I . THE OMAHA ' SUNDAY BEE: .MAY 26, 1918.' .- - ' '
-;' m- , - : . ...i : -
in tfte' Wa v Zone
cftinsfrcZ in France" 7e?fsfftSM 04?rson
experiences on tne Western UtgJittn Utonr-
' COtrtlrHT 1918 I
J, CHAPTER VIIL
' - Eteath Takes the Boy.
r? It wu on Monday morning, Jan-
' And he had been killed
-the" Thursday, before! He had been
1 dead four days befori I knew it! And
ftil had known. Let no one ever
tell me againjthat thert is nothing in
4 presentiment Why else had I bean
so lad and uneasy in my mind I Why
tlae, all through that &unaay, naa ii
comfort in what was saia io cneer
me? Some warning had come to me,
nm n that all was not well.
Realization came to me alowly. I
' tat nd stared at that slip of paper
that hai come to me like the breath
of doom.- Dead I Dead these four
daysl I was never to see the light
of his eyes again. I was never to
hear that laugh of bis. " I had looked
on my- boy for the last time. Could
it be true? Ah, I knew it was! And
it was for this moment that I had
been waiting, that we had all been
-waiting, ever since we had sent John
away to fight for his country and do
his part I think we had all felt that
it must come. We had all known
that it was too much to hope that he
v should be one of those to be spared.
The black despair that had been
hovering over me for'houra closed
down now and enveloped" all my
tenses. . Everything was unreal. For
I time I was quite numb. But then,
as I began to realize and to visualize
: - what it was to mean in my life that
my boy was dead there came a great
- pain. The iron of realization alowly
seared every word of that curt tele
gram upon my heart I said It to
myself, over and over again. And I
whispered to myself, as my thoughts
took form, over and over, the one
terrible word, "Dead!"
I felt that for me everything had
, come to an end with the reading of
that dire message. It seemed to me
that for me the board of life was
black and blank. For me there was
Nio past and there could be no future.
. Everything, had been swept away,
. .. i ....... .r it,, l.-j
' ..ii p y .nvwi w . w.
t cruel fate. Oh, .there was a past,
thought And it was in that past that
I began to delve. It was made up of
every memory I had of my boy. I
fell at once to remembering him. I
clutched at every memory as if I
must grasp them arfd make sure of
them, Test they be taken from me as
well as the hope of seeing him again
that the telegram , had forever
snatched away. j
I would have been destitute indeed j
then. It was as if I must fix in my'
mind, the way he had been wont to
look, and recall to my ears every tone
of his voice, every trick of his speech.
. Thera waa anmetninff left nl him that
I must keep, I knew, even then, at
all costs, if I was to be able to bear
his loss at all.
, There was a vision of him before
trjp eyes. My oonnie mgniana iaa-
vimvv muu VMUiig tu m wifc nu
the uniform of his country, going out
, to mi death with a smile on his face.
' And., there was another vision that
, came up now, unbidden. It was a
vision of him lying stark and cold
upon the battlefield, the mud on his
uniform. And when I saw that
vision 1 1 was like a man gone mad
i anil finiiMui)' nt rtavil ulia ha.!
stolen away his faculties. I cursed
war as I saw that vision, and the men
who caused war. . And when- I
thought of the Germans who had
killed my boy a terrible and savage
hatred swept me, and I longed to go
out therend kill with my bare hands
until 1 had avenged him or they had
killed me, too.
But then I was a little softened. I
thought of his mother back in our
1 wee; hoose at Dunoon. And the
- thoiiffht nf her. horeft T
' sorrowing, even as I was, and lost in
.her frightful loneliness, waa pitiful,
to that I had but the one desire and
, wishto go to her and join my tears
with hers, that we who were left
alone to beir our grief might bear it
together and give one to the other
such comfort as there might be in life
for us. And so I fell upon my knees
and prayed, there in my lonely room
in the hotel. I craved ta Gait that
'He might give us both, John's mother
and myself, strength to bear the blow
that had been dealt us and to endure
tne sacrifice that He and our country
had demanded of us. '.
