The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1895-04-25
PRIVATE BROWN.
BY CAPTAIN JACK CRAWFORD.
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Copyrighted 1904. by CAPTAIN JACK CRAWFORD.
All Rights Reserved
snip incident to border military life
will wear the academy glitter from
you, and you will develop in time into
man of more sturdy mold whose as
pirations will crave something more
substantial than the melody of soft
ly sung love ditty or the giggling smile
of simpering schoolgirl. Those
withered bouquets bearing the distin-
gushing names of Rose and Blanche
and Agnes and Katie and other fair
uniform worshipers now so precious to
you will soon find Judgment in the
coal scuttle; those daintily perfumed
notes will go upward in the smoke of
the CRATE; the oft-kissed photos will lie
neglected in your trunk in the store
room, and the memory of the dear but
terfiies who cared little for you, but
who loved to fiutter around your gray.
uniform and hurl chances of defiance at
pouting rivals, will be but as hazy
dream, which You will not in your ma
turer sense care for memory reproduce
in too strong coloring. You will pot
be SO fastidious in dressing for the sad
die and the field as you were in dress
ing for the ballroom, or to keep an APP
pointment with the latest plump
quail who had fallen victim to your
military air and brass buttons Enjoy
your trophies while you may, my boy,
for stern duty will soon bid you shake
off the aspect of the beau and don the
more earnest air of the soldier"
Lieut.. Vandever came, and was at
once located in bachelor quarters and
listed for duty. Capt. and Mrs. Colby,
as the Oldest in point of residence
at the post, announced reception in
honor of the new officer, and on the
evening designated the parlor of the
Colby quarters was we'll filed with
officers and ladies. Lieut.. Vandcver
was introduced to all. and was cordial
~ welcomed into the society of the
garrison. He proved to be a quite
handsome young gentleman, and had
brought with him q smile which had
no doubt played sad havoc with maid
emily hearts at the alma mater on the
historic Hudson, yet beneath the sur
face there seemed to lurk an imperious,
tyrannical, if not cruel nature, which
the smiling face could not entirely con-
ceal. He was studiously polite in his
demeanor toward the ladies and en-
deavored to be hail fellow well
met" among the gentlemen, but a sort
of repellant glance which ut times shot
from his eyes went far toward smooth
cring the warmth with which both
gentlemen and ladies would have glad
ly welcomed him.
Alice was at the party and was ex-
quisitely lovely in her dress of purest
white. She was tho especial idol of
the ladies of the garrison, and there
was more than one dissatisfied look ON
the more matronly faces when it was
observed that Vandcver seemed to be
greatly smitten with her charming
presence and grace of manner. He was
devoted in his attentions to the fair
girl, so much SO, in fact, that his as
siduity really annoyed her, and to es-
cape him she excused herself at the
earliest moment consistent with polite
ness and went to her home.
The young officer evidently classed
Alice in the same category with the
frivolous young ladies' without whose
presence life at West Point would have
to him been uncomfortable. His vanity
told him that while the girl with mod
est instinct treated him shyly at tho
first meeting she could not long resist
his charms, and would soon listen to
his protestations of alleged love as
rapturously as score of girls had
done during his cadctship. Hence, at
their every future meeting he aimed
his every shaft of wit, eloquence, COM
pliment and fiattery at the citadel of
her young heart, and was really sur
prised at her failure to open wide it's
gate and bid him enter as its conqueror.
She treated him with marked polite
ness at all times, yet in her heart
wished that their meetings might be
as the visits of angels in the olden
adage.
1t was not long before it began to be
whispered about that Lieut. Vandever
was tyrannicai and imperiously lordly
in his treatment of the men who came
under his supervision when he served
as officer of the guard, and had been at
times insulting in his relations with
the men of his own troop in the quar-
ters. No complaints were made, how
ever, and the rumors were lightly
treated until one day Sergt. Barrett,
an old trooper who had grown gray in
the service, went to headquarters and
asked for an interview with the COM
handing officer. His request was
promptly granted, for Col. Sanford was
always accessible to the men under
him. The old sergeant entered the
office, and removing his cap and salut-
ing the commander stood like a statue
awaiting permission to speak.
what is it, sergeant?" the colonel
asked.
''Sir, have been a soldier for more
than twenty years, and this is the first
time l have ever made complaint.
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