The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-03-05
AN ARMY COQUETTE.
BY GWENDOLES OVERTON.

old day. There are railroads now. ana
hig garrisons near towns, and there are
no Indians (as good old soldiers, un-
derstood IndiansD, and gambling is in
disoredit. and colonels whose orders
are obscured by liquor fumes have de
creased 9S per cent, and there are
houses with every improvement in
stead of wall-tents and adobe huts.
and the men have as many rights aS
women in Wyoming, and the officers
have fresh oysters and don't pay dol
lar bottle for beer, and their wives
have more interesting subjects to con
slider than each others most sacredly
private business wherefore there is
no longer war in time of peace Never
thelezss. 10, Is. 20 years agO-when all
these things were not-was the good
old time before the service had begun
to go to the particular bov-wows-
This that / ann going to tell happened
in the good old days. 1t could not very
we'll happen now. because, rs l say,
things have changed. At the time Bet
~ MandeviIle's father WAS in command
at Apache and Betty was engaged Ia
bc married 10 an unusually fine fellow
whose name is not part of the story
in love. with all the beautiful disregard
of the facts of life that is characteristic
of the enumored state.
OF course the post knew of the en-
Cagement before either of the two
most interested parties did. This WAS
because this happened in the good old
days. For the same reaSon-thoughi II
can occur sometimes even now-opin-
Al Il. Il L F.,.-H
and obscured the sky of charity They
sand that the second lieutenant was
making a fool of himself, which was
the only unllind remark he fell heir to-
But Betty Jared worse. She came of
bad strain. There were things in the
histories of both her parents that every
one knew and no one was supposed 10
know. Her father was English and hac
been n jockey. He was the son of
concert-hall singer and man whose
only nobility was his birth
Miss Vaudeville, who was more
Mexican than. Spanish-bore a good
Castilian name which covered a multi
IUde of sins
There were any number of Mande-
Vile children younger than Betty, and
all Enthusiastically favoring their
swarthy mother. They were so dirty
that they were a disgrace TO the post.
}ut Betty was tidy-as To dress and
Aas blonde; fiufiily, curlily blonde.
NTH a fine skin and innocent blue eyes
and a rosebud mouth 1t Was said she
looked like an English professional
beauty: but there Was no one To rvcog-
nizc the startling likeness to the cor
crrt-halI grandmother. She had taste
for laces, and hosiery. and high -hccled
slippers. that may have been either a
Spanish or theatrical inheritance. And
she was beautiful beyond a question.
with a beauty that was only skin
deep.
After she had promised to marry the
second lieutenant, Betty went down to
| Lowell to visit her aunt, who was her
| mothers sister aud was the wife OF
Capt. Locke. Betty knew that she
would enjoy herself more if the engage
ment were kept a secret. She could
keep ii quiet, because IL was in the
| good old days and news travelled slowly
| and distances were great.
ON the second day of her stay hel
| aunt took her to stay over night viii
! Senior FranqueIo in Tucson Which
was the beginning.
The Franquelo family was large, anC
| most of il dNvelt in the one house al
aTobe with the external whitewasi
broken off in oddly-shaped pieces. ans
| built as all adobes were built in tbs
| good old days-one story around
COURTYARD There was nothing in th'
courtyard but chickens and ollas-
broken and otherNvise-for the soil q
Tucson is not fertile. Outside, wher'
the narrow doorway faced upon th
street. hardly less white under tn
| burning sun than the whitened wali
| that lined 1T. a mocking-bird cage O
willow hung against the house, with
red chile stuck between its bars l
was the first time Betty had been unde
the ancestral roof
Besides her grandmother, who Wa
more unpleasant than the aunts, ther
were many cousins. male and female
| of these. two-second cOusIns-were !
love They were Carlos and Ines L
less than ten minutes Carlos had dc
serted black-browed Ines and was lar
gushing at Betty with his two softeye:
Ines was openly wretched. Carlos oPeT
Iy infatuated. Betty openly flirting
But Carlos did not know that.
Betty and her aunt went back
Lowell the next day, and the same ever
ing Carlos rode over to the post to -
her.
There were six officers calling o
Miss Vaudeville, so Carlos sat apal
and sulked; but he outstayed them al
When they had gone, after a supper {
canned oyster stew and tamales,
drew his chair close beside the sofa uI
on which Betty was half reclining
IVY do you like doze ooffeecers be
ter dan me?' he asked her
II DON'T said Betty; they're
bore"
DO you moot, truly?
'Of course | don't; how could II?
Carlos was not accustomed TO Betty
! like. and. as even those who should hav
known better. had believed her, becaus
Of her round. blue eyes, he was not
be blamed for his faith Would yo
raider talk to me?"
"A great deal rather"
But dey haf stayed so late dat
must soon CO.
Its not late. It's only half-pas
twelve 1t would be too bad of you t
go just when we begin to get chanc
to settle down To a nice, cozy talk
Carlos persisted coyly- But yo
weeI weesh TO sleep"
VERY weu,'' Miss Nandevill
shrugged her shoulders, then you ha
! better go. Ines may get angry if yo
stay, and you like her more than you d
me"
Carlos denied this in words that WEI
neither kind nor just to Ines; but Be
ty damned her with faint praise
| 81.