Page 31 - 1920 February - To Dragma

114 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

ONE SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE FRATERNITY HOUSE

B Y E. J. W., A '20

I T was Sunday night. O n l y five girls had remained this week-
end at the house and the Sunday meal was just over. A l l five
girls had d r a w n their chairs up near the crackling log fire. Out-
side, it was not at a l l the kind of a night f o r a bus-ride or a wan-
dering s t r o l l ; rather the deep leather chairs and the roaring fire
seemed to be almost irresistible.

"Hey, Margey, turn out the piano lamp, will you, you're lots
nearer than I am," came the words from the depths of the largest
and most comfortable chair.

Margey, with a groan, stretched a little and then rose to turn out
the light. " I wouldn't do it, lazy bones, only I wanted my 'uke,'
anyway. Has anyone seen i t ? " A f t e r looking behind every mova-
ble piece of f u r n i t u r e , she spied it on the piano.

W h e n the lights were dimmed and only the flickering flashes
of firelight were l e f t dancing on the walls, Margey returned to settle
herself comfortably in her chair, to strum a few chords on the "uke."

Soon all except one were humming the tune of "The Long, Long
T r a i l . " T h e listener was a very fine looking young woman and
apparently accustomed to such spells of meditation. As the others
sang, she sat silent, huddled i n her nook, w i t h an intent and f a r
away gaze which rested on the fire.

Gradually, the tunes of the recent war were touched upon, until
suddenly they realized that one of their number was not singing.
T h e same thought must have entered their minds at the same time
for the last tune was left unfinished.

" W e l l , Tuney, what's on your mind? Where is the song you
used to be famous f o r ? " burst f o r t h Margey.

" O h , I just happened to be t h i n k i n g how easy i t is to f o r g e t , "
Tuney replied dreamily, as she at last drew her eyes f r o m the fire.

"There, Tuney, I knew there was something bothering you," Mary
hastened to add. "Out w i t h it. Who's been forgetting now?" and
the c h i l d expected to be scolded f o r some duty she should have
done.

"Oh, I didn't mean Y O U , c h i l d ; I was just thinking of life,
everyone!" Unconsciously her gaze sought relief in the flames.
" I was—thinking—if you want to know—of a little incident 'over
there.' "

Tuney Fiske had volunteered her services i n her junior year at
college, w i t h a private American Hospital U n i t . She had felt the
call, and being an orphan and responsible to no one but herself, had