KILLED IN ACTION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 10526, 2 December 1916, Page 3

KILLED IN ACTION.

"YOUR FATHER WHO HAD COUNTED ON YOU." The iingel of d 'iith in a bt en abroad throughout tin- land; yen may almost hear the beating of In- wings. There ]-, no one, a. when the first born were slain of old to sprinkle with bio •<] the lintel and ibe iwu side-posts of our doots that in' may i-pare and puss on; hi cakes his victims from the castle of noble, the mansion of the wealthy, and the cottage of the poor and lowly. — John Bright in the Commons, on the t I'imoan \'\ ar, in 1855. Tiie most tremendous scene in Mr 11. (I. Wells's new sto ■. "Mr Britling Sees i, fhrough," is ihat which occurs when the iieWS COllU'r. .;!. I tin; lil'sl-IjOMI. Hugh, is dead on the Lvuklicld. "This .eeie |. [he most terrible thing in the novel, hj hurts more intolerably than inythitig else. I think ii marks the highest mint in the achievement of Mr Well.-. Phi ie i nothing greater in 'Jul toy or Uos iolevsky." says Mr James Douglas, in tin Star. "The telegram was brought up by a girl in a pinafore instead of the boy of the old dispensation. "lie had been thinking of (his possibility 'or the last few weeks ulniost continuously, i aid yet now that ii had come to him he fell I hat lie had never thought about hj before. hat he inn -I go off alone by himself to en I visage this monstrous and terrible fact, .villi.mi distraction or interruption. "ill- drew tir telegram from his pockel igaill furtively, ulniost guiltily, and ro-i'Ciul .i. He uirued it over and read it again. "Killed !" "Then his own voice, hoarse and Strang' in his ears spoke and thought. "My (Jod ! how unulterably -ilk. . . . Why "did 1 let him go? Why did I lei bin "Mr* Ibiiiii ,g tin':, second v\ife, and nol Uigh's inothor) did nol learn of the blow Jiiti struck th'-iii until aftei dinner thai ii.-! 11 fcShu was: ." uecusionied lo ignore his riconiprchonsiblc moods thai she did m>l loreeivi that there was anything Irr.gii ibout him until I hey sat at table together lo scented heavy and sulky and disposed ti ivoid In r. Bui thai toil of moodiness was lothing very strange to her. She knew thai hings lhai seemed to her utterly trivial he reading of political speeches in tin I'lnics. Little comments on life mad'- in lie no-l (•;. -ual way . mere movements, eonkl >- ivi-ii lim Site bad culln ated a cei'laii lisveg.ud of such fitfn 1 darknes j>, Bui al he dinner table she looked up. and wa .tr.ljlj. ,| to tin lieari i" ;■•■<• :• haggard whili We .mil i~e of deep despair legarditi" tor ainbiguouslv. " 'Hugh : !' she said, and then with a el ill u| imati in 'What is ii '.'' "Thev 'looked at each other. Hi- la< uflrncd and w iueed. ■< 'M-, [high," he uhUpcrcd. and neilhei poke foi some seeouds. "Killed, he -aid. an I -ui'denly stood u| .\iiimuerimr. and fumbled with his pocket "It sec d he would novel lind wI m io s night. It came a I he!, a crimi] lei ~|..,.,;.;,,. ||,. tlnow il down before hoi ,„,| :||,. n iinust his chair back ciim.-d. -,,,! woe hastily out of the room. Sh, icard him sob. Sin- bad not dared l< ook at hi- face again. . " 'Jim what- can 1 say to him': -he said villi the telegram in her hand. "Thai night Mrs Urit'ing made ih uprcme effort of her life to burst tie irison nf self-eonsciousiie.