BY MARION BLATCHFORD (AGE 15) (Gold Badge. Silver Badge won June, 1919) ONE night as I lay sleeping on my pillow,

I dreamt about the dark days of the war;

I lived again through all its pain and sorrow,
Such sorrow as men never knew before.

I saw the battlefield, the winding trenches;
I trembled at the cannon's deadly roar;

I looked into their faces as they stood there-
The heroes whom the world has bowed before.

I saw them fall upon the field of honor.

How gloriously they gave their lives away!
With tear-dimmed eyes I bowed my head before them.
The broken flower of youth-ah, there it lay!
And then, as through a mist, I saw them marching
On, ever onward, through a starry sky;

I raised my hand and silently saluted
The souls of heroes as they passed me by.

But high above the storm-clouds seemed to lower.
They won the victory, could we win the peace?
The love of gain and wealth, the false ambitions,
The foolish wranglings-would they never cease?

Then, suddenly, I heard a Voice within me;

"Fear not, and know that God will show the way." And through the clouds of night that hung so heavy I saw the brightness of the coming day.

A THOUGHTLESS WORD

BY DUANE SQUIRES (AGE 14)
(Honor Member)

"AND then the bears ate them all up, growling 'Brrr! Grrr!' all the time. Maybe some day a bear will come and try to eat you up! Brrr! Grrr!"

Thus Donald Murray concluded a bed-time story to his little sister, Ruth. Mrs. Murray and her husband had gone out for a short time that evening. After tucking Ruth in bed, they had promised that Donald should tell her a short story before turning out the light. After his parents had gone, Donald went to Ruth's room and told a truly thrilling tale,

ending with the sentence I have quoted. Ruth listened fascinated and trembling.

Going downstairs, Donald prepared to enjoy himself with a favorite book. After arranging the lounge pillows comfortably, he opened the volume and began. Soon all was silence, broken only by the rustling of the pages.

At last he looked up at the clock. possible that it was ten o'clock already? would be home at any minute now.

Could it be His mother

THE COMING DAY

BY JEAN HARPER (AGE 15)
(Silver Badge)

Down the Future's misty spaces,
I can see the childish faces
Of the days that will be born,
In the rosy, golden morn.

Little childish, peeping faces,

Wond'ring at the world's strange pace;
Childish faces, plain and fair,
That the Future Time will bear.

In their hands, strange gifts have they
Hidden in the misty gray,

For mankind, that they will give
To the day in which they live.

Little, childish, happy faces,
Peeping from the misty spaces,
Do you know we look to you
That our dreams may all come true?

That the gifts your fingers hold
Are to us as hidden gold?
That to you and them we look
As to some strange, guiding book?

Naught you know of weal or woe,
In our world they mingle so!
Yet in you, our hopes all rest,
Little childish faces blest!

THE THOUGHTLESS WORD: "CATS"

BY JANE MORLEY WILCOX (AGE 8)
(Silver Badge)

We have a nice gentle little dog named Rowdy. One day a neighbor's kitten came into our yard. Rowdy paid no attention but just poked up his nose. Unluckily my little brother cried out: "Cats!"

Rowdy pricked up his ears. Away went the kitten and Rowdy after her! Away went the kitten over the fence, Rowdy still following. At the foot of the tree he caught her, and would have killed her, only we children scrambled over the fence in time to save her life.

The kitten was badly hurt; Rowdy had bloody scratches; our neighbor cried; Mother scolded; Father frowned; and we children were awfully scared! But we learned this lesson-that it was a thoughtless word that had got us into so much trouble.

"IN SUMMER-TIME." BY RACHEL D. SMITH, AGE 15.

That hope deceives our eyes! A will-o-wisp that lies.

For oh, if hope ne'er dies,

The coming day

Will bring the longed-for prize!

THE THOUGHTLESS WORD
BY RUTH MOTT (AGE 14)
(Silver Badge)

ON a certain evening late in June a very pretty girl of about fourteen years lounged in a wicker chair, with a book.

Suddenly a voice aroused her from her reverie. She glanced at the speaker, a woman of about fifty, rather tall and thin. This was Ellen, the housekeeper, who really had charge of Frances (for that was the girl's name), as her mother had died when she was a mere infant and her father was in faraway Egypt.

"Frances, will you please wash the dishes for me this evening, as I am tired and have your graduation dress to finish for to-morrow?"

"Oh, Ellen, you know I hate to wash dishes! Can't you leave them and wash them in the morning? Besides, I have to go out and do a good deed and then go to the Girl-Scout meeting."

As Ellen turned towards the kitchen to resume her task, a tired sigh escaped her lips. This set Frances to thinking: "Am I obeying my oath-'To do my duty to God and my Country; to help other people at all times; to obey the laws of the Scouts?' A Scout helps other people at all times."

Frances jumped up from her chair, resolved to do her best thereafter. As soon as the dishes were done, she appeared at the Scout meeting. Before, she had brought the standard of her Patrol down for not having done a good deed, but now she was indeed proud to have helped them toward the goal-a beautiful silver cup for the Patrol which had the highest number of merit-marks.

Then a thought came over her, "Dear, patient Ellen, it was she who showed me my duty, and who helped me with my good deed! How sorry I am that I said those thoughtless words, for surely they were not the words for a true Scout!"

THE COMING DAY

BY ELIZABETH M. DUKES (AGE 17)

THE THOUGHTLESS WORD
(A True Story)

BY ELIZABETH BUTLER (AGE II)
(Silver Badge)

ONE evening when my mother was a little girl about ten years old, she said to her mother: "Oh, I wish I could do exactly as I please for one day !"

And it was indeed a thoughtless word, for her mother answered, "All right, dear, you may begin to-morrow.

Mother began the day with sleeping late in the morning and woke up with a headache. She dressed without putting on her shoes or stockings and went down stairs. Breakfast was over and so she did not get anything to eat.

Then began her misfortunes.

She went out-doors and, not being used to going barefoot, at once got rather a bad cut in her foot.

But she was determined to have her good time. Near her home lived a family of children with whom her mother did not wish her to play because they were so rough in their games. She went there, but after they had played a while, they pushed and slapped her and finally sicked their big dog on her, until she ran home, at last, frightened and crying.

Her next foolish action was to draw all the money out of her little savings bank, and start with it toward the candy shop. But alas! on the way, she lost nearly all of it through a crack in the board walk. After these sad experiences, she decided that her mother knew best, and resolved that she would not ask to do just what she wanted to again.

THE THOUGHTLESS WORD BY MAXINE OBERNDORF (AGE II) "MOTHER," said Jack, "what shall I read ?"

"I think a story about a boy who did not think before he talked would be appropriate-don't you?" said his mother.

"I don't care what it is," said Jack.

"Very well, here you are," and Jack's mother handed him "The Man Without a Country." "Read that and see what you think of poor Philip Nolan."

Jack read, and whenever after that he would start to say something very thoughtless, his mother would say: "Philip Nolan! the thoughtless word!"