The Somerset reporter., 1897-09-30
A WILL AND THE WAY

Existence under the guardianship OF
some one who Is doing his duty by you
Is not an unmixed pleasure. Miss Brad.
ford's sister, Mrs Gallatin, was doing
her duty by Miss Bradford The former
was not at all pretty. The latter was
very, very pretty, which is so much
more charming than being very, very
beautiful. But Mrs Gallatin was mar
ried and Miss Bradford was not. This
came OF the fact that Mrs Gallatin had
visited at Fort Preble and had cantnred
an unfiedged lieutenant by maneuvering
and miracle, and that Miss Bradford
had spent her 81 years in small Maine
town
Boys in the village had been in love
with Bessie Bradford, but she had not
been in love with them, and she had
moreover, decent appreciation of her
own value and knew she was far too
good for such as they. There had been a
college youth, al.o, once, but he and
she had quarreled before the end of his
summer visit. And now Bessie was one
and-twenty, and the family worried. 1t
worried itself into state where even
the raising Of mortgage on the home
did not seem too great thing, if it
would but insure her marriage. With
the money thus obtained she was sent
across the continent with instructions
to get herself welded before she came
back. Those things are treated as busi
ness IN New England hamlets. She was
fn ma u. q
not, anything, down to second lieu
tenant.
Lieutenant and Mrs Gallatin lived
in the building known as the Corral. If
the Corral were in the city, it would be
called tenement But Uncle Sam does
not quarter His officers in tenements
The Gallatins were oramped for room
very cramped They had three children
and second lieutenant pay, so they
were poor. Therefore taking Miss Brad
ford i'll was not pleasure. 1t was a du-
ty, and Mrs Gallatin would not have
been a New Englander If she had not
done her duty.
But Bessie felt the unpleasantness of
the situation the very day of her arrival
Captain Soutter is going to take
you to the hop this evening, Bess, " Mrs
Gallatin said Bessie was cutting paper
bird cages for her niece. Mrs. Gallatin
was mending pinafore
I've promised to go with Mr. Mil
ford, " answered Miss Bradford, stop
ping and looking up from the scissors.
"Mr who?"
"Mr Milford Colonel Milford's son,
who lives in St Louis. "
Where have you met him?" The
him warned Bessie that she was run
ming ON rocks.
Ion the train. We got acquainted.
He's in business in St. Louis, and he
coming to visit his people because he g
in bad health. He is a very nice man. "
Mani He must be about 23 A per-
feet boy And his business is being a
briefless barrister. Now, let me tell you
one thing, Bessie. You must learn from
the first that the civilian son of an Off
Ger is nobody at all in a garrison. You
will hurt your chances badly with the
officers by going with him. How did he
know there was to be hop?''
Bessie finished opening the cage, gave
it to her niece with kiss, gathered the
scraps of paper in her hand and threw
them into the wastebasket, clasped her
fingers behind her curly brown head
and answered leisurely: He didn t
know there was to be one tonight He
asked me to go to the first one there
should be after our arrival. -
Mrs. Gallatin thought how very,
very pretty Bessie was and wondered if
her husband contrasted them
He probably will never think of it
again. Captain Soutter is going to call
to ask You this afternoon, and you d
better accept"
Can one go with two men out here
-antenuptially?"
Don't be vulgar You needn't con-
slider the Milford boy"
"Oh, but l must, Genevieve, you
know. l promised. Miss Bradford s
big gray eyes were guilelessly earnest.
I've no doubt that pose is taking
with the men, but you can t make your
devotion to promises succeed with me,
dear. know you too we'll. can't re-
member that they worried you with the
boys at home
This promise don't worry me; not
a little bit. "
We'll, should suggest that you
take my advice and be less fippant.
Recollect that you were not sent way
out here to fiirt with penniless civil
ians and small boys"
IF l forget, remind me, will you?
I'll make you little red silk flag, if
you like, / can make flags. made one
for fair at home once You might
draw it from your bosom and wave it
when you see me about to run Off the
track you have all so kindly and labo-
riously laid for me to run on. I'll teach
you the signals Mr.. Milford and /
studied them from the back of our
sleeper. / think there's some one at thu
door, sister dearie. -
1t was Captain Soutter, come to form
alize the hop arrangement. He was
obviously very glad that he had come.
For Miss Bradford was pretty-extraor-
dinarily pretty.
i am happy in being near neigh
Dor of yours, Miss Bradford, - he told
her. He forgot as men will, how often