El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-28
ONLY A CIVIL ENGINEER
By Edith Hastings.

he was in a greatly discouraged state of
mind. Educated as a civil engineer, he
had worked at his profession assiduously
and achieved some prominence.
He had been cheered in his efforts by
the hope of attaining a sufficient compe-
tence to warrant him in asking Colonel
Rogers for his eyes," otherwise known
as his daughter, Millicent. They had met
at the house of a mutual friend, and Mil
ton was at once captured by her many
graces of mind and heart and soon found
that if papa would consent she would not
say him nay.
| Papa seemed to be, however, an insur-
mountable obstacle. He had been prema-
turely retired from the army on account
| Of failing vision and was well known in
''army circles" at Washington, chiefly on
account of his Feasibility of temper and
his intolerance of people outside the ar
my.
| In justice to the colonel it must be said
that he never visited his i'll temper upon
| Mile, who was as sweet tempered as
she was beautiful-that Is, not until he
discovered that the attentions of Milton
| Hume were becoming significant. Mile
| was at once court martialed and summa-
rily convicted of having deliberately en-
couraged the attentions of good for
| nothing civilian, a mere nobody, of whom
no one had ever heard. why" said the
irate colonel in summing up, Il have seen
/ him actually working among common Ia
! borers, and in his shirt sleeves at that"
Millie was sentenced to Imprisonment
| within the paternal abode and warned
| not to communicate with her lover on
| pain of being disowned. Milton was the
recipient of a curt note from the colonel
| forbidding him to call write, and, on
meeting that wrathful gentleman the
| next day, was informed that an attempt
to do SO would be met with personal
ri nj will Sah
The threat did not alarm Milton, but
the colonel was Miles father, and the
only thing possible to do was to wait
and hope for the clouds to lift.
Instead of lifting they became blacker
than ever. Milton became involved finan-
cially by crooked dealings of his partner,
and instead of nearing the desired COM
potency found himself heavily in debt.
Sacrificing everything material that he
possessed he shook the dust of Washing
ton from his feet and went to Boston,
| where he had hope of employment, but
| not before a stolen interview with Mile
was engineered. Eternal vows of con-
stancy were exchanged and the usual
quantity of tears shed, accompanied by
uncomplimentary remarks on the tickle
Jade, Fortune, on his part and cheering
words on hers. Something tells me-"
said Millie, chat everything will come
out all right, and this new departure of
yours may make your
But the fortune did not materialiZe,
the field was overcrowded, and after sew
eral weeks of unsuccessful effort he
found himself nearly at the end of his
resources with no employment in pros
pect.
One morning as he started on his quest
for a position he was electrified by the
announcement of War with Spainr'
His mind was instantly made up. Hur-
rying to the nearest armory he enlisted
as a private soldier in a volunteer regi-
ment. Showing much zeal and aptitude,
he was made corporal and in that
humble capacity marched bravely away.
A hurried letter apprised Mile Of
what had happened, but did not add to
her happiness, as the colonel informed
her that a private soldier was all that
engineer fellow" was good for, and she
knew that in the colonel's mind a pri-
vate soldier was irrevocably outside the
social pale. She, however, had still some
faith in the future and did not entirely
despair.
One day in the wilds of Cuba Corporal
Hume's regiment halted on the edge Of
an apparently impossible gorge. With
his usual lack of foresight the command
ing general had not sent any engineers
with the advance, although the movement
was extremely important one. The
men, exhausted by the heat and the long
glad of chance to rest. Not so the
colonel. He swore vociferously at the
gorge, but, being neither Moses nor
Joshua, it did no good. The gorge was
still there.
This was Hume's opportunity. Wait
ing for break in the colonel's incanta
tons, he approached, and, respectfully
saluting, informed him that if he could
have a detail of 20 men he could bridge
the chasm in an hour. You can have the
whole blasted regiment if you need it,
was the reply.
The bridge was quickly constructed,
and the regiment safely passed over,
thanks to that engineer fellow, but in the
battle of the following day he was Sc
verely wounded.
Long weeks of suffering succeeded, but
one day as he was sitting in front of the
field hospital, weak, but convalescent, an
orderly appeared and asked the surgeon
in charge if Lieutenant Hume was there.
mo-" said the surgeon, this isn't the
officers ward. That's on the other side
of the hill.''
riors," said the orderly, but read this"
at the same time handing him a paper.
1t was a communication from Wash
ington appointing Milton Hume a lieu
tenant of engineers for bravery on the
field and skill in emergency.
OF his subsequent recovery, expert
service where experts were much needed,
it is not necessary to speak. Suffice it to
say that several months later a tall
young gentleman in the uniform of a cap
tain of engineers walked up the steps
of Colonel Rogers house with very
confident air.
The welcome he received from Millie
may be imagined, but the surprise and
CONSERVATION of thu colonel cannot be
expressed.