-s and inhibitiot n which she was confined. Never befon i„ all her life bad .In' so desired lo b< iuontaneous and unrestrained: never be 0,-e had she so felt herself hampered h\ ,ei- timidttv, her self-criticism, her deep v ingrained habit of never letting horse ~, She was rent bv reflected distress. It ,„; m ,-d to her that 'she would be ready I. c ive her life and the whole world to b,1,1,. tu romtort her husband now. And an •ouhl conceive no gesture of comfort. Sin V e„t out of the dining room into the hal mtl listened. She went very softly up until she came to the door ol hot husband's room. There she stood still. Sheouhl hear no -mud from within bh< |JU ( out her hand and turned the haiidh ,f the door a little, wa". and then she wa it;,,-lied bv the loudness of the sound ] n ,„adc and'at her own boldness. She with 1,-e-w her iiaiul. and then with a gcstiin • despai, she flitted a< L'oas the corridor i her own i ooin. "Her mind, was beaten to the grouit. lev this catastrophe, ol which to tin non.ent she had ne-ver a lowed horse , |,i u k. She had never allowed hers oil t think of it. The ligure ol her husband ike some pitiful beast, ivouiic ed an. deeding, filled her mind She gav< scarcely a thought to Hugh 'Oh wha ■an 1 'do for him?' she asked herself, si, ,im, down befme her unlit bedroom tire •What eau I say or do ' H was late that night, and alter at ~,,-niiv of doubts and indecisions .Mr lintling went to her husband. tie w«« fitting close up to the lire with his cm upon his hands waning or her He fel |', at -|„- would come to h.i... and he wa thinking meanwhile ol Hugh with a slow ...progressive movement of the in. d. showed by a movement that he hca 1 hj ~.,.,.. || i( . room, but be did not tuiu I look at her. He shrank a little from he, I stood beside him. Sh ; ventured to touch bin. very softly .and stroke his head. 'My dear, she said, m. L ""'yu'|l)r dear!' she said, still st-rokiii;-! his head, 'my poor dear!' "She desired ,u|uetnely lobe his Hon ■ | ~ |i,,1,. while she Wiisaettllg cointor ,„,' And that increased her fa.lore, alio |, : ,i increased her paralysing _ sense failure • • • . , ,r ~, •■otiddenlv the real woman cued out u '"-/.'■ i•. w-,-1, son" ,!•" cried aloud , :,A' :'„-,':- ie. ! ° "*,#« v'ou' Von with your hearl half b en . "She turned towards the do'ii. ni moved clumsily, she was blumed \<> lu '••'\i,- drilling unrovered liis I'-";"- |] ,ood up astonished, and then .pity an pililul understanding ca, lonmns actus o. grief. He made a step ami look lin 'is arm-. *.\Jj dear,' In' m-k!. 'I 1 "" 1 : -' from nie . . , "S!e- u .r Ito bun. weeping, and pit !,,., ~n,s about l.is nook, and he too wa "■•^h^; J ;,r•w,fe:'he.,ill.'my 1 l.'myd l arw,f | If i, were not lor you I tlmiK I eouh kill n.vself to-night. Dent cry. my deat Don-l/do.i-l ery. Vol. o no know I yon comfort me. Vou do nol know lee Von help me.' . , , '«ir L , drew her to him; ho put bet elu-.'l again.-l his own. .... '•Hi- heart was -o sole and wounded, h.i 1.,, ~,,1,1,1 not endure thill auotlu human being should .go wretched He at down m Ins .ban- an,|r,..,v her upon his knee-, and sal, .vervthui" he could thin' ol to e insole be , ll( |' l ,.(-.,,re her and make her feel tha :!(,. was of value to him. He spoke of ever. pleasant aspect of their li' es, of ever, ■i-peci. except, that he never named tha -lear pale votith who waited now Ho could' wair a little longer. .. . '• M [as! she wont from him. " '(.lood-night,' -aid Mr Birtlmg, and tool|lor to the door. Il was very <l":" f you t< 'onie and combo I. me,' he ■'-.',. "This room was unendurable, lie tints .. 0 ou | \e,oss the park he went. an< aiddeu'lv his boy was all about him, playitr -limbing the cedars, twisting miraculou-' ~n the lawn on a bicycle, discoursing grav upon his future, lying on the grass breal ing very hard, and drawing prcpostoroi rarical.u'res. Once again they walked sin ; lV i,].-, up and down—il was athwart Ihl ■',.,-v -p'oi -talking gravely, but rathe ihv'h ■'And lu'vr they hud stood a httle awl; wardlv, before the boy wcnl in to -ay good 1,,,. |o hi- stepmother and go off with hi father to the station '"I will work to-morrow again." whisper -d Mr roiling, 'but to-night—to-nighl Tonight is your- Can you hear me e-iii you hear'.' Your lather. . . . who had .-minted on yon. .... 'Then after a lime he said : " 'Our -on- who have shown u- God. . .' '