LITMIR.BIZ

      CHAPTER I

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      The stars were all out in full force the night that Rodney and Jeremy Graeme came home from the war. Even the faraway ones were peeping eagerly through the distance, trying to impress the world with their existence, showing that they felt it an occasion when their presence should be recognized. And even the near stars had burst out like flowers in the deep blue of the darkness, till they fairly startled the onlooker, rubbing his eyes in wonder if stars had always been so large. It was early evening, scarcely six o’clock, but it seemed so very dark, and the stars so many and so bright.

      “It almost seems,” said Jeremy, “as if all the stars we have ever seen since we were born have come out to greet us now that we’ve come home. They’ve all come together. The stars that twinkled when we said our prayers at night when we were little kids, and seemed to smile at us and welcome us into a world that was going to be full of twinkling lights and music and fun. The stars that bent above the creek where we were skating, and seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. The stars that smiled more gently when we drifted down in the old canoe and sang silly love songs, or lay back and grew dreamy with unmade ambitions.”

      “Yes,” said Rodney with a grin down at his brother, “the stars that blessed us with a bit of withdrawing when we walked home from church, or a party at night with our best girls. Right, Jerry? There must have been girls somewhere in your life after I left. There’d have been stars for them, too, of course. That’s a swell thought that all those star fellows have sort of ganged up on us for tonight. Nice to think about.”

      “It seems an awfully long time ago, though, all those other things happening,” said Jeremy thoughtfully. “Like looking back on one’s self as an infant. After all we’ve been through, I wonder how we’re going to fit into this world we’ve come back to.”

      “Yes, I wonder!” said Rodney. “I sure am glad to get back, but I’ve sort of got a feeling every little while that somehow we oughtn’t to have come away till we’d finished the job and had ’em licked thoroughly so they can’t start anything again.”

      “Yes, that does haunt you in the back of your mind, but anyway we didn’t ‘come’ away. We were sent, and had to come. They thought we were more important over here.”

      “Of course,” said the older brother. “And I’m satisfied, understand. Only somehow there’s a feeling I ought to take hold and do some more over there yet. But I guess that’ll wear off when I really get into this job over here they think is so important.”

      “Yes, of course,” said the younger brother. “But there’s this to remember: we aren’t like some of the other fellows. I heard one fellow on the ship complaining the folks over home didn’t understand. They hadn’t any idea what we’ve been through. They’ve been just going on happily having a good time between their good acts of doing a little war work. But our family isn’t like that. Our dad and mother understand. Dad’s never forgotten his own experience in the other war. You can tell from their letters.”

      “Yes, of course,” the older brother said, smiling. “Our family has always been an understanding family. But you’re right about this world we’re getting back to, I suspect. For a while it will be like going out to play marbles or hide-and-seek. The trouble is one can’t go out to meet death without growing up. We’ve grown up, and marbles don’t fit us anymore.”

      “Sure!” said Jeremy thoughtfully. “We’ll just have to get adjusted to a new world, won’t we? And somehow I don’t see how we’re going to fit anymore. I don’t really have much heart for it all myself, except of course getting back to Dad and Mom and Kathie. But the others will seem like children. Of course you don’t feel that way because you have Jessica. You’ll get married, I suppose, if it really turns out that we get that job they talked about overseas. You planning for a wedding soon, Rod?”

      There was a definite silence after that question, and suddenly the younger brother looked up with a question in his eyes. “I didn’t speak out of turn, did I, Rod?” He looked at his brother anxiously. “You and Jessica aren’t on the outs, are you?”

      Rodney drew a deep breath and settled back. “Yes, we’re on the outs, bud. Our engagement is all washed up.”

      “But Rod! I thought it was all settled. I thought you bought her a ring.”

      “Yes, I

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