Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-03-09


"Wait till ! tell you the rest" pursued
Lambert. calmly. SHE said she really
couldn't see why | wanted to marry
you: you were not at all the sort of girl
she'd expect a northerner'to marry"
"Ah never huhd such outrageous i'm
pudence in all ma Dawn days. Who was
it? Ah'l never speak t. you again +
you don't tell me this instant. AhM
never let you leave this spot till you do
tell me-"
"I'm only too glad to stay. I was
afraid you might send me away any
how, even after you found 1 had given
up the shoulder-straps-for your sake,
since Esther told me I'd find it hard
work to make you a soldiers wife,"
"Esthuh! She said such mean things
bout me? oh, Ahll pay huh off TO- that!
All could manage just us well al she
could, and keep house ev'y bit rs we'll!
Alive been out theyh often with Jenny
Sweet, and seen just how they man.
aged. Aid been watching-and study
ing" (sob) "and now-now"-with sud-
den inspiration-"Ah b'lieve you're just
laughing at me! All hate you mob than
evuh, and Ah'll nevuh mah'y you
nevuh-jus' TO- leavin' the ahmy and
not hayin' sufficient confidence in me to
think l could be a soldiers wife. All
might have done it-Ah would, perhaps,
if you had stayed, but-but-"
But now she was seized and strained
to his heart, and the furiously blushing
face was kissed again and again,
though indignant tears were starting
from her eyes. 1t was useless to strug-
gle. She leaned there at last, passive,
pouting. sobbing a little, and striving
to push herself from his embrace, but
striving SO fcebly, so very fecbly. MY
own little REBEL" he murmured, with
his lips close pressed to her cheek,
"'Esthuh' did tell me Ed find 1t hard
work to win you for q soldiers wife, did
tell me- you had had no care or experi-
ence in the past, did say she thought a
northern officer would have fallen in
love elsewhere; but she eve said you
were not fit to be a soldiers wife, and
I never said 1 was going to quit being
a soldier. I love it better than any
thing in the world-but you"
"You did! You said yo'd lone with
the shoulder-straps fo'evuh." And up
flashed the indignant gray eyes again,
and this brought the quivering little
mouth, so red and soft and warm, too
close for safety to his yearning lips.
Down they swooped upon their prey.
II didn't" he whispered as he held her
close. Its the old strap-the second
lieutenant's-Ill never wear agin.
I've won my bar now, and my wife,"
We were sitting one winters evening
nearly two years later in the Lamberts'
quarters at old Fort Scott. Kinsey was
there too. and Floyd Walton with his
bride on their wedding tour. A blazing
fire OF hickory logs was swapping on
the hearth, and under the soft light of
the shaded lamp was Katesie, a charm
ing picture of young wifehood, her
needle-work dropped in her lap, her
gray eyes following every movement
of her husband, who was declaiming to
his guests and pacing up and down in
uncontrollable excitement.
1t was the January of the 'consoli-
dation year." when by act Of congress
IS regiments of infantry were sum-
marily "telescoped" into half their
number, and some hundreds of officers
and gentlemen who had joined the reg
ular service at the end of the great war
in the reasonable hope of attaining
suitable rank before they died, found
themselves suddenly bereft of all hope
of promotion and doomed to remain
subalterns and file-closers until they
were SO. 1t was the year when to pro-
vide for the super1uous officers of the
consolidated regiments of foot they