The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1894-10-27

" IL hyhiS lCVts SAA
blushed and consented to let Barton
take her and have the major part of
the waItzeS on the cards which lie
himself had gotten up.
1t was during this midday glare of
success that a cloud, small, but very
black, drifted across the sun. One of
the "men'-by which is meant the pri-
vates-developed a case of some sort
of fever. Barton was not very clear as
to what kind, but the doctor told him
it was of a sort which noise would
make worse. and the man was in the
hospital, in the ward just below the II
all decked for the hop, and that, there
fore. the hop would have to be post
poned.
Now Barton was not naturally unkind,
but he was not the first ambitious man
in the worlds history who had sacri-
feed others to his ambition. This dance
had to be a success after so many TAIL
ures. if ten men had the fever. Barton
pleaded. reasoned, coaxed. Tie doctor
was obdurate. But the doctor had a
weakness; it was toddies and that sort
of thing. A deep scheme entered the
l]ieutenant's head; he would decoy the
doctor to the suffers, he would get him
"full'-as he gracefully expressed it
and when the old fellow should be
sweet-tempered, Barton would make
him consent to having the hop that
night.
1t all worked just as the West Point
er had foreseen. The doctor. after
having given an oft-reiterated consent,
went back to his quarters for a nap.
The nap, as Barton had expected, last
ed all night. They danced into the wee,
sma' hours, for, though there were only
six men, the four girls and n chaperon,
the thing was lots of fun. The fact
that there were more musicians than
dancers was no drawback. The incest
girl was radiant and gave Barton great
hopes. Yes. at last, here was 4 sue
cess. And the fever patient was only
a little worse for the noise. Barton
was rather remorseful when he heard
that the man had become deliliouS.
He sent champagne up for him. that
being his idea of an amende honorable.
Having carried this HOB through. Bar
ton was too wise to risk another; he
rested on his laurels.
But some things can never be fore
seen. least of all what IN enlisted man
may do. The fever patient a a chum
who thought it his duty to go about
the world fighting what he considered
wrongs; he was a German. and the
garrison correspondent of a German
newspaper in the city near by. He
wrote up a most pathetic account of
the heartless butterflies Of fashion who
danced and rollicked despite a dying
man in the next room. 1t made a very
nice little tale, calculated to bring
tears to any eyes. So does a small
+6;pr f,,1,o1 Inotpr nf tho fcyx-o
young and aspiring to public notice and
advancement, read in an idle moment
this narrowing story; burning with a
ser Sc of the poor soldiers wrongs, he
cut out the slip and sent it with his
own name in a CONSPICUOUS place. to
the powers that be at Washington.
One day Barton was called by the
commandments orderly from the peace
full perusal of a note from the incest
Girl, with the request to go to the adj
jutant's office, as the G. D. wished to
see him. Barton stuck the little note
in his pocket-the one nearest his
heart-and sailed forth without
thought of harm. He even felt so Sc
cure that he planned how he should
say a certain thing to the INCEST Girl.
He had just hit Upon a splendid speech
"lCI hC lCdShCiL thO ol1SSy ho q
beamingly happy.
Fifteen minutes later he came out
from the G. O.'s presence a sadder but
a wiser man. He had been reprimand-
ed-severely reprimanded; had had it
pointed out to him that he was a
heartless brute; that he had sacrificed
q sick man to his w whims. The
colonel grew quite touching as he paint
n5 thn moon Dr.ivato'S roisorios BARTON
reflected that he wished the command
ants child hadn't broken it's arm. He
felt that it was the broken ARM, not
the soldiers fever. which ranked in
the colonel's breast.
Subdued and angered, Barton walked
back to his quarters. He would re-
read the note to calm his rufied spir-
its, and would then go over to ask the
incest Girl the question he had plan
ned. 1t took him half an hour to work
up the necessary courage, and then he
sailed forth.
The INCEST Girl sat Upon the vine
covered porch, a novel in her hands,
but her blue eyes filled with tears and
looking at space. Somehow, Barton's
spirits fell. They went still lower
when her only greeting was a look
Of reproach. He had made up his
mind, however; and, with consummate
want of tact. asked the carefully plan
ned question.
Then the blue eyes of the incest
Girl let fall their tears. She reproach-
ed him sobbingly. How could he, a
man who had almost committed a muir
der. dare to ask her such-such a
thing? Why had hn never told her of
that poor man with the fearful fever?
She never would have danced. know
ing of it. Oh, he was heartleSs, cruel!
She could never marry a man so bad,
so unkind as that. Never! never! new
er.
In vain did Barton explain n plead
she would not listen and she knew he
was Il wicked man; she wondered why
she had not found it out before; she
had liked him a little bit, and now
to find IL Oh! dear. She put her
handkerchief before her eyes and ran
into the house dropping her book.
The lieutenant picked it up and look.
ed absently at the title: 'The End of
a Romance" He wondered if this
were the end, he wondered if it had
/, been IA romance at all or only a come
dy. Then he laid the novel on the chair
and walked down the steps, still Won
dering-wondering if that hop had
been a bowling success.-Argonaut.