“Yes’m. He’d been might quiet lately, and at last he came out with, ‘there never had been an American war without an Eppes in it, and here are the two of us, and I can take my choice; but he hoped I’d stay at home and let him go, being a Spanish-American vet.’ I asked him if he knew what a whopper he was telling. Why, he’d have dropped in his tracks if I had showed the white feather and said I wasn’t willing to go. But I just hadn’t thought of it. It didn’t take me two secs to decide. Of course I’m going.�
“And so you boys are joining the army; going to France to fight.�
It seemed but yesterday since they were little fellows in her primer class. And now they were going, with the bodies and hearts of men, to do men’s work in the world. Through the mist in her eyes she had a vision: New pages of the history book opened, heroes walked out, took form and life; lo! they were her own schoolboys—shy Fayett Mallett, mischievous Jeff Spencer, slow William Eppes—and others, others would come. Why, here were the youngsters, even little Sweet William, putting aside play to do their part.
“Oh, goody! goody!� Sweet William was saying now, in his high, eager little voice. “We’ve got soldiers, our own soldiers, to send things to. Come on, Jeff; you and Will, look at our gardens.�
And then half a dozen, talking at once, explained about Camp Fight Foe and Camp Feed Friend.
“I’m surely glad to see these gardens,� said Jeff. “I always was a hearty eater, and my ‘stomach for fighting’ needs to be a full one. We’re going to claim the best food we see over there, aren’t we, Bill? biggest potatoes and sweetest beans, for I know they’ll come from The Village straight to us.�
“We’ll think of you when the weather gets warm, and we’ll work hard and not loaf on the job,� said Alice Blair.
“Thank you,� said William. “It seems a shame for you to tan your face and blister your hands—for us.�
“I like to do it—for you,� said Alice; and then she blushed.
“I should think you’d be going to Fort Myer, Jeff,� said David.