w of his effort to persuade
his country to take her high place among the nations in the fight for a
world-wide democracy.

So, since Bettina Graham's father was her idol, she experienced none of
her customary shyness in talking to the young National Guard officer.
She had liked him in their former meetings, not resenting his quiet
sense of humor, a contrast to her own seriousness.

"Then you are in absolute sympathy with our having entered the war,
Lieutenant Carson?" Bettina inquired, adding: "I think I always have
been--and yet now and then one cannot help feeling that all war must be
wrong."

Before the young officer could reply, they heard some one approaching
and glancing up Bettina discovered Billy Webster.

The next moment, without awaiting their invitation, Billy took a seat on
the sands beside them.

Bettina was not surprised, for few persons who knew Billy intimately
continued to be surprised by his unexpected actions. Indeed, they would
have been surprised had he behaved otherwise. Now, although Bettina was
a little annoyed at having her conversation interrupted, she made no
effort to interfere with his intention.

The turning of Billy Webster from the accomplishment of his desire
required a tremendous amount of energy which the result scarcely ever
justified.

So far as Lieutenant Carson was concerned, because Billy looked so much
younger than he actually was, he regarded him merely as a presuming
small boy.

Moreover, at the beginning of their talk, certainly Billy behaved like
one. First he stared at Lieutenant Carson's dress uniform, with the
single bar on his collar and sleeve and then up into the officer's firm,
smooth-shaven face. Finally, leaning over close to his companion, he
fastened his large visionary blue eyes upon the officer's steadfast
brown ones.

"Why did you do it?" Billy inquired. Then, because he was accustomed to
being compelled to explain himself, he continued: "I mean why did you
volunteer, why go through all the hard work and rigmarole to be
appointed an officer in the army? You look as if you had an unusual lot
of sense, so I cannot imagine that you do not understand there are finer
things to do with one's life than killing people. I should think _you_
could see how much more men are called upon to conquer poverty and
injustice and the crime that comes of it, than they are called upon to
conquer one another. Of course if you had been drafted that would have
been a diffe