Over Here | Page 5

rob my life of joy, the foe may
take my all,?And desolate my days shall be if he shall have to
fall.?But this I know, whate'er may be the grief that
I must face,?Upon his record there will be no blemish of
disgrace.
His days have all been splendid days, there lies
no broken trust?Along the pathway of his youth to molder in
the dust;?Honor and truth have marked his ways, in him
I can be glad;?He is as fine and true a son as ever a father had.
Runner McGee
(Who had "Return if Possible" Orders.)
"You've heard a good deal of the telephone
wires," he said as we sat at our ease,?And talked of the struggle that's taking men's
lives in these terrible days o'er the seas,?"But I've been through the thick of the thing
and I know when a battle's begun,?It isn't the phone you depend on for help. It's
the legs of a boy who can run.
"It isn't because of the phone that I'm here.
To-day you are talking to me?Because of the grit and the pluck of a boy. His
title was Runner McGee.?We were up to our dead line an' fighting alone;
some plan had miscarried, I guess,?And the help we were promised had failed to
arrive. We were showing all signs of?distress.
"Our curtain of fire was ahead of us still, an'
theirs was behind us an' thick,?An' there wasn't a thing we could do for ourselves--the
few of us left had to stick.?You haven't much chance to get central an' talk
on the phone to the music of guns;?Gettin' word to the chief is a matter right then
that is up to the fellow who runs.
"I'd sent four of 'em back with the R. I. P.
sign, which means to return if you can,?But none of 'em got through the curtain of fire;
my hurry call died with the man.?Then Runner McGee said he'd try to get through.
I hated to order the kid?On his mission of death; thought he'd never get
by, but somehow or other he did.
"Yes, he's dead. Died an hour after bringing
us word that the chief was aware of our?plight,?An' for us to hang on to the ditch that we held;
the reserves would relieve us at night.?Then we stuck to our trench an' we stuck to our
guns; you know how you'll fight when?you know?That new strength is coming to fill up the gaps.
There's heart in the force of your blow.
"It wasn't till later I got all the facts. They
wanted McGee to remain.?They begged him to stay. He had cheated death
once an' was foolish to try it again.?'R. I. P. are my orders,' he answered them all,
'an' back to the boys I must go;?Four of us died comin' out with the news. It
will help them to know that you know.'"
The Girl He Left Behind
We used to think her frivolous--you know how
parents are,?A little quick to see the faults and petty flaws
that mar?The girl their son is fond of and may choose
to make his wife,?A little overjealous of the one who'd share his
life;?But the girl he left behind him when he bravely
marched away?Has blossomed into beauty that we see and need
to-day.
She was with us at the depot, and we turned our
backs a-while,?And her eyes were sad and misty, though she
tried her best to smile.?Then she put her arm round mother, and it
seemed to me as though?They just grew to love each other, for they
shared a common woe.?Now she often comes to see us, and it seems
to me we find?A heap of solid comfort in the girl he left behind.
"She's so sensible and gentle," mother said last
night to me,?"The kind of girl I've often wished and prayed
his wife would be.?And I like to have her near us, for she understands
my sighs?And I see my brave boy smiling when I look into
her eyes."?Now the presence of his sweetheart seems to fill
our home with joy.?She's no longer young and flighty--she's the
girl who loves our boy.
A Patriotic Creed
To serve my country day by day?At any humble post I may;?To honor and respect her Flag,?To live the traits of which I brag;?To be American in deed?As well as in my printed creed.
To stand for truth and honest toil,?To till my little patch of soil?And keep in mind the debt I owe?To them who died that I might know?My country, prosperous and free,?And passed this heritage to me.
I must always in trouble's hour?Be guided by the men in power;?For God and country I must live,?My best for God and country give;?No act of mine that men may scan?Must shame the name American.
To do my best and play my part,?American in mind and heart;?To serve the flag and bravely stand?To guard the glory of my land;?To be American in deed,?God grant me strength to keep this creed.
His Room
His room is as it used to be?Before he went away,?The walls still keep the pennants he?Brought home but yesterday.?The picture of his baseball team?Still holds its favored