My friends came to me. They
came rushing to me. Never did man
nave better friends, and kindlier
be on that day of sorrow. They
, did all that good men and women
could do. But there was no help for
me in the ministration of friends. I
was beyond the power of human
words to comfort or solace. I was
glad of their kindness, and the mem
ory of it now is a precious one, and
one l would not be without But at
such a time I could not gain from
them what they were eaaxr to rive
me. f I could only bow my head and
. pray for strength.
' That night, that New Year's night
that I ;shall never forget, no matter
, how long God may let me live, I went
north, I took train from Lond An in
Glasgow, and the next day I came to
our wee hoose a sad. lonely wee
hoose it had become nowl on the
Uyde at Dunoon, and was with
, John's mother. It was the place for
tne. , it was there that I wanted to
be, and it was with her. who must
hereafter be all the world to me. And
I was eager to be with her, too, who
had given John to me. Sore as my
; grief was, stricken as I was. I could
, comfort her as no one else could
i-hope to do, and she could do as much
x for me. . We belonged together.
. I can scarce remember, even for
myself, what happened there at Du-
noon. I cannot tell yon what I said
or what I did,, or what words and
what thoughts passed between John's
mother and myself. But .there are
some things that I do know, and that
'X will ten you.
. Almighty God, to whom we prayed,
was kind, and He was oitiful and mcr,
;cifuL For presently He brought us
.. both a sort of sad composure. Pres
. entlr He assuaged our grief a little
and gave us the strength that we
must have to meet the needa of life
and the thought of going on in a
world that was darkened by the loss
: of tiie boy in whom all our thought!
' ppI ll otir hopes, had been centered
I Clanked God then,, and I thank God
Iowa Wonjian Dedicates
Verse to Mr. Lauder's Son
Mrs. John Palmer Nye, Shenandoah, la, has written a poem in
memory of Captain John Lauder, son of Harry Lauder. A copy has been
mailed to his father. The poem is reproduced here for the first time:
MY BONNY LAD.
"My lad,".! aald. "ve must not ask-
The men who look to you
For anything on God's green earth
' That ye would never dot"
He tilted up his chin and said,
"Yes, 111 remember, Dsdf
And, Oh, the brsw look oa his face
Will always make me glad I
Ye ken I had my doots about
War being right or wrong,
But not a doot about the boy
I'm loving in my song I
X took his hand and said goodby, t
And kissed my bonny lad,
Who pledged himself in hearty word,
"I will remember, Dad!"
So long as we could see a bit
Of that old dock In sight,
We saw him waving to his Dad,
That everything was right!
We sailed away we left him there.
To go his way alone.
The days were long without the lad.
Who was our only one.
My bonny lad. my bonny lad,
He's faded from my sight,
A wee bit road is left to me,
I want to make it right!
While God shall let me hold the Flag,
And gie me strength to sing,
111 have a care for other lads
And comfort to them bring!
My bonny lad, your Dad's old heart
Is well nigh broke in two,
The while he sings to other lada
The songs he sang to you;
For in each boyish, upturned face
He sees that other lad,
' ' Who signals from an unknown port,
, . "I did remember, Dad!"
now, that I have never denied Him
nor taken His name in vain.
For God gave me great thoughts
about my boy and about his death.
Slowly, gradually, He made me to
see things in their true light, and He
took away the sharp agony of my
first grief and sorrow and gave me a
sort of peace.
John died in the most glorious
cause, and he died the most glorious
death it may be given to a man to die.
He died for humanity. He died tor
liberty, and that this world in which
life must go on, no matter how many
die, may be a better world to live in.
He died in a struggle against tne
blackest force and the direst threat
that has appeared against liberty and
humanity within the memory ot man
And were he alive now. and were he
called again today to go out for the
same cause, knowing that he must
meet death as he did meet it he
would go as smilingly and as will
ingly as he went then. He would go
as a British soldier and a British gen
tleman, to fight and die for his king
and his country. And I would bid
him eo.
I have lived through much since his
death. They have not let me take
rifle or a sword and go into the
trenrhea tn a van ere him
But of that I shall tell you later.
