Where the Souls of Men are Calling.
by Credo Harris and John R. Neill.
CHAPTER I
Hillsdale is "somewhere in the United States of America"--but there are hundreds of Hillsdales!
This particular Hillsdale is no less, no more, than the others. It contains the usual center of business activity cl.u.s.tering about a rather modern hotel. One of its livery stables has been remodelled into a moving-picture house, the other into a garage; one of its newspapers has become a daily, the other still holds to a Friday issue. In its outlying districts will be found hitching racks before the stores. Altogether, Hillsdale might be said to be "on the fence," with one leg toward progressiveness, the other still lingering in the past.
Its residences have not grown beyond the rambling, mellow kind, that drowse in poetic languor amidst flowering vines and trees. These trees, that also line the streets, meeting in cathedral arches overhead, might be stately elms of New England, poplars of the middle-west, or live-oaks of the south; for it must be strictly borne in mind that Hillsdale is "somewhere in the United States."
One mild day in early April, 1917, in the side yard of a corner house well away from traffic noises, two trim little women, Miss Sallie and Miss Veemie Tumpson, were delicately uncovering their tulip beds when Colonel Hampton, pa.s.sing on his way down town, stopped and raised his hat. An imperceptible agitation rustled their conventional exteriors, since it was an occasion of pleasure when Colonel Hampton paused at anyone"s fence. They noticed, however, that his usual geniality was lacking; that the kindly seams in his face were set into lines of sternness.
"Well, m"em," he thundered, "their d.a.m.ned outrages continue!"
Miss Sallie gasped and stared at him, while her more timid sister was too much taken aback to move. In the forty-odd years of their acquaintance with this agreeable product of the mid-Victorian era, this was the first time they had heard an oath pa.s.s his lips--without an immediate apology; and the apology had not been forthcoming.
"Yes, m"em," he cried, striking the ferrule of his cane on the sidewalk, "their d.a.m.ned outrages continue!"
"Why, Colonel," Miss Veemie faltered, "whatever can have happened?" She was a trifle deaf, but she had no difficulty whatever in understanding the irate gentleman before her.
"Colonel Hampton," Miss Sallie, as was her habit, took the offensive, "what do you mean, sir!"
"Mean enough, and happened enough!" The cane again added emphasis.
"Those German vipers have torpedoed another of our ships! The de-humanized outcasts, the blood-crazed toads, have wantonly destroyed more American lives! I tell you, m"em, our President is getting d.a.m.ned tired of it, and we"ll have war as certain as your tulips are sure to be the fairest in our proud city, m"em!"
The cheeks of the little ladies flushed at this dull prophecy, but for quite a minute the three remained silent.
"Mercy, I hope not," Miss Veemie sighed at last--meaning the war, of course. "It"s terrible!"
"And peace can be terrible," the Colonel thundered. "A country that buys peace at the price of dishonor is no better than a frump who sells her soul for gewgaws and furbalows! When posterity shall read of how the diseased mind of a single lunatic has stabbed history"s richest pages with a sword of murder, rapacity and l.u.s.t, it will turn a lip of contempt toward every nation that stood upon a vacuous neutrality. To h.e.l.l with neutrality, when a madman stalks abroad!"
Miss Veemie now felt that she had been silenced for the rest of time, and Miss Sallie"s delicate hands, incongruously housed in heavy garden gloves, became expressive of horrified amazement.
"What?" he demanded, looking more than ever furious.
The little ladies jumped, and Miss Sallie made haste to say:
"Why--why nothing."
He eyed them for a moment; not suspiciously, but with anger at everything in the universe--themselves, perhaps, excepted.
"Where"s Jeb?" he asked.
"He went into the country again with his rifle this morning," Miss Sallie answered. "He feels as you do, Colonel, that the time has come to strike and we must be preparing for it."
"But I wish you"d speak to him," Miss Veemie imploringly added. "He"s bent on getting ready and being among the first, if the time comes, and--and----"
"And he"ll do it in splendid style, rest a.s.sured of it, m"em! Jeb will make a fine soldier!--he comes from a line of soldiers!"
Tears filled Miss Veemie"s eyes.
"We"ve never seriously thought that Jeb----" she began, but could get no farther and relapsed into a sorrowful contemplation of the tulip bed.
"There, there; I know, I know," the old gentleman interrupted gently. "I know how you feel about him; I know how you"ve both been more than mothers to him!"
"We"ve done our best," there was a tightness in Miss Sallie"s voice. "He never remembered his own mother, and was so little when dear brother Jebediah died."
"I know, I know," he murmured. "How old is Jeb?"
"Twenty-six."
Another silence fell upon them. Then the Colonel sighed, turned and started on his way downtown, still muttering to himself as he went:
"I know, I know. All the same, that Kaiser"s a d.a.m.ned murderer, and we"ve got to smash him if it takes the last drop of blood in Hillsdale; yes, sir, the last precious drop!" So by the time he reached the hotel his step was vigorous and the ferrule of his cane struck the sidewalk with military precision. Fifty-three years ago he had marched that way with Grant--or was it with Lee? Hillsdales do spread over such a lot of territory!
"Did you ever!" Miss Sallie gasped, breaking the silence.
"Sakes alive," Miss Veemie whispered, calling upon her nearest approach to profanity. But they continued to stare after him, by unspoken accord moving to the fence and leaning over it, farther and farther, to keep him in sight as long as possible.
It was while they were so occupied that a girl stepped out upon the side veranda. She hesitated an instant, poising lightly in surprise at their rather unusual att.i.tudes, and biting her lips to keep from laughing outright. Then coming down into the garden, she asked:
"Is the parade in sight yet?"
Turning, they rushed at her.
"_Marian!_ When did you get home? How did you get in without our seeing you?"
Her parasol fell to the ground before their onslaught of affectionate greetings, as they held her off, only to draw her close to them.
"Why," she laughed, somewhat out of breath, "the front door was open--as usual; so I came on through--as usual--looking for you!"
"_When_ did you get home?" they insisted. "Is it really you?"
"You little dears," she cried. "Oh, but it"s good to see you!"
"But _when_ did you come?"
"Last night!"
"And you"re going to stay?"
"Hm-hm," she laughed, kissing them upon the cheeks. "I suppose I"ll have to, unless Daddy has a change of heart and lets me go to France."
"France, nonsense! Stand off, and let"s see you," Miss Sallie commanded.
"My! My! And you"re really a trained nurse?"