Page:War; or, What happens when one loves one's enemy, John Luther Long, 1913.djvu/265

TANKOO I takes the things back to ask Evelyn what it meant.

"Well," she says after a while, "if you had promised to go to dinner at a friend's house and got shot—wouldn't you send your regrets?"

"Yes, I expect I would," says I, "if it wasn't dangerous."

"You may tear up that chart, daddy, dear, and put away the lamps. It's all over—like a nightmare. They're no more use. I want to forget it. You do, too. I wish we could make the trees grow again. It is all over. And, if they come for me—why, we'll fight, won't we?"

"Like an army," says I, "defending their last ditch!"

"Yes, daddy," she laughs and cries, all together, "I've fought, bled, and nearly died for my country and against my love, haven't I?"

"Yes," I says.

"And I've paid, haven't I?"

"Yes." 249