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Now come we to Golden-Eyes and her Lover—“Bill’s” sweet ending. Not THEIR ending—only their beginning, when life grows fullest and youth only begins to understands some of the most wonderful things life holds out in her pink palm for our delight. But their story—ending—all faery-tales end hereabouts, you know.
Old Times and Love have hung over the dial and together traced with their fingers the days and months. And now Time has stolen out of their garden for a little while—and even the same old Eros has fled for a while, leaving for always his rosy glow coloring their garden—the garden of Golden-eyes and bill and “Uncle Sam” and one other; for Bill and his sweetheart wife have a new love now. Looking—true ‘nough—a good deal like Dan Himself—but pinker and richer in gold of hair and wiser—my!—and with a thing that Golden-Eyes prayed for— “Bill’s” bright gray eyes!
Tucked away in a cottage in France—the four of ‘em—in the stillness of Peace, the Allies in their garment of Victory a year and more, to stay until young Billy gets a “grounding in French,” when his baby0tongue first curls around a word or two that someone else beside “Uncle Sam” can understand, and until “Bill” finishes his bit in France’s reconstruction—we’ll leave ‘em—you and I, now that we’ve “got” them through all the hard knots true lovers must untie, and safe married!
Just this, “Uncle Sam” says, blinking and smiling, this—that he can “run” a patrol in No Man’s Land in War easier than he can keep track in Peace of the busy, rolling, little, fat feet of the baby that has come to their house to stay! But he says, says he, that he has never felt anything that makes a dog’s heart melt with sweetness and warmth like a lump of butter like the clutch of five pink fingers on his ruff, while that same baby tries to stand and point at the same time! And that no pride of heroism ever burned in a dog’s breast as Golden-Eyes’ soft voice does when she says. “I trust you, “Uncle Sam!”
And so—“adieu”—and do you see them laughing there an you ride down the road and out o’ sight?
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