Chris! I told you not to do that. That is going to complicate things." "'Tis just some dirt. Go on, lad. You're all right." On Saturday, Jacks and two other men dug the grave by moonlight and laid out Chris on the mound. He was dressed in a suit of his best clothes. A tiny cross marked the place where he lay. We left the cross and a wreath of flowers on his grave, that we might tell others where he was. Our little procession made its way slowly homeward through the starlight night. It seemed as if we were leaving the earthly portion of our lives behind us and were entering upon the journey that led to the realms of eternity. CHAPTER XVIII THE LONG CRY One by one, the boys returned to camp, and Chris's loss became known. It was at first supposed to be a case of measles, which made us think of death. But it was known that he had left camp without permission and his escape was explained only by the fact that he was suffering from some disease which caused him to lose consciousness. But how could he have passed the line of sentinels at the time the roll was called? It was evidently beyond our control. The only explanation was that the disease proved fatal, which we did not believe to be the case. The death of a young friend like Chris was like the death of an angel. All thought of the war seemed to fade away like a dream. If he had died in camp the scene of our grief would have been our encampment. It would have been the most natural thing in the world for the boys to have attended the funeral. Our grief would have been shared by the comrades that followed each other in our ranks until we lay beside our little comrade, Chris. But the thought that he was far away in the field of battle separated our lives and the sorrow of our loss from the realities of the situation. It seemed hard that Chris had been taken away before he could have taken part in the first great engagement on the Peninsula, which would have shown him the valor of a soldier. So many of the boys who had served and won the honor of a battlefield, a laurel wreath and a national flag, are lying at rest in Southern soil that perhaps it is well that we cannot fully appreciate the magnitude of the war. Yet even we, who are so powerless to help the cause, feel a deep interest in our soldiers. If a few lines could go straight to their heart with a heart message, I am sure they would not be unappreciative. But with us situation and surroundings seem more important than the cause. The boys, in their desire to hide their sorrow, made jokes about Chris's illness and death. But these jokes expressed a sentiment that the death of their friend brought to most of them. Jack and I were out every night. We were the happiest we had ever been. When Jacks was at my home he told me that he had made an awful mistake. He was going to tell me about it, when he came to see me the next time. Jacks brought out a pack of cards and proposed that we play solitaire. "No," said Jacks, "it will be too slow." "What would you like to play?" I inquired. "Why, I know. Let's play chess." The game began, but it was interrupted at frequent intervals by an expression of impatience and impatience became a settled expression on Jack's face. "What would you like to do?" I inquired. "Lay down and roll," said Jacks. After some investigation I was surprised to find he had put on his tired, blue, military blouse, which was not a little out of shape. Jacks saw my expression of astonishment. "I guess I can lay down and roll all right. But this game of chess is too stupid. It takes too much time. The soldiers ought to organize and teach the women how to play chess so they could be prepared for an attack on Washington or to lay down and roll themselves to bed in time to overcome. What do you think of the idea?" "I think it is a splendid one." "Will you help me?" "Certainly. Let's organize a club." "No, not a club, but a chess society," Jacks explained. "The women are more pliable than the soldiers, and we want to prepare them in time to meet the demands of war. The women are not as strong as the soldiers, and are more easily exhausted in meeting the demands of war. That's why they do not play chess to any great extent." "I think it would be splendid if we could organize a society," I replied. "That is what I think. We'll organize a society composed of all the married men in camp, and we'll call it the Camp Social Society of Benedictville. We'll have a member of every society in camp for a president and vice-president. That will give us eight members. We'll call it an eight-piece band. We'll call it the Camp Social Society of Benedictville. Do you think we can get any more members?" "No, I don't think we can. What do you think of our club?" "We ought to call it a camp-chess club. The object of it will be to make the women of the South prepare themselves for the next war by playing chess." "We must be careful not to offend the women who will not play chess. If we call it a camp-chess club, we must have a man and woman from every company to vote on every question. I have another plan. It is a little less hard. We will call it a chess club. Then we won't offend the women, and the officers can appoint men to look after the matter without hurting the feelings of the ladies." "That is a good idea. I think we will call it a chess club." "I have the honor to announce the opening of the meeting of the Camp Social Society of Benedictville. I would like to nominate for the position of president the man who brought the chess club into camp. I suggest that you nominate me." "That is not necessary. There is no position to be filled." "Well," said Jacks, "the club is formed." The chess club was an organization as perfect as a military company. The work consisted of drilling the men in the use of chess in their camps, in teaching the women how to play. It was a matter of surprise to me that the men had not thought of this before. But I was delighted to see that the men appreciated the importance of having an organization of this kind. The boys began to feel the influence of their organization soon after the first meeting. The wives of the men formed themselves in working classes and devoted their time and strength to the work. The results were soon apparent. The husbands began to respect and love the women who had been made to love them. CHAPTER XIX A SCHEME FOR PROTECTION I had always been considered the leader of the boys in whatever had to be done, and I became the acknowledged leader of the chess club. When the club met there was an imposing array of chairs and cots, which were well filled. The women worked hard to have a place to sit in every night. This caused a great deal of complaint among the men, who would often come to my tent about a half-hour before the time announced for the meeting. They wanted to know why the women had not been there to seat themselves, when the chairs had not been placed in the tent. I was frequently obliged to rebuke them. They finally came to understand that if the seats had been placed they could sit there. It seemed to be characteristic of the women of America that they must have an excuse for doing the thing they did not want to do. The men often asked why the women had not been there to put the things in order. They understood that the club was a new departure in woman's work. In order to teach the women how to do things, it was necessary for them to make themselves acquainted with the principles of order and method. A man was necessary to teach them how to become efficient workers. The best way to teach them seemed to be to make them as much interested in their work as the men were. The result was a complete revolution in women's work. They did not become satisfied with being merely a subordinate. They did the work and came to the conclusion that their ability and interest was the best method of doing it. I was sure that I would not attempt to teach the men to act like women, and I could see no objection to the women following their individual taste in choosing their own work. I thought that if I were not mistaken, the men would soon arrive at the conclusion that the work was being done as well and as quickly