The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15
The Duty Soldier.

They had first met when he was thirty
three and she fifteen; they had not seen
each other since he had turned forty. and
| she had awaited herself of her majority to
marry foolishly, so their early relations. il
familiar. were unromantic Thanks to the
line of forbears wearing in succession the
Wig OF jurisprudence, he had been already
stald and serious when she had cast her
ehiid's glance upon him; and now, a quar-
ter Of century later, her widows scrutiny
found him much the same, save that the
frame Of his badness, like his mustache,
was grey, and the seriousness of his face
become gravity. almost sterness.
If he had changed not vert greatly. in
the shade OF her own strategIcally plan
ned drawing room she seemed to him to
have aged not at ALL The girl was grown
full woman. and, indeed, widow OF forty
cannot properly affect righteousness, but
her weeds were rather becoming to her
beauty than illuminative of her sorrow.
They were alone. and would intentionally
remain alone; for the game of hide and
seek chastened hearts is not to be played
n company.
You are looking WE'LL" she observed
Better than when | saw you last"
The occasion TO which she referred was
her wedding breakfast. and certainly the
then captain of foot was not looking his
best that day.
Thank you" said he noddng stiffly;
I'm pretty fit. And you-you're as well
as ever, l suppose?'
She smiled at the awkward speech
You are as ironical as ever. | perceive. -
Me ironicai,' he blurted-"not /, But
l thought you seemed SO we'll and ! re-
member you always seemed well. Were
you not always well?"
She had not intended herself to open
Irritation with him, but this temptation
was irresistible.
She was silent, with fire cast eyes. be-
fore she answere: Yes. when you knew
me l was we'll" little pause. "Since
then | have not always felt so very, very
we'll" Another brief pause. Then, as the
eyes travelled gayly from the fire to his
face, to fall demurely on his watch chain.
But you see / am quite myself again"
Colonel Jemmett was entrauced; wrin-
kles of twenty years standing faded from
his eountenance, and he tried to recall
speeches; imagined before the wrinkles
came; but the futility of the phrases
crushed him now. and he said. with a very
little emotion: so you missed grandpapa,
after all?"
Used | to call you grandpapa?" she
asked; she really had forgotten it. why
should l have called you grandpapa?"
His right hand assembled to his crown.
he said.
Il think at first. it was because of that
She started. Because OF WHAT" she
begged.
Colonel Jemmett writhed in his chair.
Because Of not having any hair on the
top of my head. l wasn't so very cd,
don't you know" he answered
Laughter rippled from the window. You
are avenged" she said my ow. hair
is growing thin now and I'm only thirty
nine
In spite of himself he started; he had
just ordered a bracelet to be given her
on her forty-first birthday
She saw she had made a slip and hast
ened to recover here balance Don't tell
me you know better" she rallied him
since my birthday is in February | may
be forgiven for keeping it only in leap
year But, truly, l shall very soon have
less hair than you. Don't you believe
me-"
She deliberately loosened some hat
dozen pias and took from the centre OF
her couture a plat of not very great pro
portions. 1T is my own she remarke'.
incidentally. 1T was cut off when l WIS
very-not very. very WE'LL had it made
UP. Now, come and look at my
bald spot"
AS one approaches a shrine, Colonel
Jemmett did her bidding. Two of her
long fingers diving into her hair discovered
to him a perfectly bald disc, certainly net
bigger than a six-~,uy piece; perhaps it
had been orr tenanted by a contumaci-
Gus patch of grey.
Can you give me nothing to make it
grow again?' she asked pitifully.
Colonel Jemmetts heart fluttered IS he
stopped and kissed the place. but the Hiss
itself was reverential. The widows sur
prise was divided evenly between his gal
antry and his austerity. She wondered
what would come next.
Il hope you are not offended with me, "
he said.
"oh. no, dear grandpa" she answered.
with a trace OF malice. sit down and tell
me all about yourself; about your exploits
in the East. | want TO hear particularly
about them. for the newspaper reports are
so stupid l never can understand them
Exploits" said the COLONEL Il never
had one to my name
Don't be modest with an old crony."
she returned. y heard of what you did in
the Black Mountains-or were they the
Blue although / confess | could not
make out exactly what it was
Upon my honor declared the colonel,
Il never did anything at all
WHAT" exclaimed the widow. laugh
ingly. You never marched from some
place to the relief of some other place.
carrying your guns over a snow noun
tan?'
"Ah, know what you are thinking of. -
said the colonel 1T was a man called
Whippett did that. splendid chap he is.
too you really ought to know him
THE papers said you did it," persisted
the widow.
That was a confusion in the names.
Jemmett and Whippett. Whippett said
nothing about it. but it was corrected as
soon as possible"
Il don't see that Jemmett and Whlppett
sound at all alike" protested the widow.
No but On the telegraphic code they
are much the same"
How stupid of these horrid newspa-
pers," the widow calculated disgustedly.
Well it really was not so stupid" the
colonel argued. For it might. in a sense.
have been l. instead of Whippett, that did
it,"
How do you mean" asked the widow
sharply.
We'll. you see" replied the colonel a
trihe neryously. Ali Pindah where was
Ben Williamson, who had to be relieved.
was at the apex of an isosocles triangle Ct
which a line drawn between Fort Nichoi-
son. where l was. would have been the
base
That conveys no idea to me- returned
the widow pettishly. Cant you use plain
English"
4 mean to convey" said the. colonel !
that Whippett and l were |
equidistant from Ben Williamson, and it