Daily camera., 1897-01-30


was getting better-very much better
but the eye doctors bill was big one,
and he thought the government ought
to pay it. He had bought some land up
/. there six years before, and, what with
schools and roads and bridges, the taxes
were awful What he wouldn't mind
doing would be to come back to the
regiment as quartermaster; but in
those days there was no four-year limit
to staff positions, and the incumbents.
both adiutant and quartermaster, pro-
posed to hang on as long as possible,
and Lambert replied that he feared
there would be no chance.
And then one day there came tele-
eram to the commanding officer of Com
pany &c" at the barracks with the brief
announcement that a soldier serving in
the Twenty-sixth infantry under the
name of Roberts had been identified by
Corporal Floyd Walton, Fourth cavalry,
as Private Riggs, deserter from the
--teenth. Please send charges and
descriptive list. Two weeks later Lieut..
Lambert was summoned to Austin as a
witness before the general court-mar-
tial appointed for his trial. The Nor
gan line steamer would not sail until
Saturday night. There was time to run
over and see if the Waltons had not
something to send to their soldier boy
in Texas, and Lambert sent his trunk
to the Morgan wharf while the Mobile
boat padded him away through the
Rigolets and out into Mississippi sound
and landed him at the familiar pier at
Pass Christian just at twilight of
: lovely May evening Ten minutes walk
along the shore brought him to an in
closure wherein the moonbeams were
beginning to play 2,aonT the leaves of
the magnolia and to throw huge black
shadow, that of the grove of live oaks,
over the veranda of an old, white
painted southern homestead powered in
vines and shrubbery at the end of the
broad shell pathway leading from the
gate. Somewhere among the foliage
J mocking bird was caroling to the rising
moon, and the music of soft, girlish
voices and subdued laughter came drift
ing out on the evening air. Lambert's
heart gave a uuickened throb or two
as he recognized Kate Walton's un-
mistakable tones. He had to traverse
the length of the moonlit walk. She,
with her unseen friend, was in shadow,
so there was no possibility of trying the
effect of surprise.
"Well, whayuhn the wide wuhld d
you come from?" was her nonchalant
greeting. "Ab supposed you were
daydn buried" (There is no such thing
as spelling that word as pronounced by
the rosiest, sauciest, and possibly sweet
est little mouth in creation, He could
not take his eyes from it, and she knew
it.)-"Miss Awgden, this is Mr.. Lambert.
h All think you've heard sister Esthuh
speak of him.-Ah suppose you want to
go right in to see huh. Ahll call huh
down"
So Lambert made his bow to Miss
Ogden, who had her own womanly in
tuitions rs to the extent of his eager
ness to see sister Esther, and who pres
emily declared she had to go home, and
went without much delay over the
leave-takipg, in spite Of Katesie's vol
uble remonstrance and well-feigned dis
appointment Miss Walton, in fact,
hung on to her all the way to the gate
and made every proper and apparent
effort to detain her there; but wise
head had Miss Bette Ogden: she would
rot delay. She had heard sister Esther
talk of Mr. Lambert time and again.
and had read in Katesie's significant
silence or simulated scorn a whole vol
ume of information. She went tripping
lightly, laughingly away, and Katesie
watched her until she was out of sight,
then came dawdling slowly back. She
well knew it would be unlike Esther to
come down inside of 90 minutes.
Lambert was seated in the big
wicker chair, amusing himself with n
kitten. He did not even look up when
she finally returned.
"Hasn't Esthuh come down yet? All
told huh you wuh hyuh, ten minutes
ago"
"No. Possibly she didn't understand.
I didn't hear her answer. Indeed, 1
could hardly hear you call"
"That's because you were listening
to Bette Awgden." pause for reply
or denial: none offcred.) "She doesn't
like Yankees any .better'n dido"
'-Then it was on my account she left
so suddenly. Where does she live? I'll
run and call her back and tell her
what shall l tell her?-that l only
wanted tosay good-by toMrs. Scroggs?"
'.You haven't said how-de-do yet"
Il haven't? How utterly stupid of
me! You see between Miss Ogden and
the cat, you were SO engrossed that l
d2ferred that ceremony until you
sha(ffd have time to devote to me.
Permit me-" And carefully depositing
pussy on the chair, he quickly bent low
andseized Miss Katesie's hand, which he
raised toward his lips: "Miss Walton, l
am SO glad to see you again. This fort
nighI has seemed a year.