Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-12-17

OF affection-the garrInous records q
home events, so insignificant, yet 50
dear to him-the gossip about neigh
bors, for whom he cared not one III
while he lived near them, but who now
seemed woven into his life with re-
newed interest-the silly. but woman
: admonitions TO take care of himself. as
though her darling's primary duty was
to run behind a tree as soon as he heard
the hiss of a rifie-bullet-the warnings
! against damp socks and bad compan-
ions-the prayers-the little stains on
the paper he knew too well were tears
! and the mute misery which would
show itself despite its strained air of
cheerfulness.
All this Frank appreciated to the
| full, and it did him good to sit down
and write to those loving women at
home long rambling record of his adj
ventures by flood and field, though,
strange to say, he forgot to tell them
any thing whatever about Mary Las
! celles and her projections, which was
| inexcusable when we consider that up
to that time he had hardly thought of
any thing else.
This budget of home news warmed
| his heart so that he thought he would
share his qualification with James Law
| son, who, he guessed, had no kind
friend to keep him posted on the doings
of Meltonburg, but to his surprise he
found that worthy young man sitting
on the tongue of an empty baggage
wagon with a corn-cob pipe in his
mouth, leisurely perusing a letter
which, judging from its bulk, contained
twice the matter of his own, while a
heavy roll of Meltonburg Weekly Ad-
vertisers lay at his feet.
80 you have heard from home too,
Jim, 1 See" he said, pleasantly. who's
your correspondents"
Lawson looked up, apparently ILL
pleased at the interruption and the
question.
Nobody you know" he said, grufly,
thrusting the letter into his pocket.
Then, as if an afterthought brought a
change of mood, he added, more pleas
antly:
There's lot of Meltonburg news
papers-you can have them if you like;
they're no use to me-"
Frank thanked him, and, picking the
parcel up, was about to leave the surly
fellow to himself when Lawson called
him back
Say" he said, you were in Dodson
& Green's law Office for six months
before we got into this internal scrape,
so it's just possible you might be able
to give me bit of advice"
Il am sure l will if l can," was the
pleasant reply; but am afraid l don't
know much more about law than you
do"
"Well, the case is this-a chap-a
friend of mine, You lnow-at least a
fellow whose acquaintance I've made
has got into kind of a fix, and he don't
quite see lis way out. Now, just to set
his mind at rest, can you tell me what's
the law about married men enlisting?
Can the wife, without her husbands
consent, stop his pay for her main
tenance or the keep of n child that's
been born since he left hOme?"
Il should most decidedly say that she
could" Frank replied, holly.
But you're not sure?"
"Nell. yes, | am pretty sure"
"And there's no loop-hole for him tt
crawl through"
Certainly not. And I say, Jim, I'd
give up the acquaintance, if were you,
of a fellow who was mean enough to
try to escape such responsibilities.
''Would you? Well, I'll think about
it-he is a baddish kind of a man any
how for highly moral young gentle
man like me to make companion Of
but say, there's Captain Fulton holler-
ing out for yOu-guess you'd better
trot, as perhaps his pas sent him to in
vite you to a small tea party. | saw
Marin Hopkins and one or two other
old women of the regiment making
Decline for his tent an hour ago"
Thus disrespectfully did he allude to
some of the senior officers.
Frank hurried to meet his Captain,
with whom, notwithstanding the differ
ence of rank, a warm friendship was
already springing up.
81 only wanted to tell you, Besant,
that we start tomorrow morning to
join General Lyon, who is hardly
pressed by McCulloch and Price. l
thought that perhaps you might do your
writing home this afternoon, as you
mayn't have another chance for long
time"
Frank thanked him for the hint, and
was about to turn away when Fulton
added:
There's another little matter
wished to speak to you about. Do you
set any especial value on that silk scarf
Miss Lasceles gave you for sling?"
''Why no"-Frank hesitated. Two
hours before it was priceless to him, but
things seemed different now, since he
had received that letter from home.
''Do you very much want it?" he
asked, smiling as he read the eager
anxiety depicted in the young officers
face.
81 would give thousand times its
intrinsic value to call it mine" was the
emphatic declaration, but perhaps you,
like myself, hold its associations too
dear to"
NAY, here it is, sir. 1 have no
tenderer regard for it than as a memen-
to of very interesting chapter of my
life. Take it, and wear it as the knights
of old did their ladies' favors on the
battle field: only remember that,
though love hallows all things, a sold
ier's loyalty brooks no rivalry"
Prophetic words. Charles Fulton
little thought then how hard for him