The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-04-26
THE VICTOR'S SPOILS

Miss Terrence going down the line
watched the girl who was coming TO
ward her There were three men with
the girl. aud only Lancaster was with
Miss Terrence However, as he was
all the world TO her, lIelcna-like. she
lacked not words OF company. The
six met on the walk In front of Captain
l.ansing's quarters.
Lansing was Il cynie who observed
his Kind and told the result of his OBJ
serations Such are deservedly un
popular, but command appreciative uu
dicncc that are the envy of the good
hearted. 1t was 10 an audience of the
sort that he recounted the meeting the
same afternoon when the band had
stopped playing and the invading hosts
from the town had scattered and left
the post 10 its righlful owners.
Dorothy Terrence, he began. laying
his Saber acroSs his knees and settling
back 10 the temporary repose which
alone can fall to the lot of the officer
of the day; Dorothy Terrence came vi
the walk. She had Lancaster with her
and she was looking happy Miss
Leeds The bankers daughter, you
know came down the walk She be
slowed Il sweet and transitory smile
upon Miss Terrence, but Lancaster Is
not the best looking fellow In the Pre-
sidio FOR nothing If any of you hap.
pen 10 share my good fortune of know
ing her, you viii understand what, In
the nature of things and of men, hap
pencd when she turned her eyes upon
him with Il trick she has OF seeming TO
look into ones very soul
She has the most beautiful voice
outside of lie heavenly choir. and she
brought II into play also. Dorothy
stood II az long as she could, and then
she tried 10 get him away. lie never
even heard her. If Miss Leeds had not
gazcd soul searchinely nj him and told
him hat she must bc going. but would
see him at the hop. he doubtless would
be standing there still with Dorothy
auNiouslv watching him. II will be
worth going TO the hop to see things
happen
Lancaster stood AT the door OF the
dressing room aud watched Miss Leeds
while he waited for Dorothy lie saw
her throw hnck her gorgeous cloak and
drop 1t from her With the careless dis.
dain Of celestial creature dlscarding
some temporary earthly garment. That
ii fell on a chair and crushed other less
splendid wrappings beneath II was a
detail which escaped him. He watched
her ms the budding feminine mass
made way for her nj the mirror, and
she stood unchallengcd, lclsurciy touch
lug her gilmmering brown iIulr and
pinnlng great white rose upon her
shoulder,
Dorothy waited at his side for fully
five minutes before lie saw her. Then
She laughed mockingly up Into his
face and wished that her laughter
might have been blow.
As soon as he could leave her no
went running and sliding across the
floor to where Miss Leeds stood at bay
before a bcsicging group She was
backed against the wall, and sun.
burst or snbIes WINS Just above her
head
There are only 90 Dances" she kept
repeating. "and | never divide"
Lancaster took two of his fellow OF.
hcers by the shoulders and put them
out OF his way. Miss Leeds looked la.
TO his eyes and smiled as, II seemed to
him, no woman Ind ever smiled before
She put her card into his hand
"The two with the crosses are the
ones promised you," she said and as
she had promised and he had asked
nothing his heart beat high with trl-
umph
Not that II was n ease of love at first
sight He was In love with Dorothy
But the most faithful of men may pay
the court she expects TO belle and
and may allow himself to be fattered
by her marked fayors.
He could honestly, then and for sew
eral weeks afterward, give Dorothy
the comfort she sorely needed and say
that he did not even think Miss Leeds
beautiful. "She has style and charm"
be passed judgment, but not beauty
And she liz a fiirt." He meant that Miss
Torrance should understand how On.
tirely he abhorred that.
"Did she try TO filrt when you called
upon herr
He had made point OF confcsslng
the call directly It was made, and hp
thought II tactless OF Dorothy to insist
upon 1t. He shrugged his shoulders.
she does TINT with every man"
1t was IA truth which he fully ap.
preclatcd. but its feeble light no longer
fell upon the path of duty when the
time came that the sun OF Miss Leeds
eountenance shed its glow upon the
highway of inclination. And yet she
did her best to make II clear TO him.
Now, listen TO something | mean TO
tell yon,' she said TO him. She set
down her teacup and leaned toward
him, with her elbows upon her knees
and her chin between her soft, pink
palms. Her eyes We're looking straight
nto his, and they fllled his heart with
anticipation DO you think that thls
Is risky game we are playing, and
that we have been playing II for ali
its worth that last fortnight or so?"
Lancaster knit his brows.
1T is not worth while TO pretend you
don't understand. We both know ex.
sctIy what ] mean. But | want 10 be
sure we both know that II Is only n
game / am not In earnest, and YOU
must not be-
He gazcd at her speechless.
y suppose you are thinking that the
suggestion Of serious intentions might
come first from you" she said. "rhat
may be your way Of looking at IL, but
Il Is not mine. | don't care to let Won
nave anything 10 reproach noe with. [
have had enough of thar In the past. /
am hopeless filrt, you know, I 20
Into the thing for the fun there IL 10 it
Ind 1t ia only fair TO warn you"
She leaned back In her chair and fell
to watching the passers-by upon tho
street and to biting at cubo OF sugar
meditatyely.
IF you will accept matters that way
we can have very good time. II you
don't, ! have warned you, and the con.
sequences, IL there are any, must be on
your own head"
Lancaster laughed rather WEAKLY I