He turned pale and grasped the chair convulsively.
When left alone, he covered his face with his hands and sobbed.
"My Venna killed! God! How can I stand it!" he cried in agony of spirit.
He felt a hand laid upon his shoulder. With quick self-control he turned and looked up into the face of one of his comrades.
"Bad news, Hallock?"
"My wife is dead!" returned Hallock with a stern compression of his lips.
There was silence for a moment while his comrade looked his sympathy into his friend's eyes. Then he held out his soldier's hand which Hallock grasped.
"Remember, Hallock," he said with emotion, "when you converted me to your Mormon faith, you comforted me with the thought that my dead wife had simply passed on before. There is no death. We will both have our loved ones soon—probably very soon, for next week comes the German drive with you and I at the front!"
Hallock straightened himself up bravely.
"As God wills!" he calmly returned.