Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-12-08

uay, untl ltii'i tiIlileu MIN with new
and strange delight. He had never been
of the so-called "spooney" set at the
varsity. Pretty girls galore there were
about that famous institute, and he had
danced at many student party and
romped through many reel, but the
more than mere jolly friendship for
girl was the regard In which he held
his partner in the linked doubles"
but that was all on account of her ex-
uberant health, spirits, general come
Illness of face and form, and exquisite
skill in tennis. But this day a new
and eager longing was eating at his
heart; a strange, dull pang seemed to
seize upon it as he noted in flash that
the seat that was to have been his was
occupied by an officer many years his
senior, man he knew only by sight
and an enviable reputation, man
whose soldierly, clean-cut face never
turned an instant, for his eyes were
fixed upon lovely picture on the OPP
posite seat-Amy Lawrence bending
eagerly forward and gazing with her
beautiful eyes alight with sympathy,
interest and frank liking in search of
the sorely disappointed young officer.
"There he isl" she cried, though too far
away for him to hear, and then, with
no more thought of coquetry than
kitten, with no more motive in the
world than that of conveying to him
an idea of her sorrow, her sympathy.
her perhaps pardonable and exagger-
ated indignation at what she deemed
an act of tyranny on the part of his COM
mander, with only an instant in which
to convey it all-her sweet face flushed
and her eyes famed with the light of
her girlish enthusiasm-in that instant
she had kissed her hand to him, and
then Col. Armstrong, turning sudden
ly and sharply to see who could be the
object of interest SO absorbing, caught
one fitting glimpse of Billy Gray lift
ing his cap in quick acknowledgment,
and the words that were on the tip
Of Armstrong; tongue the moment be-
fore were withheld for more auspi-
cious occasion--and it did not come too
soon.
It was only four days after that in
ltial meeting in the generals tent the
foggy evening of the girls first visit
to camp, but both in city and on the
tented field there had been several &C.
casions on which the colonel had been
In conference with Mr.. Prime and in
company with the young ladies.
Junior officers had monopolized the
time and attention of the latter, but
man who loved all that was strong,
high-minded and true in his own sex,
and that was pure and sweet and Win
some in woman. A keen soldier, he had
spent many years in active service, most
of them in the hardy, eventful and Wig
orous life on the Indian frontier. He
had been conspicuous in more than one
stirring campaign against the red war
riors of the plains, had won his medal
of honor before his first promotion,
and his captaincy by brevet for daring
conduct in action long antedated the
right to wear the double bars of that
| grade. He had seen much of the world,
at home and abroad; had travelled
much, read much, thought much, but
these were things of less concern to
many woman in our much married
army than the question as to whether
he had ever loved much. Certain 1t was
he had never married, but that didn't
settle 1t. Many man loves, said they
without getting married, forgetful Of
the other side of the proposition adj
vanced by horrid regimental cynics
that many men marry without getting
loved. Armstrong would not have
proved an easy man to question on that
or indeed on any other subject which
he considered personal to himself
Even in his own regiment in the reg
ular service he had long been looked
upon as an exclusive sort of fellow
q man who had no intimates and no
many companions, yet, officers and sol
diers, he held the respect and esteem
of the entire command, even of thos'
whom he kept at a distance, and few
are the regiments in which there ar,
not one or two characters who are no
best seen and studied through binoc
ular. Without being sympathetic, salt
his critics, Armstrong was square,
but his critics had scant means of know
ing whether he was sympathetic o
not. He was steadfast fellow, an un
swerving, incorporating sort of man
a man who would never have done for
diplomat, and could never have bee,
elected to Office. But he was truthful
just, and as the English officer reluct
antly said of Lucan, whom he hated
"Yes-damn him-he is brave" TIL
: men whom he did not seem to like in tn
army and who disliked him according
ly, were compelled to admit, to then
selves at least, that their reasons wer
comprised in the above-recorded, IT
grettable, but unmistakable fact-h
didn't like them. Another trait, unpoI
ular, was that he knew when and ho'
TO say no. He smoked too much, PEI
haps, and talked too little for thos
:. who would use his words as witnesse
! against him. He never gambled, h
rarely drank, he never lent nor boz
rowed. He was bachelor, yet woul
never join mess but kept hous
himself and usually had some favore
comrade living with him. He was .
and did not look IS. He was tall, cree
athletic, hardy and graceful in bull
and his face was one of the best to
seen In many a line of officers at parad
His eyes We're steel gray and clear al
penetrating, his features clear=cut. &
most too delicately cut, thought son
of the best friends he had among II
WAN HE b,;, x,oe 1,ro1yp crr;pE l,