Ah, it was not at once that I felt
sol In my heart, in those early days
ot gnet and sorrow, there was rebel'
lion, often knd often. There were
moments when in my anguish I cried
out aloud, "Why? Why? Why did
they have to take John, my boy my
only child?"
But God came to me. and slowly
His peace entered my soul. And He
made me see, as in a vision, that some
things that I had said and that I had
believed were not so. He made me
know, and I learned, straight from
Him, that our boy had not been
taken from us forever, as I had said
to myself so often since that tele
gram had come.
He is gone from this life, but he is
waiting for us beyond this life. He
is waiting beyond this life and this
world of wicked war and wanton cru
elty and slaughter. And we shall
come, some day, his mother and I. to
the place where he is waiting for us,
and we shall all be as happy there as
we were on this earth in the happy
days before the war.
My eyes will rest again upon his
face. I will hear his fresh young
voice again as he sees me and cries
out his greeting. I know what he
will say. He will spy me, and his
voice will ring out as it used to do.
"Hello, dad I" he will call, as he sees
me. And I will feel the grip of his
young, strong arms about me, just as
in the happy days before that day
that is of all days of my life the most
terrible and the most hateful in my
memory the da when they told me
that he had been killed.
That is my belief. That is the
comfort that God has given me in
my grief and my sorrow. There is
a God. Ah, yes, there is a God!
Times there are, I know, when some
of those who look upon the horrid
slaughter of this war that is going on,
hour by hour, feel that their faith is
being shaken by doubts. They think
of the sacrifices, of the blood that is
being poured out, of the sufferings
of women and children. Ann" they
see the cause that is wrong and foul
prospering for a little time, and they
cannot understand.
"If there is a God," they whisper
to themselves, "why does He permit
thing so wicked to go on?
But there is a God there is! I
have seen the stark horror of war. I
know, as none can know until he has
een it at close quarters, what a
thing war is as it is fought today.
And I believe as I do believe, and as
I shall believe until the end, because
I know God s comfort and His grace.
I know that my boy is surely wait
ing for me. In America, now, there
are mothers and fathers by the scores
of thousands who have bidden their
sons goodby; who water their letters
from France with their tears who
turn white at the sight of a teleurram
and tremble at the sudden clamor of
a telephone. Ah, I know I knowl
I suffered as they are suffering! And
I have this to tell them and to beg
them. Ihey must believe as I be
lieve then shall they find the peace
and the comfort that I have found.
So it was that there, on the Clyde,
John's mother and I came out of the
blackness of our first grief. We be
gan to be able to talk to one another,
And every day we talked of John,
We have never ceased to do that, his
mother and I. We never shall. We
may not have him with us bodily, but
his spirit is never absent And each
day we remember some new thing
about him that one of us can call to
the other's mind. And it is as if,
when we do that, we bring back some
part of him out of the void.
Little, trifling memories of when
he was a baby, and when he was i
boy, growing upl And other mem
ones of later days. Often and often
First Denby Truck Still
Operating oh Detroit Streets
m fy ws& I -fiw Hip- S
it was the days that were furthest
away that we remembered, best .of all,
and things connected with those days.
But I had small wish to see others.
John's mother was enough for me.
She and the oeace that was coming
to me on the Clyde. I could not bear
to think of London. I had no plans
to make. All that was over. All that
part of my life, I thought, had ended
with the news of my boy's death. I
wanted no more than to stay at home
on the Clyde and think of him. My
wife and I did not even talk about
the future. And no thing was further
from all my thoughts than that I
should ever step upon a stage again.
What I Go out before an audience
and seek to make it laugh? Sing my
songs when my heart was broken?
I did not decide not to do it I did
not so much as think of it as a thing
I had to decide about.
(Continued Tomorrow)
Friction Responsible for 25
Per Cent Loss in Motor Power '
-To the motorist who realizes that
25 per cent of the power delivered "
by his engine is lost in friction, the .
question of lubrication is one of para
mount importance. Grease cups are
gone over, oil reservoirs are watched
carefully, bearings are inspected reg
ularly and frequently cleaned.
