The sun., 1901-01-03

citu ktt uh ~ tdh hAVSs - N2S DN.'e>' - |
himself and marries the right kind, or,
better yet, doesn't marry at all. he may
rise to the roaring height Of an attache.
ship. All things are possible with pull
He stopped and bent down to knock
the ashes from his brier pipe into the fire
place. Then he took the photograph in
his hand and started to put 1t in the grip
that lay on his bunk. But he changed
his mind and tucked It into the tray of
his trunk instead. And he gave it last
look rs he closed down the lid. I'm
which case," he finished as he turned the
key, che would be very likely to meet
you."
A hunting leave Is only week long.
But a great deal can happen In week
to a soldier who has cut loose and Is
accountable to no one or to lieutenant
madly determined to become just the
other way. What happened to Strath-
more was, in sum, this:
The day after O'Toole took charge he
rode over to the Halloran ranch, and
when he came back he was engaged to
marry Mamie Pearle. When 1t was
done and he sat down to think, he found
] that he was not so radiantly happy as he
| had expected TO be. But the way the sit
| ting room had been busted that morning
| had dsgusted him once and for oil with
single life. The next day he was officer
| OF the day and couldn't leave the post.
| The day after that he had cold, which
he had caught making his rounds, and 1t
confined him to the house.
| As for Chester, the way he put In his
time never did become quite clear, but
for period of six days there was
strange Engishman in town some 10
miles the other side Of the Halloran
ranch-some 20 miles. that Is, or more
| from the post. 1t was mud town, and
| its hotel was as bad as Its reputation,
but the Englishman staid there. He
wore conspicuous suit OF clothes and
spent money ostentntiously. He let it
be understood that his name was Lovatt
and that he was lord; also, that he was
travelling through the west and might. II
he fancied the country, buy ranch. 1t
j was probably with that end in view that
he rode almost at oGce to the Halloran
place and explained to the haciendado
that he would like to be shown how a
ranch was run. He met Miss Halloran,
and her father told him that she was
engaged to lieutenant at the neighbor-
ing post, but that severe cold was con-
fining the officer to his house. He ex-
l
the lieutenant some day, and Lovatt
hoped that he would. 1t was possibly in
this hope that he called at the ranch for
six successive days, but always. had he
known it, at an hour when 1t was quite
unlikely that any one would be coming
over from the post. After that they
saw him no more.
On the evening of the seventh day
Chester was in charge Of Strathmore's
quarters again. Strathmore was recov.
ering from the cold, and he told Chester
that he had missed him profanely much
Everything had gone wrong. He asked
what the striker had been doing with his
time.
Chester threw an armful of wood upor
the fire and stood up, brushing the chips
, from his sleeve. "Well. SIR" he answer
ed, 81 have been getting engaged"
Strathmore's jaw fell. That meant that
he would have to hunt up new striker
, Of course. Then he remembered Mani,
Pearle. "That's rather coincidence
| Chester; so have L."
t Chester's congratulation was respectful
but not so cordial as Il might have been
; II shall ask your permission and the cap
, tain's to marry, sir" he said.
| Strathmore accorded his own. "But
i shall be sorry to lose you, Chester; yer!
sorry. What is the girls nameT
ish face. He was finding out that savin,
another is not all heroism necessarily
He produced piece of paper from hi
: pocket--a piece Of 6imsy, ruled, pink pa
, per stamped with white dove. Strath
, more gave little start. But Chester
was doing this because he thought it bes
! to deal the final blow at once, not t.
7 mince matters in the leasf. and he die
not hesitate. He smoothed out the sheet
That's the name, sir" he said.
Strathmore read it. II was Mamie
Pearle.
'"fhe last name." Chester explained, 81.
Halloran. She's the daughter of Halo
> ran OF the ranch"
"Oh." snid Strathinorp dryly. His ey,
had caught misspelled assurance of en-
during love. oh" he repeated. "Ant
! may ask IL she knows who you are?"
Chester grew more red still. "WelI"-
he reflected that an entirely honest in
tent could never be prefixed by tina
Yankee word-1well. sir, | began by let
! ting her think that my name was Lovat
part of 1t really is, strand that wa.
titled and rich, which ! am not, but
he plucked up courage as he went on
IF she loves me, of course it will be al
right"
Strathmore handed him back the note
@And IL she doesn'tP
Tit will still be oil right"
Strathmore did not try to understand
His opinion OF Chester had fallen very
low. As for his opinion of Mamie Pearle
he realized suddenly that it had not drop
ped half SO far.
y
IL was almost retreat on the following
day when he took to Chester's room {
bundle of London papers that had just
come by the stage. He cast a quicl
look around. 81 see you've got the pho
tograph of the girl out again." he com
mented.
Chester nodded, but added, with the
faintest shadow on his face, "She's q
married woman, SIR"
"Yes," said Strathmore and turned te
leave the room.
"Oh, lieutenant" Chester called
Strathmore stopped. "I thought you
might like to know, sir, that I'm moi
engaged any more"
For full half minute Strathmore look
ed into the Engishman's impenetra bic
blue eyes. Then there came a twinkle
in his own. ut seems to be another
coincidence, Chester" he said quietly
for neither am i."-Argonaut.