do my bit, and then take m9 back tq hey," he_ prayedLL The guard blew his whistle, and there was a slamming df doors. ' “Good-bye. Alice,” and Tom held her close to his heart. “The war will be over soon, and then, please God, I will come back again.” rough, aren't they ?” “Just a bit rough,” replied Tom, “but they are all right. Some of those very chaps who look rough and com- mon are just heroes, you know; they would face any kind of danger to do a pal a good turn. Perhaps you may not think it to look; at them, but their hearts are true as old. This war has made a Wonderful ifl'erence in them.” Alice ressed his arm convulsively. “You now that book you lent me the other day,” went on Tom, “that book of Kipling‘s where there is a story about a ship that found herself. It means a lot, does that story. That’s what this war has done for a lot of us chaps, it‘s helped us tofindAourselvesfi’ “Ay, that I will," said Tom. ' Crowds of soldiers thronged the platform, while hundreds of their friends who came to see them off made ' it difficult to move; many of the Tom- mies were shoutinfi and cheering, while others found t eir way into the caljljgges as if ahxio_1_1§ t_o__be qqiet.__1 “Théy seem splendid fellows‘," said Alice_, “butnsg‘me "of them are very “Youâ€"you are sure you will take care of yourself, Tom,” and Alice’s voice was husky, although she was evidently making a great effort to be brave. “Don’t féa}, Alice,” said the lad, “I will__come back again all rightl’f “Tha' never ses!" and Mrs. Pollard’s voice was very caressing. “That’s one for Polly Powell, anyhow. She wur nevé‘l‘ thy sort, Tomâ€"a lass wi’ a mother like that can never be ony gogql." _ l of thee.” said Mrs. Pollard. “No,” said Tom, “I §hall never be an officer, I don’t belong to that class; perhaps I will be a sergeant, or someâ€" thing like that, but that’s as may be; anyhow, I’ll do my bit.” done," replied Mrs. Lister, “will make his way anywhere. If God spares his life, he will come back when the war’s over, and you will not have any rea- son to be ashamed of him. He is not“ earning any brass now, and that’s, right, for he’s serving his King and Country, and doing his duty like a‘ man; but wait till we have licked the, Germans, then Tom will let you know.” ‘ “I don’t deny that he’s a sharp, cap-; able lad,” said George, “and it’s ea’sy‘ to see that our Alice is fair gone on him. That’s why she had nowt to do wi’ the young parson, and wi’ Harryi Brairfield. Well, I want Alice to be; happy, and marriage without love is’ a poor thing, however much br 55 you may have. ’Appen I can put om in the way, of getting on when the war‘sg bver. Ay, he’s a grand lad, as you; say, and it was real plucky the way he ; nabbed that German spy and got the? papers. No Wonder the King thinks‘ such a lot. of him.” Upon this George Lister\filled his pipe slowly, and there was a look of. pride in his eyes. As for Alice, she sobbed for very joy when she went to her ro m that night. “Oh, thank God, than ' God," cried her heart, “and he is coming early in the morning tocfi” W“7Well,rmother," 521M Tom when he reached home, “I have made it up with Alice Lister.” ‘9 “Ay, and she’s the finest lass 1 Brunford, is Alice Lister,” said Ezekiel contentedly; “and is she willâ€" ing to wait for thee. Tom 7” Tom laughed joyfully. “Maybe they will make an officer easier to clean windows ay than on a bright day. (The end.) ' I have in mind one old'French house ‘which I visited‘when I was in France. ‘It is a hostel for those relatives who, anxious of heart, have been summoned peremptorin across the Channel to the bedside of Wounded and dying men. There they are made welcome, no mat- ter how long their stay may be. And if their man dies, they are not left: alone in their trouble. The girl who follows her brother or father or sweet- heart to the grave has with her a com- panion, a woman worker of the“ Red Triangle, who stays beside her to the ,end, was bound up in him. Her whole con- versation was of his early days, his goodness, his fine working capabili. ties, his kindness to her. For two long weeks she had been under a haunting fear which she would not name, Spartan that she was. After the visit to the hospital she came back smiling. Yes, he had recognized her. He look- ed vei‘y white and thin, but he was somehow just the same bright boy as always. The shot had touched the spine and there was little pain. She knew that he would never walk again. “I’m getting on