The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-07-19
LIEUTENANT CLOVER.

LIEUTENANT CLOVER.
The colonel seemed much disturbed
He walked to the window and gazed
out at the empty parade. He walked to
his desk, and Adjutant Caldwell Glover,
who was signing orders, glanced out Of
the corner of his eye and saw that the
colonel was pulling his mustache.
Then the colonel sat down and said
rather sharply, Are you busy, Clover2'
1t was not customary for the colonel
to address the officers by their names in
this way. He was supposed to address
Adjutant Glover 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 am, Clo-
ver?" asked the colonel
"Why, don't know. colonel, +" STAN
mered the adjutant, mot any older than
than you ought to be- .
The colonel was slicing sheet Of
paper with the paper knife. II want
you to do something for me, Glover. /
have come to depend on you so entirely
for everything that 1 am going TO put
this personal matter in your hands, I
want you to write proposal of mar
riage to young lady for me. "
The 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 was
afraid of woman, Iwould have laughed
at him. l tried to speak to her about 1t
last night at the hop, and when she
looked at me with those steady brown
eyes of hers l couldn't say word
"Then it's Miss Lacey?" said the ad-
jutant.
ut is Miss Lacey"
Every we'll, colonel" Adjutant
Glover received the order just as be
would have received an order to APP
point a 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 day and look his best
from reyeille to taps. 1t Is mistake |
He has 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 proposal for his colonel to Agnes
Lacey.
When Captain Lester went east and
returned with golden haired young
wife, Lieutenant Glover danced with
the bride at the reception given them.
II am sure / shall not be lonely !
here, . she said to him. 81 find it all 50
new and interesting, and then in the
summer my sister is coming to me- "
They were promenading then, and she
looked up &C the six feet of handsome |
manhood beside her and safd ''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 on 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 picnic or two
and long, quiet hours on the verandas,
and then one day there came news Of
OdkJt11h ACSOCA W tlllObnOI
post 1t 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
elasped his hands behind his head. He
was to propose to Agnes Lacey for the
colonel. He thought over all the hours
ba baA s,0a,,t A l,.c |
grew tender and his lips quivered lit
tie as he remembered that tomorrow she
was going away, then he said to him
self what the use Of my feeling like
q dog in the manager? 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
81 in the ink. my but it will be lone
some when she is gone. Then he went
on writing, and when the letter was
finished he forgot and signed his own
name instead of the colonel's, and then
laughed as he saw his mistake. He had
to write the letter all over again then!
This time he signed the oolonel's name
and called the orderly and sent him to
Miss Lacey with the letter. And when
1t was done he walked up and down the
room, and all that evening he felt like
a Gagged lion. What would her answer
be? Had the colonel received itP Once
or twice he took up his cap to walk
down past the captains quarters, then
he threw it down again. Of course she
would accept. Yes, but after all, would
she?
The stage left in the early morning.
Lieutenant Glover noted the stir of de-
parture about the captains quarters
Then he saw the captain and Mrs. Les
ter appear, and he ran out to speak to
them He half expected to find the colo
mel with them, but he was not there. A
flush dashed up to his face. Had she
really refused the offer? If so, why9
There was no time for explanations.
She came out ready for her journey.
She gave him her hand. and her eyes
looked level into his.
81 shall never forget how much you
did to make my stay pleasant, +" she
said II hope l shall meet you again,
Lieutenant Glover.
The driver whip circled out over
the heads Of the forward mules, she
waved her hand to him, and Lieutenant
Caldwell Glover was standing alone
with an aching heart with nothing in