The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-11-10
A CADETS ROMANCE.
A Young West Pointer With Baby
on His Hands--What the
Fates Desrced.
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IN my day IL was customary for the class
TO take New York boat, make up comr,on
purse, elect tieaslrrr each contributing,
$40. or such q matter, and go down to ths
city for a couple OF days frolic before s"par-
atjng for their several homes. They would
90 To the American hotel kept by
Cozzens. who knew them all as no
was caterer of our mess hall %
the Point AMI also host OF the inn at tne
same place Rooms we're assigned, bat not
many of the boys wouli make their appear
ance until the flinl was exhausted. 1t would
be arranged that all should meet at the same
place fer another bout at or near the exp.ra-
tiuu If the fnioach. One young man, how
ever, did not join the New York party but
started straight for home. AT Albany no
took his place in thu railway coach and as it
happened. the only vacsn, seat was beside
a nratly-licssei lri h woman with baby.
II was child ot unuslal beauty, and AS he
had been for three years baashed from all
contact with babies, he became in
tce,ted In the little one The
train stopped at station aud the
woman askci him b. mind the baby
for an instant white sile wen; upon an eirand.
lie cousentei and maia marry with the i'm
fant udtil he noticed til, triin wls in motion
aud the rnlain had no. returned Great was
his con,.crlq' on at finding himself with
baby on his hands The passengers thought
il good ,okc and enjoyed his discontinue.
He ieit the cold chilis run over hiii when he
realized that he had been made the victim OF
"A cruel act on the part of the supposed mother.
His first impulse was 10 leave the little one on
the seat and fly 10 another car; then came
the question Of honor The helpless, pretty
child had been left in his .ha.ye. and he
would be a sneak To desert IL. SO he re-
solved TO he n man and stick to his baby.
After time the little ones stomach be-
came empty, and it began 10 call loudly for
something which he was unable TO supply.
Louder became the bleatings, until he was
nearly distracted He danced it up and
down, carried it about, but baby would not
he consoled At the farend Of the ear sat
gentleman aud his wife and infant. The
mothers heart was touched, and She made
sgus To him to approach, and suggested that
she might bc able tn quiet the baby. He
gladly consented TO loan of his treasure for
half an hour, nj the end of which time 1t was
restored to him cooling and smiling with sat-
isfacti0n. From the kind lady he received
some interesting information. She said:
'That child is not the daughter of the woman
who left her with you, and i am satisfied
that she was stolen and that, too, from the
family of an army officer. Her clothing
is of the frost, and about her
neck hangs miniature of man i'm military
uniform This, Of course, clinched his pur-
pose TO cling to the baby. Arriving at Bos-
ton he went 10 hotel and bifbed a chamber
maid To care for his charge until morning.;
but before daylight she was standing at his
door begging to bo relieved lest she should be
the victim OF n scandal. He took the stage
Tor his country hougc, and the driver, who
knew him well, grinned from ear TO ear when
he saw the gray-ceatod, bell -buttoned cadet
Juggling a baby but he let him grin without
condescending 60 make an explanation. Hc
knew he was right and that was
enough for him. AS the stage drove
up to the pateinal mansion the
family rushed To the door to meet
him. and when he emerged bearing in his
arms a baby his sisters screamed and ran,
his mother nearly tainted, while his father,
almost choking with rage, cried: Take it
back, you rascal! How dare you bring your
brats 10 my houses" The explanation of how
he came by il made all things clear, and in
stead OF roproaches he was hugged and wept
over, and baby was adopted without further
ceremony Advertisements were inserted in
al the principal papers, describing the child,
but no answer came. An impen9trable mys-
tery surrounded the child, and nothing re-
manned but to rear il as one Of the family.
Al the end of his furiough the cadet
was compelled 10 turn his back OF,
his hnby and return to studies and drill.
The following summer he graduated, hnd,
fying homeward b. found all OF the glowing
accounts Of bis beautiful baby more than
justified. and it was wonderful how the little
/ one learned TO love him. She seemed to have
l an instinct that he was her preserver. Years
! passed: he saw service in the field, on the
| frontier, and in the everglades OF Florida,
and his baby in the meantime grew to the
ripeness and beauty Of perfect womanhood.
BY some means the mystery of her early life
became known 10 her, and then came a change
I'm the tone OF her letters. There wasa vast diff
ference between an elder brother and one who
had rescued her from fate the issue OF
which il was impossible to know.
In due time the officer went abroad, and
on the return voyage he made the ac-
uuaintance OF an American, whose face pos
sessed for him Curious attraction. He was
certain that he had met him before, but to
} his surprise he found that the gentleman had
/ not been in America since he--our hero--was
| a cadet at the military academy. He learned
! from him his history. 1t appears that, about
sixteen years before, his wife had died OF an
epidemic and his child had been placed in
charge of woman TO nurse, aud she disap-
peared with it. Almost crazed with grief
at his double loss, he had resigned
from the army ami fled to Europe, and
was now returning with faint hope
Of finding his lost child The officer
then told his story. and the miniature upon
the child's neck aud the resemblance to the
disconsolate father was sufficient To establish
the identity of the child; his baby was the
strangers daughter. There was happy re-
union; the father almost beside himself with
joy, as was the daughter at the discovery OF
her father and all were radiant at Tho hsrrss
clearing up of the mystery which enshrondsd
her origin. Not long after It was found that
nes element had developed itself between
the cadet and his baby, and, as tho story goes,
tie newly-foufri father gave his consent and
/ they were duiy married Thus, by having the
nerve TO withstand the temptation 10 forsako
( the wee lone one left in his charge, he made
many lives happy, and one OF these was
merged into his own.