The true northerner., 1897-10-12
II (UiIl and tbe Way.
BY GwENDOLEN OvERTON.

A
by you is not an unmixed pleasure.
Miss Bradford'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 married and Miss bradford was
not. This came of the fact that Mrs.
Gallatin had visited at Fort Preble and
had captured an unfedged lieutenant
by maneuvring and miracle, and that
Miss Bradford had spent her 21 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
college youth, also, 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 n thing, il 1t
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
business in New England hamlets. She
was told to marry general If she could.
If not-anything down to a second lieu
tenant. But rank was to be the primary
consideration, Miss Bradford agreed.
She picked out a very nice general, men
tally. He would be about five-and-
thirty, and handsome and dashing.
That years went with rank was one of
the things the civilian novels of army
life she had read had not taught her.
Besides, she was romantic-as a very
pretty girl should be. So she promised
that grade should govern her choice.
Then she departed TO visit her sisters at
the Presidio.
Lieut.. and Mrs. Gallatin lived in the
building known as the Corral" II the
Corral were in the city, il would be
called tenement. But Uncle Sam
doesn't quarter his officers in tene-
ments. The Gallatins were cramped
for room-very eramped. They had
three children and second lieutenant's
pay. So they were poor. Therefore.
taking Miss Bradford in was not pleas
ure. It was duty. And Mrs. Gala
tin would not have been New Eng
lander IL she had not done her duty.
But Bessie felt the unpleasantness of
the situation the very day of her ar
rival.
Capt. Soutter is going to take you to
the hop this evening, Bess," Mrs. Gala
tin 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. Col Milford's son. who
lives in st. Louis"
"Where have you met him ?' The
"him" warned Bessie that she was run
ming on rocks.
"On the train. We got acquainted.
He's in business in st. Louis, and he's
coming to visit his people because he's
in bad health. He is very nice man.
"Man! He must be about %. 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 officer is nobody at all in a garri-
son. You will hurt your chances bad
~ with the officers by going with him.
} How did he know there was to be a
} hop?"
Bessie finished opening the cage, gave
it to her niece with kiss, gathered
the scraps of waste paper in her hand
and threw them into the waste basket,
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 ar
! rival"
Mrs. Gallatin thought how very, very
pretty Bessie was and wondered II her
! husband contrasted them.
} '.He probably will never think of il
again. Capt. Soutter is going to call to
, ask you this afternoon, and you'd bet.
ter accept"
Can one GO with two men out here
ante-nuptiauy?"
Don't be vulgar. You needn't con.
slider the Milford boy"
"Oh, but 1 must, Genevieve, you
! know. 1 promised" Miss Bradford's
big gray eyes were guilelessly earnest
"I've no doubt that pose is taking
3 with the men. But you can't make your
3 devotion to promises succeed with me
: dear. know you too well. can't re
member that they worried you with the
boys at home"
This promise don't worry me. No
{ little bit"
We'll, 1 should suggest that you take
1 my advice and be less fippant. Recol
I lect that you were not sent way out
{ here to flirt with pennilcss civilians and
: small boys"
I IF 1 forget, remind me, will you
Q rllmake you a little red silk flag, if yoI
4 like. can make flags. made one fol
{ fair at home once. You might draw
0 It from your bosom and wave it wher
Y you see me about TO run off the tract
n you have so kindly and laboriously lait