Judge — June 8, 1918 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Tue Avert Service or THe Trarric Men Coutp Not Asotisn Conrusion” From Fleshpot to Taffrail By J. A. Watpron Illustrated by Lawrence Fettows OTHER, I’m going to join the Navy.” “Harold!” Mrs. Willson looked dis- “Notas a common sailor, I hope!” s whatever I may be suited for, or as anything they will let me be.” And pleading was of no avail. Mrs. Willson had idolized her son from infancy. Her daughter, Margaret, first born, had no fault to find on the score of affection, but the mother, widowed when the children were young, poured out love and solicitude on the boy. Who can explain the idiosyncracies of mother favoi Harold came from fine stock, and naturally had an adventurous spirit. If he had been poor he might have thrown off extreme mothering, but coddled from the first he became mentally dependent. In college he had held aloof from most athletics more because of his mother’s fear of physical injury than from his dislike of strenuous things. Yet blood will tell. He came through as a student with flying colors. And now war was in the air. He could not escape its urge. His sister had succumbed to it and gone into relative work from impulse rather than to follow a fashion. She was not a stunning beauty, but a wholesome, magnetic girl, more attractive than most beauties are. Harold and his mother discussed the matter later. “You don’t object to Margaret’s doing things,” he said. ma: “But there is no danger to Margaret, dear.” “And you forget that I shall be drafted if I wait.” “But the military is so different, my boy! There you might get quick promotion.” “T’m going into the other branch—with the crowd— and take chances,” was his ultimatum. Ard somewhat inconsistently Harold rolled down to a naval recruiting headquarters in his limousine. He “got by” on a very narrcw margin. He was not hardy. And when he began to mix with the almost nondescript crowd of young men who were being licked into shape for stern doings he was handicapped. His name was a byword, and it was succeeded by “Sissy” with some of the lads, who were inclined to “play horse” with him. The only thing athletic he had ever achieved was skill at boxing. This skill he exercised upon a tough Jackie, named Billy Swayne, to the lat- ter’s perplexity and admiration. Others found or made occasion to pick quarrels with Harold, who ad- ministered consecutive surprises, and one day two attacked him just as 2 bunch was going ashore on leave. Swayne doubled with Harold to victory, and from that day they were fast friends. Swayne was a handsome fellow, as vital as a young animal, and literally acro- batic in his muscular efficiency, Though it is a community life, training in a naval or any war field develops individuality. Harold lost something of his social finesse in the process to which