Page 32 - 1918 VES Meteor

GS THE :METEOR
(The door opens. In rushes VIlWIXJA carrying a paper. She is a pretty girl of eighteen, fl11shed and excited.)
l'irginia. 0 :Mother, )lother ! The paper sa:·s that the bo_vs may be called out to-day !
Jl[ other.
Judge. them off.
Tom!
I must leaYe you, madam; I must help in getting
Good morning. (To VJRGINIA. ) Good morning, (Exits.)
my child.
l'irginia (crossing to her motltc1·, and putting her arms
around her). Brother Tom! He'll haYc to go. 'Von't he ,be glad? And won't we be proud of him? Isn't it fine to
ha,·e a brother who can fight for his country?
Mother (slowly). Yes, my daughter, I am sure we shall be proud of him, and it is both fine ami terrible to let him go. V irginia (eagerly). Oh, 1 wish I were a boy I I f I could only go! It's so poky just to knit and knit and keep
on knitting.
Mother (half to herself). Onr part is the silent sacrifice,
and onrs the greater glory and the deeper suffering;.
(The door opens and To~r D .\ NJ 1::1,s enters. IIe appears t•ery much agitated. IIe u•all.:s slowly to center of 1·oom in front of his mother and sisle1·. IIc is a. well-set-up young
man of about tlcenty-th1·ec, clad in 1·iding togs.)
Virginia. 0 Tom, ba,·e you beard ?
Tom (slowly). Y es--I'Y e beard.
J1lother. Get Tom's things ready, Virginia, so that be
can be ready for any call.
1rirginia. Yes, )lother, right away. I'm so proud of
my soldier brother (kisses To:-.r and runs from room).
Tont (sinl..·ing slowly in a rltair). This is terrible, awful! Moilier. The call of war is hard, bnt the call of manhood
rises abo,·e home and kindred.
Tom. 0 :Jlotber, whY is all this? It is wron"' brutal
"- ::01 ' fiendish! Why should I be dragged to a forcig11 land to kill