, 1898-08-06
LIEUTENANT CLOVER.

The colonel seemed much disturbed.
He walked to the window and gazcd
out at the empty parade. He walked to
his desk, and Adjutant Caldwell Clover,
who was signing orders, glanced out Of
the corner of his eye and saw that the
colonel was pulling his mustache.
Then tho colonel sat down and said
rather sharply. Are you busy, Clover"
1t was not customary for the colonel
to address the officers by their names in
this way. He was supposed to address
Adjutant Clover as lieutenant, and to
say that the young man was surprised
would be placing it mildly. OF course
he didn't object. In fact, it pleased
him to have the colonel speak to him
familiarity, only it was SO unexpected.
II am not busy, colonel, said the
adjutant.
"How old do you think l am, Clo-
ver?" asked the colonel.
"Why, l don't know, colonel" stam-
mered tho adjutant, mo any older than
than you ought to be"
The colonel was slicing n sheet of
paper with the paper knife. Il want
you to do something for me, Glover. l
have come to depend on you so entirely
for everything that l am going to put
this personal matter in your hands. l
want you to write q proposal of mar
rage to a young lady for me-"
Tho colonel was much embarrassed.
His face was red under the tan.
"a proposal of marriage!" echoed the
adjutant.
eyes. If any one had told me l was
afraid of a woman, l would have laughed
ut him. l tried to speak to her about it
last night at tho hop, and when she
looked at me with those steady brown
eyes Of hers l couldn't say a word"
"Then it's Miss Lacey?' said the ad-
jutant.
ut is Miss Lacey"
every well, colonel" Adjutant
Glover received the order just as he
would have received an order to APP
point q substitute captain for the re-
cruits or any trivial thing of that sort,
and he turned to his desk as the colonel
went out.
There are those who think an adju-
tant has nothing else to do save listen
to 81 bugle calls a day and look his best
from reveille to taps. 1t is a mistake.
He has a thousand and one things to do.
He oversees guard mount. He selects
the %colonel's orderly. He writes letters
and signs papers, and now Adjutant
Caldwell Glover of Troop X is asked to
write u proposal for his colonel to Agnes
Lacey.
When Captain Lester went east and
returned with a golden haired young
wife, Lieutenant Glover danced with
the bride at the reception given them.
II am sure l shall not be lonely
here" she said to him. II find it all SO
new and interesting, and then in tho
summer my sister is coming to me-"
They were promenading then, and she
looked up at the six feet of handsome
manhood beside her and said: "You
will like my sister. She is not at all
like me-. She is almost as tall as you are
and independent and brave And from
that night Lieutenant Glover looked
forward to the coming Of Captain Les
ter's fair sister-in-law.
Alice Lacey reached the post in July.
Mrs. Lester had been watching for the
coach, and when it appeared OH the
brow Of the hill Lieutenant Glover
handed her a pair of fieldglasses, and
when at last the rumble of the wheels
was heard they walked together across
the parade, and it was Lieutenant
Clover's hand that opened the stage.
door and then reached up to help the
girl alight.
When he took off his cap to her and
then escorted herself and sister to the
captains quarters, Agnes Lacey felt
that all her sister had written about the
courteous young officers of the post
must be true.
The summer was a quiet one at the
post. There were a few dances, some
rides over the prairie, a picnic or two
and long, quiet hours Oh the vcrandas,
and then one day there came News Of
Captain Lester's transfer to another
post. It was on the day before the
one set for his departure that the colo
mel gave his adjutant his peculiar order.
When the colonel had gone, Lieuten-
ant Glover leaned back in his chair and
clasped his hands behind his head. He
was to propose to Agnes Lacey for the
colonel. He thought over all the hours
he had spent with Agnes, and his face
grew tender and his lips quivered a lit
tie as he remembered that tomorrow she
was going away, then he said to him
self: "What's the use of my feeling like
Q dog in the manger? She wouldn't
marry me. She'll never think Of me
again after she leaves here" He took
up his pen, then hesitated as he dipped
It In the ink. my, but It will be lone
rome when she is gone" Then he went
On writing, and when the letter was
Anished he forgot and signed his own
name instead Of the o~olonel's, and then
laughed as he saw his mistake. he had
TO write the letter all over again then.
This time he signed the colonel's name
and called the orderly and sent him to
Nis Lacey with the letter. And when
Il was done he walked up and down the
5ruoan, and all thst evening he felt like
. Gagged lion. What would her answer
bsi Hnd tho colonel received 1T Once
u twice b took up his cap 10 walk
Ac0n paQe ~ cap1ain'o Quareeea then