Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-03

affection OF children. the prattle and playful
sports OF children's children-homeless,
wlteless, childless he stood at the border Of
the boundless sea, soldier duty pointing the
way to far distant, unknown and undesired
regions, content to follow that flag to the
end Of the world u need be, and owning no
higher hope or ambition than to uphold it
to the end OF his life.
There was nothing in such a face as his to
put a check to fun and merriment, yet, all
on a sudden, the laughter died away. Three
young g~allants In soldier garb sprang TO
their feet and faced him with appeal and
explanation In their speaking eyes, although
only one OF their number found his tongue
in time to put the matter into words. There
were only two girls when the general left
that tent to meet his officers at 4 o'clock,
and now there were four. and the four
were having 8 o'clock tea.
At least any one would nave said they
were four blithe girls, innocent OF grayer re-
sponsibilities than social calls and dinner
or dance engagements, for never looked four
young women so free from the cares of this
world as did those who were picturesquely
grouped about the generals camp table and
under the brilliant reflector of the generals
lamp, but the plain gold circlet on the
slender finger of the merriest and nolsiest
and smallest of the four, and the fact that
she had nothing to say to the elder of the
three attendant officers except in the brief,
Indifferent tones of assured proprletorship,
and very much to say to the others, told
a different story. TIL generals manner lest
none of it's kindness, even though a close
observer would have seen that his face lost
a little Of Its light as he recognized in the
evident leader of the revels and mistress Of
the situation the wife of his senior aide-de-
camp. An hour before he thought her a
thousand miles away-and 30 did her hus-
band.
BLESS your dear old heart!" exclaimed
the little lady, springing to her feet, fac
Ing him with indomitable smiles and
thrusting forward two slender, white,
~bejeweled hands. 'No-don't say you
disapprove! Don't scold! Don't do any
thing but sit right Town here and have a
cup OF your own delicious t~ea-(Frank, some
boiling water)-that no one makes for you
as l do-you've owned 1t many a time. And
then we're all going to the Palace for din
ner ana then to the theater. and I'll tell
you all about it between the courses or be-
tween the acts. oh, you poor dear! l
ought to have come before-you've been
working yourself to DEATH"
And by this time, resolutely pulling, she
had towed the general to a chair, and into
this, his favorite leather-armed, canvas
backed, hickory-framed companion of many
a year, she deity dropped him, and then,
giving him no chance for a word, gayly
pirouetting, she seized one after another
upon each member OF the party present
an accomplished little mistress Of ceremo-
MES encased in a 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 mex
haustible 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 a thousand earls is she, yet one vastly
to be desired, though l say 1t 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 l 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 l would. We came
on the same train together all the way
from Ogden"
A tall, ~dark-eyed, dark haired, oval
faced girl, coloring slightly in evident en-
barrassment over these odd army ways,
courtesied smilingly to the general and
seemed to be pleading dumbly for Glenn
ency II there had been transgression.
This" hurried on the voluble little
woman, Selling another feminine wrist, sis
Miss Cherry Langton-Cherry Ripe we call
her at home this summer, the dearest girl
tlat ever lived except myself, 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 for
gotten, the only good looking member OF
Franks family-his first cousin. She was
moping her heart out after all the nice
young men in Denver went to the wars, and
whitening on the stem until I told her she
should go, too, when she blossomed and
blushed with joy as you see her n ow, sir.
Cherry, make your manners" Cherry,
whose name we'll described her, was only
waiting for a chance, laughing the while
at the merry flow of her chaperon's words.
and, at the first break, stepped quickly for
ward and placed her hand frankly Ia the
eagerly over her shoulder as though she
would say: But you must see her" and
her bright eyes sought and found the fourth
feminine member of the group.
And this said Mrs. Frank Garrison,
bravely, yet with a tri1e less confidence of
manner, with indeed a faint symptom of
hesitancy, is Miss Amy Lawrence" and in
extending her little hand 10 a that Of
the most retiring of the three girls only
the finger tips and thumb seemed to touch.
Miss Lawrence came quickly forward, and