“Make a motion, Miles!” shouted a score of voices.
“Do you want to know what I should do?” said the soldier. “There are places in France and Belgium that used to be towns. Some haven’t even the cellars left. An American society has been formed to take hold of the work of building up those places after the war. We could write to that society and get the name of a town that once was—a little one; one where perhaps our own boys have fought. Fenville could put the money she meant to spend on herself into helping to make it a town again. It would help, don’t you worry about that. So Fenville could feel, always, long after our time, that that little French town was her camarade. And it would be her bit; Fenville’s bit.”
When he could make himself heard, the Rev. Jeremiah Soule made a motion, the gist of which was that a committee be appointed to correspond with the society with the object of learning the name of some small devastated town in France or Belgium that would be a worthy recipient of twenty-five thousand dollars from Fenville’s treasury, the same to be expended toward rebuilding the town at the end of the war.
A dozen voices seconded the motion, and on being put to vote it was carried unanimously. Mr. Crabbe, the conscientious objector, was one of the first to rise on the ay vote. The fiery little man had his streak of sentiment, after all.
So had Henry Torrey, who said gruffly that he was glad to see the town’s money spent for a really useful purpose for once.
“Three cheers for Sergt. Warren, then!” shouted Mr. Chapman. “And make them rousers!”
“He and John went out,” said a voice in the rear of the hall.
“Cheer him from the steps!” cried another.
The crowd filed out. The two Warrens were walking down the road. The sergeant had his father’s arm; but his head was up, and it was not he, but the older man, that had the air of being led. For some reason the crowd fell silent.
Finally some one said crisply, “Miles Warren always could see straight. And I tell you he can see as straight’s ever, even if he is blind.”