Jack Winters' Gridiron Chums

ng morning when Jack Winters, hurrying along, was intercepted by a

f from all his customary associates ever since arriving, and had never

red, and there was an expression of mute misery on his usually merry face, that doubtless had induced more than one fellow to ask if he

with eagerness and anxiety; "though of course I understood that you must be waiting

ffice," the other hastened to say, determined not to

ut the foreign lette

batch of letters going out to different countries; because you know there are many foreign workers in our mills here, and they were constantly sending money home to their poor folks. But as the war went on, he said, they began to write less and less, because th

ack? Oh! what

o notice it, because the stamp was put on the wrong end of the envelope. He remembered that Luigi, the bootblack at

face darke

ldn't that letter he chanced to notice have been

ke it, Bob?" continued Jack, hardly knowing what to sa

his head in

d without finding anything. Why, I even remembered which way the breeze was blowing yesterday, and spent most of my time on that particular side of the path. Think of that, w

the other heartily on the shoulder, boy fashion. "As time goes on you'll sort of get used to i

glad I can have some one to go to when I feel so sick with the suspense, All the while I'm waiting and hoping I've got to tremble every time my father speaks to me

arriving at its destination, a victim to the terrible policy of the Germans with their U-boats. And of course the mail sinks when the boat goes down in the w

e question that I shall be dreading to hear-'Did you positively mail that letter I gave you?' Jack, sometimes I can see just those words in fiery letters a foot high facing me, even when I close

lained how to make sure he reached his correspondent across the water he would send a duplicate letter every week for a whole month; and so far he had never failed to connect, although more than one boat carrying his

er. It might be the solution of the whole thing. If father wrote again and even a third

used the boy to smile, though he looked almost comical while

er, and I'll hunt far and wide for it, I give you my word. If anything else strikes me meanwhile, I'll speak t

ible feeling grips you around your heart. I know I'll have a perfectly terrible month of it, every day seeming to be forty-eight hours long. But it serves me right. After this Bob Jeffr

ny times over. I'll not mention your trouble to either of my chums, though for that matter both Toby and Steve would fe

ack's hand, and squeezed it so

he winked several times to conceal the fact that tears were near. "You put fresh heart into a fellow every time. If you can fi

just where I saw it. Father never allows papers to be destroyed under a month

sume his ordinary look. His pride came to the rescue, for no boy likes to find himself an object of commiseration among hi

e big fellow's face when he caught Jack's eye. He was depending on this comrade to extricate him from the pit which his own carelessness had dug for his feet. And Bob was find

night, and after a thorough hunt actually succeeded in locating the article he had mentioned. His wonderful

esting account of something connected with the war must naturally have his attention arrested by the heading just below it, which ran: "How to make sure foreign letter

ntensely

that old sweater you were returning, because if father should ask me about it I can truthfully say I believe you brought it here in

ing for everyone concerned; since Mr. Jeffries would be sure of having his letter reach its destina

at he did not know which way to turn in order to try to remedy his mistake that had been the chief cause for the boy's desperation