THE LADY OF THE DECORATION

By

FRANCES LITTLE




TO ALL GOOD SISTERS, AND TO MINE IN PARTICULAR




The Lady of the Decoration



SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 1901.


My dearest Mate:

Behold a soldier on the eve of battle! I am writing this in a stuffy
little hotel room and I don't dare stop whistling for a minute. You
could cover my courage with a postage stamp. In the morning I sail for
the Flowery Kingdom, and if the roses are waiting to strew my path it
is more than they have done here for the past few years. When the
train pulled out from home and I saw that crowd of loving, tearful
faces fading away, I believe that for a few moments I realized the