fine, mother," he had said, smiling up at her. “I’ll soon be able to bend my legs.” “Boy, if you’d neither arms nor legs there’d always be an armchair for you in the best place beside the fire and a Now it was the father fight alone. fihat should the boy’s mother and sist Scotland? None of us da him as he paced slowly; the old French courtyard. There was an American mother, too, who had crossed two seas to see her boy, her only son. Her whole life It was a snub-nosed, fl'eckled lad from far Lochaber who responded. He was a big, strong soldierâ€"and he laughed at the sacrifice. It was noth- ing. He was proud and glad. All day it seemed as though the fight was worn, The sacrifice had turn- ed the tide. But when night fell . . . the change. Out in the queer, old-fashioned courtyard a father was pacing up 'and down alone. He was a kindly, friend- ly man from the far north of Scotland, fond of a “crack” (chat) with his neighbors. But to-night no one dared speak to him. He was fighting the shadow alone. It was only ygsterday that he hada great story to tell. His boy was “doin’ fine.” They had had to ampu- tate his leg', but he was putting up a real stiff fight. Who would give fresh life blood to turn the balance? It was a snub-nosed, fl'eckled lad from far Lochaber who responded. He “Dust ~ to dust, ashes to ashes, in sure and certain hope of the resurrec- tion to eternal life!” We walked back when the service was over to the Y.M.C.A. That walk is a place of pilgrimage, where thou- sands of men and women will come after the war to pay tribute to the last resting place of their dead. “Some- where in France,” with brilliant-co or- ed flowers over them. A joyous ttle garden nods over each man‘s grave. We returned to the welcome of the Red Triangle. He came with his flag over him, to the solemn sound of the last post. The promise of resurrection was read across his grave. All around was khaki, standing sharply at attention. The picture will always be vignetted on my mind. AT THE SEGN OF THE RED TRIANGLE I remember a scene like that. It was in summertime, apd the country- side was gloriously g're‘en. Birds were carolling in the tall trees and the air was heavy with the scent of flowers. THE BENEFICENT WORK OF THE Y. M. C. A. angle-gleams everywhere. And therei is one work they are doing that has, gleaned little publicity but has beenl invaluableâ€"I speak of the receptionl of the relatives of the wounded, who are summoned to France to the bedâ€" side of their men, and who are the Y.M.C.A.’s honored guests. ' ljothing‘ can mitigate the first sharp sor 'ow of loss, and too often the rela- tives are “not in time" to bid a last farewell. But everything that can be done is doneâ€"on a system wise and kindly. Relatives of Wounded. Summoned t0 The Red Triangle is comfort and good means warmth and a panionship and light. ray of brightness in ‘ rible of wars. It is the Sign of the What England and Fr: the Allied 'countl‘ies woul without the Y.M.C.A. I C ine, says a correspondent ‘ “Somewhere in France‘ dotted by the hundred. 'J France, Are Honored Guests Care of Ankious Parents. Hope of Resurrection. of the Assoeiation. Sign of the Y.M.C.A. [gland and France and all countries would be to-day a father who must 1: shOuId he write to and sister home in of us dared speak to slowlywp and down rance‘ia they are "ed. The Red Tri- where. And there ‘ the \sign of fellowship. It welcome, com- It is a constant this most ter- mnot ima They'rflew 250 miles in about three hours, and then beneath the spread- ing wings saw the lights of Constan- tinople and all the vessels, including the Goeben, a blaze of light. Down they came and oosed a salvo of bombs at the attle-cruiser. They circled and dropped another salvo, and then made along the Bosphorus, where they sought out the German headquarters ship and bombed/ her. Amid a hail of Turkish shells they found the Turkish War Office. Acâ€" cording to a Turlgish communique at the time, this was “not destroyed,” “but,” said one of our airmen, “the bombs weighed 112 1b., and we were there for half an hour. A London Daily Mail representative was told by an aeroplane builder that la British aeroplane, carrying ,a pilot, isix passengers, and 700 lb. of luggage, ‘has flown from Hendon to Paris in ,two hours, and that we have machines ito carry 3,0001b. of bombs (nearly a ton and a half). “Then why do we not bomb Berlin ?” “That is quite possible,” said the constructor, “but it is not my