In a few minutes more the noisy officers and their wives parted, the men striding off into the night with a last word about the possibility of unexpected orders coming, and a promise to wink a flash light out of the car window as the troop train went by in case they went out that night. The wives went into one of the little stall-rooms and compared notes about their own feelings and the probability of the ----Nth Division leaving before Monday.
Then the head of the house appeared with a Bible under his arm humming a hymn. He cast a keen pleasant glance at the two strangers in the corner, and gave a cheery word to his wife in answer to her question: "Yes, we had a great meeting to-night. A hundred and twenty men raised their hands as wanting to decide for Christ, and two came forward to be prayed for. It was a blessed time. I wish the boys had been over there to sing. The meeting was in the big Y.M.C.A. auditorium. Has Captain Hawley gone yet?"
"Not yet." His wife's voice was lowered. She motioned toward one of the eight gray doors, and her husband nodded sadly.
"He goes at midnight, you know. Poor little woman!"
Just then the door opened and a young soldier came out, followed by his wife, looking little and pathetic with great dark hollows under her eyes, and a forced smile on her trembling lips.
The soldier came over and took the hand of the Salvation Army woman: "Well, I'm going out to-night, Mother. I want to thank you for all you've done for my little girl"--looking toward his wife--"and I won't forget all the good things you've done for me, and the sermons you've preached; and when I get over there I'm going to try to live right and keep all my promises. I want you to pray for me that I may be true. I shall never cease to thank the Lord that I knew you two."
The Salvationists shook hands earnestly with him, and promised to pray for him, and then he turned to the children: "Good-bye, Dicky, I shan't forget the songs you've sung. I'll hear them sometimes when I get over there in battle, and they'll help to keep me true."
But Dicky, not content with a hand shake swarmed up the leg and back of his tall friend as if he had been a tree, and whispered in a loud confidential child-whisper: "I'm a goin' to pray fer you, too, Cap'n Hawley. God bless you!"