August, 19 19
THE LANDSWOMAN
go I '~h"'~ In the ' J, .\ \ S .' ~M wrote me, whatever thn.t mAy
m~'an
Ll!t ma sec, 1t rntght bo 'laundry,' or 'law,' or • lamp·
light··r,' or 'lHlutrna.nt': sotnf'thing chicl:, you may be 11ure. I
ain't ~ot no bloomin' V.C. or D S "11. to show her, only thl<~ 'ere
(gulp) clnrncd rrutA:h, <~f) p'raptabP'II J"-t d~plYl me" (gulp).
By no\V Prtva.tc J. Smtth'~ heart \VAS In h•~ booU--no, in h•'J
onr boot, poor hoy !-nnd h•~ spiritOJ gradually (I'll lower nntl
low•· r unt 11 he actually h 11('\n to dr.-lld tlv· tnom ·ut of his arnval.
"Only two more hl41t4 now," he alm~t groanu(J. "I don't
suppr>~·· tht•re'll b" nnyonf' to lllf'et nu· ; sun• not, a~ I'm before
tim•. Wr.ll, all thl' u•ttn, I'll 'ltnmp thent two milrs homt'
unrl lt • ~otl\d to h" alon".'
Oh, l'riv.1t.e l:!m.ith l Wns th'\t you
"'[ rton I"
" f.i t nu~ re ! "
W~'
qaw on th" bon.t?
" Jl l~ll tA•tu} ( "
Whit~> n~ n llhPet an•l t rt·ml11tn~ llkC'
a lP1d, Prtvn.t~ Smith <~lowly
ro.'!ll M thP trntn r.topJ)I'd, l!lunl( l1i'J ktt.-.~ck on to the platform
and got out, no, got In rath••r, 1nto sornf'hody's arms, and thon
Into IIOfllf'bOfly el-~e's, and thPu it 64'emed a'! I( a bout ten pairs of
small arm'! w•·re all ab<>ut hlrn at the samr tiro~.
" Go'lh I" h~ wbcc?.erl, half·<~tran~~:lPd,
•• Thl\t'll rlo, that'll do, l'hlldn n l" bellowed a well-known,
Wl'll·b'31ovecl voice, and, M the children n>luctaotly dropprd otr
him ono by one, he wa.a rJUietly taken })()«se ~1on of, an ann to
each, by Dad and ~[a.
"Oo!h I"
all that Privat~> John could ut tA-r. and even that
wa.'ln't very distinct, owmg to an aoourdly tn·mbl•ng lip.
" We gucRsed you'cl co.tA:h thill train,'' said mothf'r, as she gl\~
him nnotb.er hug, and IaughPd hmvf'ly up into his dear blue eye'! •
•• Oh, Jack, at Ztut!"
'"M
"Come on, now," bellowf'd the well-beloved voice. wbM it"'
pos~~or tried to camouU:\gc a sntff, and fat led di~mally.
fJohn ea'lt & furtive look round the little ~t.at•on, bright with
dags and 6ovre111, but fa1led to see what he wanted and dreaded at
the same bme •
•
Ju ... t.M thPy pa ~t~>d out1nt() thr. road, a hmd troDl omewhero
nenr struck up : ·• ::>t:e thP ronr111ermq ltf' rv M me .... " J vim etnrted
an(l look"u qu~"&t•olllngly at h1s motht'r.
•
"Th~'y're Just weloomm' homo a lv ro, rny ~r," £he 01.111,
wtth a little cntch in h• r voi~.
Her "00 turnl!\1. and looked back Into thl' rs and
ribbon"', and b<-hnul thnt ma.r<'hr>d .:~.l•ttle group of-no, not ~s
-'tlrl!<, then, won•"n, ),ut how ;,trang• ! llr• r.cbe«, ~nd l!uclllol1y
hat , nod ~U"h l,ro'll·n fa~i I
'Ihey were led by thf'lr officer, who, M they mareMd by in
"~•nl%1P tllP, salut•ng him, pl.aCl'd & up<"rb bunch of tlold, and llhe ga.ve the word,
and the I.nnd Army g1rl~ all formed up IJI!hlnd tl.t> cmpt)• c.--.rria~re.
Then came th•J ch1ef d1gnitar1 &~ ot the VJila$:e, th•• VIcar, tilt'
,,.a.s
ln.wrer, scboolmMt~r. eV.. By one nnd n.ll
Prtu.te John
Smith most cordl.1lly wt>lcomed home, and thanked and aeclntmed
till, a,<; hi' !'!aid afterwards, he .. fa11ly ltlu hP.d with !b&Dl•' ."
"G<:t tn now, all of you I "commanded the vicar, and Into that
c.--.rriat;U did the whole fa.mtlv $QUPell! o~how, John tn tht> pi~
of honour, the band p;olng ahead and plnrlng him homt>, the Laud
\rrny ~iris marclun~t bP.hind, and behuul them the wbolt'l popu·
lation of HaMtead, and the adjacent tRrritoriea of :Merton,
J.~1stmere,
and &kewell.
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"1Iotbt>r," hi' o;tutte~d later, "noel I nctually thou~rht "-be
could get no furth~r, and she only squt't>ZI cl his hand. So !>be
never knew that he ever thought th•·re ~ould be no one to meet
hin• at
th~
station.
And that iq how Priv~te John Smith <-ame hoill('.
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C. r.. B. L.::!
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Pa .. inl Buckingham Pt\laco.
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179