depart- mentâ€"but something big may happen soon.” Many and varied were the letters re- ceived, and from all parts of the world. One day the post brought a dozen tiny envelopes with letters written on mini- ature note paper and in lead pencil. The handwritings were wobbly and uncertain and gaps were filled up with cfisses and kisses. They were mess- ages from tiny tots in Sunday schools away in far-off Canada! To keep lemons have some dry clean sawdust in a box and bury them in it and they will keep for weeks. The young wife answered the call immediately. She was at the bedside of her husband “Somewhere in France” at the crisis, and knew that he would live. Three days later her baby was born. Convalescent soldiers made the era- dle, and nurses padded and, lined it. For blankets and bedding there were khaki mufflers, donated by the men. The “camp infant” had a happy life. When at last the baby was dressed for its cross-Channel trip and the mar- garine box packe§ with baby clothes, there was a silence in the old French house, and a void. For all over the world the call of the Red Triangle comesâ€"and even children are anxious to “do their hit.” mother to work for you, and she'd want nothing better than to sit and look at you in the evening," had come the quick reply. it COULD CROSS ATLANTIC POLO, MOTORING, TENNIS, BAY AND SURF BATHING, FISHING AND BOATING. mm Dcl Coronadu I 1056 {01:91 is equipped throughout with Automatic der System. Coronado Beach, California JOHN J. HERMAN, IB-Hole Golf Course AMERICAN PLAN Near San Diego That Did Not Survive Because Not Adapted to Environment. Nature seems to have made a whole [lot of experiments that were not very (successful. There were the Titano- 'theres (meaning “huge beasts”) for example. Some of them were nearly as big as elephants; but no human be- ing ever saw one alive. Poisonous Gases Released by Earth- quake Shookt For the eighth time since 1844 fish have been killed along the west coast of Florida in an area of poisoned water. Not only the water, but th’e air has been charged with a sufi'o- cating gas, odorless but irritating to the air-passages. The last mortality was reported in October and Novem- ber of 1916. The Bureau of Fisheries sent experts to the spot, but they were obliged to admit, after a careful in- vestigation, that the cause of the strange occurrence is a mystery. One explanation advanced is that earth- quake shocks, possibly due to West Indian hurricanes, released poisonous gases from the sea bottom. But the Titanotheres failed to sur- vive somehow. Perhaps they were wiped out by bear-cats and other big carnivores. Whatever the reaSOn, they ceased entirely to exist, being ra- placed by other herbivorous mammals better adapted' to the American envi- ronment. They passed out of existence 3 mil- lion or more years ago, and such knowledge as we have of them to-day is derived from their bdnes, dug out of the rocks in the western part of North America. They were of many species. and undoubtedly in their time were very numerous. The Museum of Natural History, in New York, has made great collections of their osseous remains; and many of' the skeletons it has secured are so nearly complete that its experts are able to make good “restorations” of the creatures, showing what they looked like in life. They were contemporary, in this country, with horses the size of mod- em foxes, tapirs not much bigger, camels no larger than cottontail rab- bits (which seem to have been exceed- ingly numerous in the plains region of the West), bear-like cats and giant dogs four times the weight of a St. Bernard. In those days there was a land- bridg‘e across Bering Strait. and ani- mals migrated to and fro between Asia and North America.‘0ur buffalo came from Asia (say the naturalists) by that path; and it was by thersame route that the Old World obtained from this continent the horse and the camel. Keep your spices in little glass jars anda glance will tell you the contents, even if not\ labelled. QUEER BEAS’I‘S 0]“ LONG AGO. THE WALKER HOUSE for the Walker House (The House of Plenty) as soon as they arrive in Toronto. The meals, the service and the home-like appointments constitute the magnet that draws them there. ,., Famous Hotel Toronto's TORONTO, CANADA A POISONED SEA. Manager Noon Dinner 60c. Evening Dinner 75c. Toronto‘s Famous Hotel Rates Reasonable ,Gco. Wright 8: Co., Props Many People Make a B-Line

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