Page 8 - 1918 VES Meteor

4! T n E :i\IF:TEOR
until the guns had opened sc,·eral holes iu the walls, and then, charging across the open space, took the house. Cap- tain John De \Yitte was mentioned iu the day's report for exceptional braYery.
It is June, 1918, and thousands of people throng Xew York's great piers to welcome home the Sammics, who had gouc forth with light hearts "to make the world safe for democracy." They had done their bit. The Great European War was over and the fate of Germany was in the hands of a council composed of rcpresentati,·es from each of the allied nations.
The great ships finally come ~teaming into the harbor and the Xew Y01·k troops tlisembark. The battle-scarred heroes of a hundred battles, ''ho only a few short months before had been white-faced ·weaklings, march proudly up Broadway to the stirring strains of martial m11::.ic aml the cheers of the thousands who line the sidewalks. ..:H their head rides Colonel De \\'ittc, one of the youugcst aud lmn-cst officers in the Amcric,m army. Many a fair maiden's heart beat fa~tcr at the sight of tl1c handsome young officer, but all in Yain, for his thoughts were of Peggie-Peggie who had told him to go away and make a man of himself.
"\Yell," thonght De \\"itte, "I am surely a man now."
The troops were :finall_,. dismissed and all were gi\en three days' lca,·c. Colonel De \Yittc went straight to his club. It was almost deserted at this hour, but he was glad it was so. Wilkins, the genial oltl doorkeeper, welcomed him back with many expressions of joy, and hanclcd him a small cm·elope addressed in Peggie's wTiting.
IIe dropped into one of the easy chairs and tore open the em-elope. Slowly opening the folder he began to read. Suddenly, with a muttered oath, he sprang to his feet.