The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-10-29


and brimming over with fun, coquotry
and sweetness combined, played havoc
III the corps OF cadets, anG-could any
thing havo been moro foltunatc?-thp
victim most hclplcssly, hopolc,,sly, ut
terly gono was Cadet Captain Will Far.
rar. TO the COnstcrnatiOn cf the widow
ed mother she saw her handsome soldicr
boy led day after day moro deeply into
tho JneShcS-lcd like Il slave or like the
piggy III til. nursery rhyme, with tho
ring in tho end Of his nosc-by this bo-
witching, impcrious, fascinating little
creature, and thcro was absolutely no
help for it. Anywhere else almost she
could havo whisllcd her boy under her
wing and Dorno him away beyond
range, but II ut West Point. Sho had
to lcarn tho lesson 50 many mothers
learn with uch bCwildCvmcnG, often
with suCh i'll grace, that tic boy Was no
longer hers 10 DO with rs she would
but Unclo Sans, and Uncle sam un.
fcclingly sait,. ''Sticll toyour camp duty
with it's drills and raradcH, roll calls
practical on. ,nccrinE, forthcoming and
spooning i'll stolen haI hours, nolnattor
what tho consequence.
Mrs. Farr.r couldn't carry Will away
and couldn't order KITTY. About all she
saw of her boy was drilling with the
battalion at Il distance or dancing with
Miss Ormsby close ut hand, and, on the
principle that misery loves company,
she soon was comfortcd by fellow suf-
fcrcr. for just in proportion as the moth
er'S heart was troubled by the sight of
her boys lnfatuatiOn for this pretty
child, SO was Jack OrmSby mudo miscr-
able by seeing the attentions lavishcd
by officers and cadets alike on Ellis Far
rar
And yet tho littlo blind god WAS do
ing Jack far better work than no ever
dared to dream. Tho mother ionycd for
Will, and no one else could quite tako
his place. Tho lover longcd for Ellis,
and what earthly chance has "cit"
lover at West Point, oven though he be
swell and 4 sergeant in the Seventh?
1t resulted that III the hours when the
mother and Jack had to sit and look on
they were brought constantly together,
and then in these hours of conDaniOn-
ship Mrs Farrar began to SEQ moro and
more how maniul, honest, self reliant
was the gallant fellow who had fought
by her husbands side Little by little
she learned to lean upon him, appeal to
him, defer to him and to see in him.
after all, Il man in whom she could per
haps cOntidc even SO precious trust as
her daughters heart, and that summer
at West Point won the mother oven if
it did not win the lady of his love.
All that winter Ellis had continued
her course ut school, but was to como
out III May, and during tho long months
from September she was comfortcd in
the comfort her mother found in tho
companion that had been chosen for hcr,
a gentle, refined and evidently we'll
Drcd woman, who came upon tho rec
concentration OF their rector, and who
was introduced as Mrs. Daunton--ucl-
Gil Daunton, Il woman with sad his
tory, as the grave old pastor frankly
told them, but through no fault or fol-
bic or her own. She had been married,
but her husband was unworthy of her,
had deserted her somo years before,
leaving her to struggle for hcrsolf DIR.
Morgan vouchcd for her integrity, and
that was enough.
BY the timo Ellis was to return to
her mothers roof Helen Daunton was
so thoroughly cstablisi eel there, so
necessary to her mother, SO devoted to
her i'll every way, that for the first time
i'll her life, even while glad to mark the
steps OF Improvements in tho beloved i'll
Tnlld'S health and appearance, Ellis
Farrilr 1clt the pangs of jealousy.
And this was Will's graduation sum.
mcr, and they had IL lovely time at the
scaShorc. kitty was there, and Kitty
was an accepted fact-and moro So
now. Will would bo content nowhere
without her and would have married
her then and there but for his mothers
gentle admonitiOn and Kitty's positive
refusal. She had been reared from girl
hood by Il doting aunt, had been pcttCd
and spoiled at homo ana at school and