Girl to Come Home To Read Free Page A

toward the upper end of the station, and using the tactics known to them of old in their school days, they escaped meeting the crowd that usually assembled around an arriving train. They cut across a vacant lot and so were not detained but strode on down the country road toward their home. That was where they desired above all things to be as rapidly as possible. That was what they had come across the ocean for. Mother and home were like heaven in their thoughts, and at present there was no one they knew of by whom they were willing to be delayed one extra minute.
    They were unaware, as they hurried along with great strides, of the eyes of some who saw them as they dashed around the end of the station, and pointed them out, questioned who they were. For though the uniforms of servicemen were numerous, in that town as well as in others, they shone out with their gold braid and brass buttons and attracted attention as they passed under the station lights.
    “Well, if I didn’t know that man was overseas in a hospital, I’d say that was Rodney Graeme,” said one girl stretching her neck to peer down the platform behind her. “He walks just as Rod did.”
    “You’re dreaming,” said another. “Rodney Graeme has been overseas for four years. Besides, there are two of them, Jess. Which one did you think looked like Rod?”
    “The one on the right,” said the first girl. “I tell you he walks just like Rod.”
    “I guess that’s wishful thinking,” said Emma Galt, an older girl with a sour mouth, a sharp tongue, and a hateful glance.
    “That other one might be Rod’s younger brother, Jerry,” said Garetha Sloan.
    “Nonsense! Jerry wasn’t as tall as Rod; he was only a kid in high school when Rod went away.”
    “You seem greatly interested for a married woman, Jess,” sneered Emma Galt.
    “Really!” said Jessica. “Is your idea of a married woman one who forgets all her old friends?”
    But out upon the highway the two brothers made great progress, striding along.
    “Well, we beat ’em to it all right,” said Jeremy.
    “Okay! That’s all right with me,” said his brother. “I’ll take my old comrades later. Just now I want to get home and see Mom. I didn’t notice who they were, did you?”
    “No, I didn’t wait to identify anybody but old Ben, the stationmaster. He looked hale and hearty. There were a bunch of girls, or women, headed toward the drugstore, but I didn’t stop to see if I knew them. I certainly am glad we escaped. I don’t want to be gushed over.”
    “Well, maybe we’ve escaped notice. You can’t always tell. We’ll see later,” said Rodney. “But there’s the end gable of the house around the bend, and the old elm still standing. I was afraid some storm might have destroyed it. Somehow I forget that they haven’t had falling bombs over here. It looks wonderful to see the old places all intact. And a light on our front porch. Good to see houses and trees after so much sea. And isn’t that our cow, old Taffy, in the pasture by the barn?”
    “It sure is,” said Jeremy excitedly, “and my horse, Prince! Oh boy! We’re home at last!”
    They did the last few laps almost on a run and went storming up the front steps to meet the mother who according to her late afternoon custom had been shadowing the window, looking toward the road by which they would have to come if they ever came back. Not that she was exactly expecting them, but it seemed she was not content to let the twilight settle down for the night without always taking a last glimpse up the road as if they might be coming yet before she was content to sleep.
    In an instant she was in their big strong arms, almost smothered with their kisses, big fellows as they were.
    “Mom! Oh, Mom!” they said and then embraced her again, both of them together, till she had to hold them off and study them to tell which was which.
    “My babies! My babies grown into great men,
both
of you! And both of you come back to me
at