Page:War; or, What happens when one loves one's enemy, John Luther Long, 1913.djvu/352

WAR But if I did I was properly punished. There was no one to meet me but Simon and John and a few little boys. And, though we went through the town, three war-cripples, not more than a half dozen people came to their doors and looked at us. One or two came and shook hands.

I believe I was disappointed. I had taken in all the glory-talk, as well as the gratitude-notion, and I had thought, I am afraid, that I was doing something noble: first, in going to such a dangerous thing as war for my country and fellow men; second, in losing an arm for them—a material part of my body. But no one seemed to care very much. And I heard no one speak of courage, patriotism, or gratitude. All now cursed the war.

When the body has been fed too much of one kind of food it becomes indifferent to it. Perhaps the mind of our people had been fed too greedily upon the war. And, too, maybe there were too many who had paid more dearly than I for their devotion. Maybe, there were, now, 336