Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-08

lily, is repriman,icd at West Point for dueiing
and is Withdrawn by bis hgh-spirited father
His Homecoming IN the winter Of 1850 is cele-
hrated by old-fashioncd Kentucky Christmas
gathering Among guests Daisy Lane,
daughter Of Or. Hollis lawyer and J. Burnett
M"lloy. beth OF Cincinnati. The latter brings
letters of Introduction from Lanes partner. Mr.
Mcintyre ard Is courteously received but
arouses the jealousy Of Norman Holt by his at
tentions 10 Daisy Lane. Malloy separates Miss
Lane from the main party during FOX hunt,
and at the Christmas ball the evening
affects air Of proprietorship distasteful TO
Daisy and obnoxious 10 his rival Norman Holt.
But III feeling Is forgotten when. at midnight,
all surround Dir. Holt to drink the Christmas
punch. which ceremony is interrupted by
midnight messenger who announces the danger
fitness of Judge Mcintyre Investi gatinn
reveals HIS financial affairs In n hopeless tauge
and the Holt fortune disspated. Henry and
Norman Holt enter Lanes law office in Cincin-
natl Norman Holt eniiSs private in Ohio
Infantry. Malloy, through political influence,
is lieutenant in the same company, AMI Henry
Holt joins the confederate forces.
Then MalIoy came home and not so much
by what he said as by what he intimated
told tales of Norman Holt that undermined
Theodores feeble superficial faith, and
made that weak vessel only moderately
glad to see Norman again. There was no
ring to the voice. no vim to the hand clasp
soul in the welcome. and Norman, sad
and changed, and five years matured, with
all his home trouble, knew well what influ-
ences must have been at work and realized,
many another fellow had DONE that
the devoted friendship lavished on an IDOLS
only brother was devotion thrown away.
He saw with sorrow Theodore's changed
manner and i'll appearance. He saw with
something like dismay that the lad was
drinking TO excess and frequenting the old
June. Theodore had written the details OF
his fathers discovery and the payment OF
his harassing debts (Which did not include,
however, the 500 he owed the lieutenanD,
and the total stoppage of his allowance.
Yet here he was again treating lavishly IS
was his wont. punting at pool and billiards
and losing himself at night in a faro bank.
much affected by young men about town.
Whence came the means? Norman saw
with bitter and jealous pain that the young
fellow was now quite frequently with Nal
10y. Coming up from camp with a patrol
OF absenteeS, he was surprised to find Theo
dore at six one summer morning, looking
vastly as though he had been up all night,
Sinking and skulking at the vestbule of
the Malloy homestead. What sought he
there and at that hour? Then stories OF
the lads lapse into worse dissipation than
before came to Normans unwilling ears,
and when he would have sought and plead
ed with him Theodore was rot 10 be found.
A fortnight was spent in the reOrganiZe-
ton. and Cap would have been utterly at
loss without Holt his right-hand man.
Cap well knew the lads value and abi
fly, as did the "Old Man" now gone TO
Washington as a general, but Cap fouui
the new regimental commander oddly UNI
responsive when he Dragged of his sub
altern. Cap took things easy, and not
q few noggins of pOteen in his daily rounds,
and loaded all the work upon Norman's
shoulders. that only rarely could the
Junior get to town. When he did, and ask
ed for Theodore he heard strange and I'M
canny tales about his doings The boy WIS
in a bad way Mr.. Lane had gone TO
Washington on business, some said he had |
got the war fever, and was seeking a COM
mission as major and Judge advocate. The |
mother and Daisy seemed to have con- |
troll over the youngster. Malloy was be-
friending him. had occasionally looked him
"straighten OUT But his sprees seemed
endless. Norman, with throbbing heart,
had called at the Lanes twice. Once with
her mother, he had seen the girl he loved.
Once the ladies begged to be excused Yet
as he looked ruefully back from the street
below, surely he could not be mistaken 1t
was Daisy who appeared an instant at an
open window and gazed al him and put her
finger to her lips. But she was gone as
quickly-gone all of sudden, as though
she dreaded being found there. What spell
was over the child?
Then he had striven to communicate with
his father and the letters We're returned I'M
opened. The old mans wrath was unap-
peased. Then he had written to Henry.
He longed to see the old home again. Ken
lucky was still neutral" People went to
ard fro, no matter whether they were
southern or union in sympathies. He might
be able, he wrote to get away for two days
run down by night boat TO Louisville and
out TO BelIeriew by morning train. Would
rot Henry urge the father to reconsider
and to grant his boy one meeting-one con-
ference? This time came line in the old
doctors trembling hand.
Unless you would add to the wrong YOU
have done your name, never dare to set
foot at Belleview so long as you wear that
uniform
And then to add the last pound to his
load OF trouble he stood disowned by the
authorities OF tho government he so Loyalty
had served at the cost of almost everything
he held dear, was refused his commission on
the eve of the regiments departure. and
now, homeless fatheress, friendless save
among the rough fellows who had given
him the wealth of their soldier hearts,
what was there left to do but enlist as one
of them and with them fight his way TO
honor and recOgnition-or fall like a soldier
In the attempt?
Away to the front they had gone, Cap
kind and sympathetic could be- the men
crOwding about him with uncouth words of
cheer. The first lieutenant had been held
back to come on later with certain recruits
and men who had been gathered in by the
provost guard. Stirring events were immi-
nent. Louisville was in state of alarm
and excitement as they marched through,
and two days later they were being trun-
died out southwark over the old familiar
railway Buckner. whose advance had
bounced on EliZabethtOwn had drawn in his
claws before Rousseaus threatening bri-
gade In the rocky, tunnelpierced heights
beyond Salt river. The rapidly arriving
regiments from across the Ohio, untaught
and undiSciplincd yet, were being herded
into camps well out in front of the metrop-
oils while the daring invaders from the
south hung and fortified at Bowling
Green. There followed two months OF in
cesSant drill and prepare ion of occasional
alarm and then there came a day when
great surprise awaited the sad, silent Ken
tuckian In the humble privates dress. He
was drilling a squad Of raw men in the
manual of arms when the first sergeant
came forward with some new arrival. Take
these young fellows, too. corporal, said
he for already Cap had found means to
lance his favorite to that grade, pending
the coming of a vacancy, and. turning
quickly Norman's astonished eyes fell upon
the foremost of the squad In cheap. lift
ting blue-it was Theodore Lane.
Three days later. Just before the blessed
Christina slide ushered In, there came
a sensation beside which this was forgot
zen Late in the afternoon six companies
of the regiment c among them, had been
loaded on fat cars and sent jolting slowly