The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-09-30

ians and small boys"
''If forget, remind me, will you?
I'll make you little red silk flag, il
you like. l can make flags. Imade
one for fair at home, once. You
might draw it out of your bosom and
wave it when you see me about to run
off the track you have all so kindly
and laboriously laid for me to run on.
I'll teach you the signals. Mr.. Mil
ford and / studied them from the back
of our sleeper. 1 think there's some
one at the door, sister dearie."
1t was Captain Soutter, come to for
malize the hop arrangement. He was,
obviously, veryglad that he had come.
For Miss Bradford was pretty-ex-
traordinarily pretty.
81 am happy in being near neigh
Dor of yours, Miss Bradford" he told
her. He forgot-as men will-how
often he had cursed the ill-luck which
threw him within hearing distance OF
the Gallatin trio of infants.
"Yes?" said Bessie; "you are in our
vicinity, then?"
"a little above you in the world. 1
live upstairs. When you want me you
have only to pound on the ceiling"
"The-what is -quartermaster
The quartermaster mightn't like me to
wear out his ceiling"
"You hatter me by the implication,
Miss Bradford. But I'll settle with
the Q. NJ. if you will only pound. For
instance, will you pound tonight when
you are ready for the hop, to which it
is my dearest wish to be permitted to
escort you?"
He forgot what he had wished when
Mrs. Gallatin had asked him to per-
form this act of courtesy toward the
coming sister. But then he had looked
at Mrs. Gallatin and had judged from
her of the sister.
81 would be only too delighted. If it
were not that have already promised
to go with some one else"
( The betrayed captain manifested his
astonishmentand resentment at having
0eepI,nsieated to refusal. FL. had b
high opinion Of his dignity, had ri.e
captain.
'Why, who on earth can have asked
you already?" he cried.
Miss Bradford had cool little
Northern air, when she liked. She
considered the captains question in
bad taste. SO she raised her eyebrows
and smiled most sweetly. 81 shall
hope to have dance with you, Captain
Soutter," she said.
And she had, not one, but three.
The captain forgot his wrath at the
sight of her. When she came from
the dressing-room into the hallway to
join young Milford, the captain was by
the door. He looked at her.
"Might l hope to be accorded the
second and fifth and ninth, Miss Brad
ford?" he asked.
ooh! thank you" said Bessie. She
was grateful, and he was quite ap-
peased.
Now Miss Bradford was success.
She had what is known as beautiful
time for three whole months. No girl
was remembered ever to have re-
ceived altogether so much attention.
She always had lovers-and the two
don't always go together. Captain
Soutter loved her, so did Lieutenant
Paxton, and so did young Milford.
Bessie loved young Milford. A girl
who prefers "cit." clothes to uniform
is peculiar, to say the least. Bessie
didn't say or show whom she loved,
except to Milford. She had told him.
She had refused Paxton, and she was
warding the captain off. But the last
she could not do much longer. The
captain had good opinion of him
self.
He also had a dignity which was not
to be trifed with. Mrs. Gallatin was
by no means sure of Miss Bradford.
SO one day she spoke to her. The
process of being spoken to can rouse
the worst in girl But Bessie was in
broken and contrite frame of mind.
She and young Milford had quarreled,
and she didn't care what became of
her. She might as well marry any
old man and sacrifice herself for her
family. She made a most affecting
picture of herself as an offering on the
altar of matrimony and tilial duty. She
would pine away picturesquely in a
year or so, and Will Milford-well,
perhaps he would go to the bad. She
hoped so. 1t was under this pressure
that she solemnly promised and swore
to Mrs. Gallatin to marry Captain
Soutter if he asked her. What Miss
Bradford promised and swore she
never broke.
So as soon as she and young Mil
ford made it up, she set about won
dering how Captain Soutter was to be
kept from asking her. Yet she could
not arrive at any plan. The captain
was an impetuous man, and he was
neither over well-bred nor nicely dis
eliminating. Bessie was worried. If
it had been that she had promised
and sworn anything to young Milford
and had had to choose which vow to
break, she would not have hesitated.
But she had teased him, and had only
anawerAd Umavhe For vhich aho