The Bossier banner., 1894-11-08
TWO AMBITIONS.
A Brief Tale Of Life at a Frontier
Army Post.


The chief and first tendency of the
army, individually and collectively, is
to love all new arrivals; the second
and lasting one is to pick them to
pieces and to backbite them.
We loved Miss Rohan with true
Christian spirit when she first came to
the fort. 1t being the headquarters of
the regiment, and we having band at
our disposal, we gave her a serenade
upon the night of her entrance upon
military. soil The style of the ser
enade was largely in what our colonel
called 20 minor" being his way of
expressing ultra classic The plo
gramme had been arranged before we
had had the pleasure of seeing Miss
Rohan, and when we realized how en-
tirely it was unsuited to her style,
there was no time to change.
We called on her in a body the night
of the day that she came, which is the
delightfully."- barbarous custom at mil
itary posts, like a lot of savages
crowding about newly-arrived rum
ner who brings news of the outside
world. 1t is meant we'll. Most of the
inane and annoying things that we do
in the social body are meant well,
which is their only excuse. Nobody
stops to think that the travel-stained
wanderer would like time to rid her.
self of the rubbed-in coal SCOT and the
alkali powder of the plains that she
would like the first impression to be
favorable one
We sat within the tawdry little par
lor while the band played symphonies
and andantes under the window, and
we watched the drop of new blood in
our .stagnant veins. 1t was not blue
blood in the least; it was hearty and
red and strong; but it was the better
appreciated on that account.
We were four, the bachelor officers
Il mean in the room-and one of us
was undoubtedly doomed to become
the prey of this young person. Which
of us heaven had set its mark upon
was not then to be guessed. Miss
Rchan smiled on all alike 1t was
generous smile which showed too
rows of teeth rather heavily up
aolstered IN gold. They suggested
that she had eaten a good deal of
taffy and picked lines in her very
youthful days. As see it now, in the
light of cool reason, she would have
made an ideal milkmaid, for she was
plump and fair, her nose as crimson
from exposure to the Arizona sun, her
hair was an undecided blonde, and her
eyes were blue-real Irish blue. Also,
seen in the cool light of reason, her
gown was more intricate than grace
ful; she had on skirt ruffied quite to
the waist-a fashion, it seems, among
Stout women-a very large founce, if
that is the name for it, falling from
the shoulder and sleeves, which were
simply huge. She was very much
laced, too, which may have had some
thing to do with her florid skin. One
is pretty apt to notice woman's feet;
hers were short and broad and cased
IN rod slippers, As fer her hands, they
were dumpy, and the tips of her fingers
We're square. l learned afterward that
her hands We're her pride. She would
SIT on the front porch every morning
at guard-mounting and manicure
them. There was no hesitation in her
manner nor in her voice; in fact, she
spoke loudly and not always quite
dramatically.
Then /. looked at my three COM
panlons. There was Blake, who was
tail, fair and handsome-the kind of
man that women fall head over ears in
ioVe with, who stood and locked deep
INTO their eyes as if he read therein the
story OF his life. He was the son of a
new England farmer. of the kind
eaiied good, plain people," and he
was about as manly and whole-souled
sleiiow as the cavalry held.
lhen there was Thomas, who was
small and trim. He had enough con-
oelt ior much bigger man, but, then,
soncelt is usually in inverse ratio to a
Aian proportions. He was of the
,asairy, too. and he rode the largest
aotse IN the garrison. AS to his an
sessors, they were Philadelnhians. and.