Care in the selection of lubricants' is
important to him, too, as he realizes ,
that each bearing, gear or spring re
quires its particular kind of lubricant N,
Engineers who are experts in the line
of automobile lubrication point, out .
that plain oils and greases squeezF out ..
under great pressure and heat When
flake motor graphite is mixed in,
however, the oil or grease serves as .
a vehicle to carry the graphite to all
parts of the bearing or part to be
lubricated. The flakes of graphite
adhere to the surface, fill all.tbe min
ute irregularities and form a tough,
durable film which prevents metallic
contact The graphite does not
squeeze out
Overland Used Car Branch '
Enlarges Its Show Rooms ,
The Overland used-car department '
at 2406 Leavenworth has enlarged its " '
show room so as to have more floor
space for display purposes and tp in-
crease its capacity for immediate de
livery. Jack Alwood is manager. He
believes that the biggest feature , of
the department is that every Overland , Y
distributer in the Van Brunt Automo
bile company's territory has access to
2406 Leavenworth. He is very pround k
of 84 sales in 79 days without a dis-, 1
satisfied customer.
Not only for formal affairs, but for burin cm, drives and touring,
tht,Marmon closed car is serviceable and appropriate
Good Forni Dictates
Closed Cars
a
The Closed Car occupies today the
position not only of a soda necessity,
out of aH-year-'nrand utility.
And Marmon Closed Can are especially
They are supremely comfortable, yet not
a luxury because of their limitless service
abiKtyand wmvaledeconomyin operation.
Car buyers are learning these facts, and
SO regarded because they are masters of anyone who contemplates the purchase of
a car muse recognize tnem.
all conditions of weather and travel.
In die morning, regardless of weather,
the. Marmon Closed Car serves to take
the man of afiairs to his offices and the
woman to her shopping. In the afternoon
it dutifully serves in Red Cross work, in
charities or calls.
In the evening, and for formal afiairs,
the Marmon Closed Car insures a privacy
and a comforting protection. .
NFor every-day driving and even for
touring, the FamLy Sedan, the Limou
sine and Landaulet have the advantage of
parlor car comfort and security from dust
and storms.
May we not have the pleasure of show
ing you the new Marmon attractions in
coach design and uphojstery ? Please call,
or telephone and we will call.
136-iiuh wleelb&sellOO pounds lighter
Marmon Cars
2205 Farn&m St.
Ever-Tyte
PISTON RINGS
STOP 90 PERCENT OF ALL MOTOR TROUBLES
Designed and built on mechanical and practical lines.
THEY DO WHAT REAL PISTON RINGS SHOULD DO.
They cure that oil-pumping cylinder
They stop thaflott compression
They save oifantfgas, and
Make motoring a pleasure
Get "The Piston Ring Primer" an interesting booklet
on Piston Rings, from your dealer, or write
The EVER TIGHT PISTON RENG Coi
Dept. D.
8T. LOUIS, Ha
yttopiAa.yoii4.
CADIiLAC
Cadillac Wins in Cuba
Motorists have become so accustomed to the unusual per
formance o'f Cadillac motor cars that nothing but topnotch per .
formance is expected of theni.
.'Just as a matter of record, however, we feel that a brief
statement regarding this latest Cadillac achievement is worthy
of mention: . V.
On April 14, at Oriental Park, Havana, Cuba,- a .Cadillac
Eight finished first in an official race with two racing cars of
international reputation.
A cash prize of $1560 was awarded to Amador, the owner
and driver, who piloted the Cadillac, and cups were presented
by the ''Automobile' Club of Cuba and the Cuban-American
Jockey Company. This is the fifth race won by Marcelino
Amador in his Cadillac Eight. -
The Cadillac is constantly proving in the hands of owners its
right to the well-earned title, "The World's Greatest Road Car."
The ever-increasing demand for Cadillac motor cars and
the increasing shortage makes it quite necessary to order your
Cadillac now if you wish to be assured of delivery.
A third shipment of individually colored models has ar
rived Come and select yours now while you still have the op
portunity t '
(' , i
Jones:-Hansen - Cadillac Co.
Ask us 'for a demonstration
Harney 710
Farnam at 26th
i
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