Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-11-29

and into this, his favorite leather.
armed, canvas-backed, hickory-framed
companion of many year, she deity
dropped him and then, giving him no
chance for word, gayly pirouetting,
she seized one after another upon each
member of the party present-an &C.
complished little mistress of ceremon-
les, encased in tailor made travelling
suit that rendered her proof against
a dozen minor ills, so beautifully was it
cut and fitted to her pretty figure-and,
with ineXhaustible flow of merry words,
presented her or him to the veteran in
the chair:
"This, my honored general, first
and foremost, is Miss Mildred Prime,
daughter of thousand earls is she,
yet one vastly to be desired, though
l say it who should not, for she halls
from New York, which is enough to
make me hate her, whereas we've Just
sworn an eternal friendship. You've
only casually met her and her folks
before, but 1 can tell you all about
them. You should have put Frank at
the head of your intelligence bureau,
general. He'd never find out anything,
but would. We. came on the same
train together all the way from Or.
den."
"a tall, dark-eyed, dark-haired, oval
faced girl, coloring slightly in evident
embarrassment over these odd army
ways, courtesied smilingly to the gem
eral and seemed to be pleading dumbly
for clemency if there had been trans
gression.)
This" hurried on the voluble little
woman, seizing another feminine wrist,
sis Miss Cherry Langton-Cherry Ripe
we call her at home this summer, the
dearest girl that ever lived except N.Y.
self, and one you'll simply delight in
as you do in me-when you get to- know
her. She is, as you have often been
told and have probably forgotten, the
only good-looking member of Franks
family-his first cousin. She was mop
ing her heart out after all the nice
young men in Denver went to the wars,
and whitening on the stem until told
her she should go, too, when she bios
somed and blushed with joy as you see
her now, sir. Cherry, make your man.
ners." CHERRY, whose name well de-
scribed her, was only waiting for
chance, laughing the while at the merry
flow of her chaperon's words, and, ut
the first break, stepped quickly forward
and placed her hand frankly in the
outstretched palm of her host, then
glanced eagerly over her shoulder as
though she would say: "But you must
see her." and her bright eyes sought
and found the fourth feminine mem
Der of the group.)
And this" said Mrs. Frank Garrison,
bravely, yet with trif1e less confidence
of manner, with indeed a faint symp-
tom of hesitancy, sis Miss Amy Law
renee" and in extending her little
hand to take that of the most retiring
of the three girls, only the finger tips
and thumb seemed to touch. Miss
Lawrence came quickly forward, and
waiting for no description, bowed with
quiet grace and dignity to the chief
and. smiling bit gravely, said:
Uncle left word that he would soon
return. general, but he has been gone
with Col. Armstrong nearly an hour.
l hope we have not taken too great a
liberty" and her glance turned to the
substantial tea service on the rude
camp table.
"Oh, I'm responsible for that-and
for any and every iniquity here COM
mitted, solely because know our gen.
eral too well to believe he would allow
furnishing damsels to faint for lack of
sustenance." 1t was Mrs. Garrison, of
course, who spoke. II simply set
Frank and his fellows to work, with
the result that tea and biscuit, light
and warmth, mirth and merriment,
faith, hope and charity sprang up like
magic in this gloomy old tent, and here
we are still. Now, say you're glad I
came, general, for these stupid boys
Oh! l quite forgot! Let me present
the slaves of the lamp-the spirit lamp,
Frank, you know-too well,
l dare say. Stand forth, vassal Number
Two. This, general, is Capt. Schuyler,
a mite of man physically Gotham
lite, in fact-but tower of wit and
wisdom when permitted to speak" "a
youngster, with a head
twice too big for his body, and world
of fun in his sparkling eyes, bowed
to his commanding general,
but prudently held his peace.) "Capt. |
Schuyler, my dear general, meekly
bears the crescent of the subsistence
department. on his beautifully high and
unquestionably New-York-made col
airs. He hasn't an idea on the SUBJ
|ect of supplies except that commissary
,igars are bad, but his senator said