Autograph Order Delivered to “Young Bridegroom”

In the liberated fatherland, there was a young man who had the honor of serving the army near President Kim Il Sung. One day in November, Juche 38(1949), when he rushed to the President, called by him, he found some fellow soldiers around the President. To everyone’s surprise, the President told them with a friendly glance that he was going to grant leave of absence to them, newly-wed ones. With a great surprise, the young man glanced at the fellows next to him. As it happened, it turned out that they were all newly-weds. The man wondered how the President knew that he had got married. He blushed to the roots of his hair. Actually he had kept it as a top secret for over a year after joining the army lest his fellows should make fun of him as “a young bridegroom”. He could never figure out how it was known. He could not know that the President had happened to notice a letter to his wife between the leaves of one of his books at the time of checking them. That day the President, distributing thick envelopes to every one of them, emphasized that they should be opened only after the train left. Then, the President warmly asked the young soldier to tell his wife to bring up their child to become the pillar of the country. He felt choked so much that he could not say a word of thanks to the President. When he opened the envelope kept in his bosom with great care as soon as the train left, he found an autograph order of the President enclosed with some money. The autograph order was to buy liquor, tobacco and a pouch and a pipe with some of the money before entering the house, to spend the rest on some clothes for grandfather, grandmother and mother, and to report on its execution to him when coming back. At last he could not help shedding tears onto his hands with the envelope.