, one October morning, as he looked up fr

giment, sir, are three conscientious objectors who ask to

ed Dick briefly, a fro

speedily reported in the office, s

cientious objectors?"

said the thr

ous objections to being

against killing a human being

o kill you," Dick went on mercilessly. "You believe in a

es,

home, and had an opportunity,

," Ellis

find it necessary to kill the burglar in a

s,

l a burglar yourself you would not object

suspect the trap into

kill the burglar myse

do whatever killing might be necessary. In that case, are you a moral objector to

s appeared m

e," Dick

ame to me, sir, as serving a

break into the house of the world. You haven't time necessary courage to fight a German yourself, but you will be glad

e soldier. "Your questions, sir, and yo

are sent to some non-combatant work, some other man will have to be sent to

" Pitson answere

sly and try to decide whether you'r

am no

itated, growing

t," Dick sm

r what punishment may await me for refusing, I must decline to a

eman, in the case of findin

an would have to kill the bur

t that," Prescott reflected, as he

back. The back of his head sloped up and forwar

owly. "I've seen your head and from its shape I believe you to be a real conscientious objector. I am going t

e their campaign hats. He studied the shapes of their heads so at

d goes up to a point. If a mule had a head shaped like that our veterinary surgeons woul

German Kaiser and his nation threaten the freedom of the world? Do you realize that the Germans want to rule this worl

hting that you would see a free world ground under the heel of the despotic Kaiser sooner than help kill his soldiers and thus prevent such a world-wide tragedy? Are you men, or are you dish-rags? Are your consciences so important that you would put the world in cruel bondage rather than vio

ssed by Dick's passionate appeal to t

begin to see that the fact is that, instead, you're really moral slackers who'd let the world go into the devil's keeping provided you didn't have to be made

wallowed hard b

moral slacker, for I

I'm told to. I'm goi

You've put the matte

aptain P

ou, Ri

m a bit of a fool, sir. But I don't believe that I'm a fool all the way through. I believe that I can see at least part of a truth when

f you have any further doubts, later, come to me. I don't know everything, b

s who had found themselves, an

ellow Pitson would prefer to serve in, see what unit will

period between drills, and a soldier seated at the instrument strummed his way through the air of a mournfu

sat four young men, paying no heed to the musi

have mothers?" Presco

ted that

have written th

e h

ote her yest

as any of you written his moth

at he had written his m

rite his mother at least a four-page letter and mail it before supper.

ers standing at attent

ts on the bench. "Remember that a promise is a promise. And I've seen enough

me to do," remarked one of the soldiers

me to do I'd do it before he

ay about him it's a cinch that h