Between the crosses, row on row

Now this, people, is a book dedication.

It's from Frances Parkinson Keyes' wonderful "Came a Cavalier," which I'm now reading, and though it's out-of-print, you can buy it for all of one penny (plus shipping) at Amazon.

Here's just one Amazon review:

"Some books are destined to become timeless from the moment they are written. Came a Cavalier is one of them. Having read this as a pre-teen, it has stuck in my mind all these years. I often tried to remember the name of it but was so young when I'd read it that I had no idea the author was so famous for her books. I often tried to find it, but had little details other than "a young American nurse in WWI", which immediately made people say "Never heard of it" thinking perhaps, that WW I had been so long ago, they couldn't possibly have read anything about it. However, I lucked out when someone recognized my few details and led me to the title and author. I immediately went to Amazon hoping that they could get it for me and lucked out again. I sat down and re-read the entire thing in 2 evenings, lost back in the lives of Constance and Tristan, the terrible losses they incurred, the deep devotion for each other and their home and the far away days when I myself was only a young girl enjoying a "grown up" book. The story line itself is filled with every human emotion, the characters so true to life that each one you will already recognize as someone in your own lives; their habits, their foibles, their attitudes are familiar to all of us. Ms. Keyes makes stories come to life and the events of World War I may now only seem to be a few lines in history books, but the cruelties, the horrible loss of men, the leading up to World War II and the atrocities committed against the people of France, the traitors, the heroes...they are all here in this wonderful book. If I had a daughter I would see that she read this for simple enjoyment and received a lesson in history at the same time. Thank you Amazon for carrying not only the "new" authors, but the well loved and long enjoyed ones too!"

You may also find reading about the author to be pretty fascinating -- I did. (I keep pronouncing "Keyes" as if it's "keys," but apparently it rhymes with "skies.") I find a certain peace in the older books, reminding us that our ancestors came through world wars, and surely we can get through our own issues, big and small. Now I want to read all of her other books as well.