THE BIG BLUE SOLDIER
GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL’S
Charming and Wholesome Romances
THE
BIG BLUE
SOLDIER
BY
GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL
AUTHOR OF “THE CITY OF FIRE,” “MARCIA SCHUYLER,” ETC.
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
1923
COPYRIGHT, 1920, 1921, BY THE GOLDEN RULE COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
“And you don’t think maybe I oughtto have had lemon custard to go withthe pumpkin instead of the mince?”
Miss Marilla Chadwick turned fromher anxious watching at the kitchenwindow to search Mary Amber’s clearyoung eyes for the truth, the wholetruth, and nothing but the truth.
“Oh, no, I think mince is much better.All men like mince-pie, it’s so—sortof comprehensive, you know.”
Miss Marilla turned back to her window,satisfied.
“Well, now, if he came on that train,he ought to be in sight around the bendof the road in about three minutes,” shesaid tensely. “I’ve timed it often when[6]folks were coming out from town, andit always takes just six minutes to getaround the bend of the road.”
All through the months of the GreatWar Miss Marilla had knit and bandagedand emergencied and canteenedwith an eager, wistful look in herdreamy gray eyes, and many a sweaterhad gone to some needy lad with thelittle thrilling remark as she handed itover to the committee:
“I keep thinking, what if my nephewDick should be needing one, and thisjust come along in time?”
But when the war was over, and mostpeople had begun to use pink and bluewool on their needles, or else cast themaside altogether and tried to forgetthere ever had been such a thing as war,and the price of turkeys had gone up sohigh that people forgot to be thankfulthe war was over, Miss Marilla still heldthat wistful look in her eyes, and still[7]spoke of her nephew Dick with batedbreath and a sigh. For was not Dickamong those favored