The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-02-08
SO Proctor went over ia H., Strongs'

| ten up In the sort OF morning rope
| that it is not customary to display
| to the gaze of several hundred sol
| diers, more or less, in a corner Of the
| porch with La Roche. Proctor ousted
! him in about ten minutes. He fought
! openly dwelling upon the charms Of
| La Roche's four small children, the
details of the cunning things they
| said, and of the last attack of Group
Of the youngest; how its Dada" had
| nursed it, and how the babies loved
him. Miss Hadley laughed. That hurt
La Roche's self-esteem, and he went
| home.
Then Proctor started in to do as he
was bid. 1t was a pleasant game
enough. Miss Hadley could be agree
able when she chose. She was the one
man-at.a-time stamp of girl, and for
the nonce Proctor was the man. He
stayed all the morning, also to lunch
| con, also all the afternoon. Part of
the time they played together on the
mandolin and guitar, and for the rest
! they talked. Then he stayed to din
rer, and until some time after taps.
When official duties called him off ne
was back again surprisingly soon.
OF course there was the chance in
this kind of thing that Miss Hadley
might grow sick of him. But he took
! il. There was the better chance that
she would be very much hdttered, and
| Proctor believed that he was the sort
! Of fellow who could be interesting for
! IS hours at stretch.
ITS not fair" Mrs. Strong protest
! ed TO her husband.
You'd have thought it so if it had
/ been me instead of La Roche" he sug-
/ gested.
"But it's not fair to Ella" she in
/ sisted. weakly.
Ella will think it's a good joke,
which it is. He has written her the
whole thing. He told me So"
But is it right of US? Miss Had
ley is our guest"
"Oh, no, she's not; that's a mistake.
| We are here on sutferancc. You are
useful TO order the meals and | to
guard her against intruders on their
! tctc-a-tetcs." He reminded her OF ep-
| isodcs in proof Of this.
"IIas she asked you about him?"
Mrs. Strong wanted to know
lie said that she had. "And / told
her that he was a brcvet bachelor.
Proctor himself came in at the mo-
ment ard She dropped it. Now you be
| still for day or two and let things
take their course" And they took it.
at a lond-gallop.
Miss IIadlcy might have guessed that
one first lieutenant could never have
afforded all the fancy boxes of
! flowers and candies that came over Tor
| her, in proctor's name, by about every
| Doat, But she did not stop to reflect,
| prObobly; and she was nightly
pleased, both with herself and him.
Whcreupon she was still more dlsa-
| grccablc to everyone else.
But the tiny cloud began to float
across her blue sky. The flowers and
sweets were many and arrived regular
| ~, and when they wanted Proctor at
the adjutant's Office they sent for him
TO the Strongs'. And yet, though the
week Of her visit was drawing to a
close, he was no nearer to love-makirg
than upon the first day. She grew a
triilc uneasy. II was not that Size want
ed Proctor, but that she wanted to
know she could have him. So she con-
descended, in the dilemma, to speak
TO her host "Mr. Proctor is dcspcr-
ate nirt, don't you Think" She asked.
II was meant TO be light, but it was a
shade anxious.
That would have been Strong's
chance TO have put an end to a joke that
was going too far. It had gotten away
from them, and the man to stop it re-
fused to arise. Strong fuukcd. He
looked mean, and said that he had
never known Proctor to hirt. 'IIe is
swathcr in red tape, as general thing
has notions Of duty and the rest Of it,"
Then he went off and sworc at Proctor
in his own breast Which is human
nature.
Proctor for his part swore ut every
body else openly. Pm so far in 1t now
,hat don't know how TO get out, he
said; and they grinned and suggested
that he tell the truth aud shame the
devil
And feel more Of COMPOUNDED ass
than | do now"
CONSIDER YOU are ayeng;ng us"
coocd the bachelors.
He said rude things about them. They
asked what he would like them to do.
"Shall We come In body the next
time you are en- tctc-a-tctc and explain,
or shall wc do II while YOU are absent,
and can't dcrcud yourself? Anyway
you put it you will look a good deal Of
a cad, you know They chuckled.
Proctor su,kcd Mrs Strong has
got to do it," he announced.
"Mrs Strong won't. She feels about
rs small MS You do. she goes around
with the look of a stage cousprator.
You might draw OF gradually" they
advised
II might make a qualified fiat of
myself" said Proctor; i've done it,