Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1900-05-25

some few people among her accusers,
demure and most proper-even prudish
women, of whom, were the truth TO
be told, so little could not be said.
GOV" Prime took the only kind of
room TO be had in the house, so full was
it-a little seven by ten box on the
Office floor. He would have slept in the
coalbin rather than leave her. Tie saw
her 90 off TO the hop looking radiant,
CHANGING back over her shoulder and
smiling sweetly at him. lie rushed TO
his trunk, dragged ont his evening
clothes and stood AT the wall looking
on until the last note of the last dance
he a noted German leader i'm the
younger set and the best dancer OF his
years i'm Gotham Not so much as
single spin had he, and he louged 10
show those tight-Waistcd, button-be-
strewed fellows in gray and white how
little they really knew about dancing,
we'll as many of them appeared on the
floor. Ills reward was rendered as the
hop broke up. She came gliding TO him
with such witchery i'm her appraised face.
Nov, sir. il is your turn. | couldn't
give YOU dance, for my card was made
out days ago. but Mr.. Latrobe was glad
enough TO get 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 a week, Mr.. Stanton is her
escort tonight"
Then she placed her little hand on
his arm, and drew herself 10 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. I'm going 10 take you
all the way round. sir" she said. joy
ousiy. Then we can be by ourselves
At least ten minutes longer"
And so began the second period of
Gouverneur Primes thralldom. A
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
long ocean voyage than be where he
could hear and see, and live in daily
torment One comfort came TO him
when he could not be with Mrs Gar
rison (Who naiyely explained that
"Gov" was such a dear boy and they
were such stanch friends, real COM
rades. you know. He had early made
the acquaintance of Pat Iatrobe, and
there was bond Of sympathy between
them which was none the less strong
because. on Primes side, it could Meth
er be admitted nor alluded to-that
they were desperately in love with the
sisters, and it was not long before it
began to dawn on Prime that pretty
Nita was playing a double game-that
even while assuring her guardian sister
that she had only mild interest in
Latrobe, she was really losing or had
lost her heart 10 him, and in every way
in her power was striving to conceal
the fact from Margaret. and yet meet
hef lover al hours when SIZE tpnurar
possible 10 do so without discovery.
AS the friendship strengthened be-
tween 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 Fourth
division of cadet barracks. Mrs. Frank
was only moderately kind to her civil
ian 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 cadets-who
know a good thing when they see it
and many a pretty girl partner would
draw aside to watch the perfection Of
Il . h. MIL
which they seemed 10 float through
space, circling and reversing and wind
ing among the other dancers, he ever
alert, watchful, quick as a cat and
1.-THE and strong as panther-she all
yielding, lissome, airy grace. That dance
was Gov" Primes reward, and almost
only reward, for hours of impatient
waiting. Other women, charming and
pretty and better women, would glad
ly have been his partners. Some two
or three whom he met az the hotel even
intimated as 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 encampment, the return Of
bIssful week in which he was enabled
TO spend several uninterrupted hours
each day at her side, and then
cataclysm. A letter intended only for
Nita's hands fell into those Of her sis
ter. 1t was bulky. 1t was from La
trobe. She hesitated only a moment,
then, with determination in her eyes,
opened and read-all. Two days after
Nita was whisked away to New York,
and within another week, leaving two
most disconsolate SWANS on the Hud-
son, the sisters, one of them bathed in
tears, went spinning away to the west,
where Frank Garrison was on duty at /
headquarters. Prime was
permitted to write once a fortnight Che .
sent n volume), and Latrobe forbidden. |
but already the poor boy owned a thick .
packet of precious missives, all breath
ing fond love and promising utter con-
stancy though she had to wait for him
for years. For a month Nita would .
H. L n