Telegram-herald., 1891-12-06

C9n11tsd HeAa Al 1G19-t-
-"Yoa shock ne. Arns rsEnan-
>woalanr helisvs from any dps than
vours thai yoa could have exposed my
irr.rt ~ tha wounds " hieh such . xaS
decefyer ni.h. have indicted upon it. II
l had nOt b~~a warned ia time"
Now. May. yoa nay can me all the
names yoa want 70. bat soat staad
your abusing kAlph- I believe you arc
sending him away 60 the war to-mor~
row with inors taan one wound infics-
ed ia BIZ heart; and what do you mean
by being warned in tLne7"
Mrs Farweli sroks with : good DEAL
Of laughing vsaenenee and May an
swered Ia the sasae tons:
"Arnt Hanneh. do you mean 20 say
that you sre ignorant Of tho numerous
hearts that Capt Armstrong has hung
90 his gircfc. relics OF his campeigzs in
Washington and elsewhere? | believe
that you have aIaed and abetted him In
his eollsctloa. aad IL seems that il is no
fault OF yours that Eaine Is not hanging
there. too"
.alay, 1 believe that you have been
listening 10 soIne malicious gossip about
Capt. Arnserong." her aunt answered.
half dropping ker bsntsriag toae and
aooking keenly ~ her.
~ certainly overheard somo gossip
about him long time ago, but wheth-
er IL was malicious or not an net pre-
pared to say"
Her aunt sat In an exrec.ant attitude,
and. bending her face little more into
the shadow OF The screen, May went on:
..i have heard among other things that
he has been an irreelainaoie ART and
by some people his ways arc sonAidsred
dark and mysterious, and 10 is vaguely
limited thai there is chapter In his life
not open to tho symPathetio inspection
OF the garrison 81 large. IN which, of
course. lady 10 tho PRINCIPAL figure"
Mrs. F.rwell rose from her chair. AID
this time the indignation in her voice
was not fcignsd.
II wish could express openly the con-
tempt that fsel for . few persons in
this regiment I would know 70 whom
to exprcos IL, too. Ralph Armstrong
Is one OF natures noblsDen. II there
ever was one. I have known him ever
since ne was . boy Of eighteen, and
that "a moro than any other woman in
the regiment can say" She sat down
and resumed il . calmer tone: His
father wzs a brute, and whsn Ralph
was eighteen forced bis twin sister 10
marry . man whom everyone anew %
be y sccundrel. Ralph did all In kis
power 10 prevent 10. and left houae On
tho day OF his sisters marriage. aad
has never returned sincc. He went to
New York to . brother 81 his mother.
who died when 40 was httlo boy. and
tina. has been his home ever since. It
was through his uncls's influence that
he en.sred West Point Thstss where
4 first know Kim. I had known his
uncle, senator Weston. for several
years lie Is ex-senator Weston now.
1 took an interest La him first
on his uncis's account. but ~ soon ~
knew him on his own. He has been .
son that any father might DC proud Of.
You know sorn-thing of what his army
record has been s>d how nobly ha
earned his pronotion In '7a What
you do not know u how despicably
Jealous some people can be, especially
some of the women OF this regiment.
During the trouble of '76, and while
he was away In Montana. his sisters
marriage Terminated in = tragedy. Her
husband, truo to evcryoas's expecta-
tions. broke her heart IL seems shc
had spells of temporary insanity, and In
one Of .hem 10 is supposed that she set
frs \ their room. They wars both
suroc2ted She was Ralph's only sis
Ger. AID they had been inseparablc un-
I'll her marriage. He did not know the
extent Of her husbands outrages until
after her death. and that tragedy has
darksned his own hfo. lie spcnt the
nrxs two winters Ia Washington. and
was persuaded by his cousln Edith TO
e. good deal into society. suppose
he could have made brilliant match IL
he had chosen I know several society
bellies that made themselves conspicu-
Gus by their sttsntiona 10 him. He was
melsncholy enough ~ that TINS n
awaken the intsrest OF the romantic
sily-inolincd young ladies. but he had
no heart ~ otter any of than. and
much less - fiirs with them. 50, my
dear. tho history Of bis dark and mys-
terious ways Ia all before you. and What
10 you think Of it7'
Given time " eoliect their shoushta,
most yonng ladies' are adcpss in the ars
Of eonceal.ns shsm, and May almost
nnconssiously bad been giving her fea-
fures = leng training in the ART of ex-
preston. she had listened to her aunt
With the kesnes. interest and variety
~ emotions. bus - the Grslishs shons
lss)lI Il