Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-30

l
| Gov Prime took the only kind of room
| to be had in the house. SO full was tia
little seven by ten box the office floor.
He would have slept in the coal bin rather
| than leave her. He saw her go off to the
| hop looking radiant, CHANGING back over her
shoulder and smiling sweetly at him. He
| rushed to his trunk, dragged out his even
ing clothes, and stood at the wall looking
on until the last note of the last dance--he,
| a noted german leader in the younger set
| and the best dancer of his years in Goth
am: Not so much as single spin had he.
and he longed to show those tight WASTED.
utton-bestrewed fellows in gray and white
| how little they really knew about dancing.
| well many of them appeared on the
floor. His reward was rendered the hop
| broke up. She came gliding to him with
such witchery in her appraised face. Now,
| sir, it Is your turn. l couldn't give you a
dance, for my card was made out days ago,
but Mr. Latrobe was glad enough To set
| rid of taking me home. He is daft about
| Nta, and, of course she can't let him take
| her to more than one hop week. Mr..
Stanton is her escort tonight.
Then she placed her little hand on his
arm, and drew herself TO his side. and
when he would have followed the others,
going straight across the broad plain to the
lights at the hotel, turned him TO the left.
Il m going to take you all the way round.
sir, she said, joyously. Then can be
by ourselves at least ten minutes longer"
And SO began the second period of Gouv-
erneur Primes thralldom. young civilian
at the Point has few opportunities at any
time, but when the lady of his love is a
belle in the corps, he would much better
take Il long ocean voyage than be where
he could hear and and live in daily tor
! ment. One comfort came to him when he
could not be with Mrs. Garrison twho
naively explained that Gov was such a
| friends, real comrades. you know. He
had early made the acquaintance of Pat
Latrobe. and there was a bond of sympa-
thy between them which none the less
strong because, on Primes side, 1t could
| neither be admitted nor alluded to-that
they were desperately in love with the
gan to dawn Prime that pretty little
Nita was playing double game-that even
while assuring her guardian sister that
she had only a mild interest in La.robe,
she was really losing had lost her heart
to him, and in every way in her power
was striving to conceal the fact from Mar
garet, and yet meet her lover at hours
when she thought it possible to do
without discovery. AS the friendship
strengthened between himself and Latrobe
they began using him as Cupid's postman,
and many little notes and some big ones
found their way to and from the 4th Ill
vision of cadet barracks. Mrs Frank was
only moderately kind to her civilian adorer
then, granting him only one dance at each
hop, and going much with other men, but
that dance was worth seeing. Primes
was the only black claw-hammer' in the
room. and therefore conspicuous, and ca
dets-who know a good thing when they
see it-and many a pretty girl partner
would draw aside to watch the perfection
of their step and the exquisite with
which they seemed to float through space,
circling and reversing and winding among
the other dancers, he ever alert, watch
full, quick as a cat and 1.-the and strong
as panther-she all yielding. lissome. airy
grace. That dance was Gov Primes re-
ward and almost only reward for hours of
impatient waiting. Other women, charm
ing and pretty and better women, would
gladly have been his partners. Some two
three whom he the hotel
intimated much. But not until Lady
Garrison told him he must-to protect her
from scandal-did he ask another to dance
At last came the end of the summers en-
Campment the return of the corps to bar
racks and studies, blissful week in
which he was enabled to spend several I'M
interrupted hours each day at her side,
and then a cataclysm A letter intended
only for Nita's hands fell into those of
her sister. 1t was bulky. 1t was from
Latrobe. She hestated only moment
then. with determination in her eyes, open
ed and read-al Two days after Nita was
whisked away to New York, and within
another week leaving two most discon-
ISOLATE SWANS on the Hudson, the sisters
one of them bathed in tears, went spin
ming away to the west, where Frank Car
rison was on duty at department head
quarters. Prime was permitted to write
once a fortnight Che sent voume) and
Latrobe forbidden, but already the poor
boy owned a thick packet of precious mis-
sives, all breathing fond love and prom
Using utter constancy, though she had to
wait for him for years. For a month Nita
would hardly speak to her sister, but in
October there were lovely drives picnics
and gayet1eS of all kinds.
There were attractive young officers and
assiduous old ones, and among these latter
was Frost, with his handsome gray mus
tache and distinguished bearing and that |
air of conscious success and possession
which some men know well how to as
sumo even when their chances are Slim
mer than my lady's hand. The sisterly !.
breach healad hafor hot
month was over. Frost dined at the Gar |
rlsons' four times a week, and drove Miss |
Mia behind his handsome bays every day |
or two In November he asked question
In December there was an announcement |
that called forth score of congratulations
around headquarters, and in January the
some to West Point, but to Latrobe who
had been looking Ill and anxious for six
weeks. said his classmates. and falling off
fearfully in his studies said his professors
only brief note inclosing his letters and
begging for hers. AT reveilie next morning
there was no captain to receive the report
of roll call from the first sergeant of Com
asEed the oeer Of the ds9 ef tbs eepy
first lieutenant. Il dn' know" was the
answer, and to the amazement of Latrobe's
room mate. who had gone to bed and to
sleep right after taps the night before they
found evidence that Pat" had left the
post. He had not even made down his
bedding. His cadet uniforms were all
tnere, put d suit Oh CIVILIAN clothes, usually |
in snug package up the chimney, that
had been used several times running it,
to the hotel after taps in August. was now.
like its owner. missing. After three DAYS |
waiting and fruitless search the superin-
tendent wired Latrobe's uncle and best
friend. old General Drayton, and that was
the last seen or heard of pat" In the
spring and ahead of time his class was
graduated without him, for the war with
Spain was on. In the spring an irate and
father was upbraiding another
only son for persistent failures at college
Gov Prime will get the sack, not the
sheepskin." prophesied his fellows. And
then. somehow, somewhere, the father |
heard 1t was a married woman with whom
his hoy was SO deeply In love. and there