Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1901-02-01
ssSG&9S&2sSG3SG&
B The means and The End,
Observation-Disclosures

hHeW lHdI IL ludC WeT HOT enough TO
set trathmore's teeth edge, he must
be in very bad way.
All this worried Chester great deal.
Frequent contemplation of his one pho
tograph had furnished him with the
standard Of comparison which Strath-
more lacked, and he could see what the
outcome of things as they were going
was bound to be. He explained it to
the photograph, standing before the
mantel-piece with his hands jammed
deep In his trousers pockets and
pucker on his brow, which was fair to
the line of the cap and quite crimson
from there down. "If he marries that
freckled-face Halloran girl" he said,
he'll want to shoot himself and her
the first time he goes East''-Chester
cherished cynical kind Of regret that
he hadn't done as much himself some
time before-"or he'll compromise and
take to drink Instead. No." he nodded
his head decisively, "he shall not marry
Mamie Pearle, not"-he looked at the
picture a long time-''not if l have to
marry her myself. Which heaven tore
fendw
The next afternoon he found Strath-
more in the sitting-room and proffered
a most unprecedented request. 81 shall
like, sir" he said, "to be given a fur
Tough for week." Strathmore consid-
cred and frowned. "What'll become of
me, ChesterT" he asked plalntlvely;
what will do?"
"O'Toole has promised to take my
place, sir. He was Captain Lacy's
striker for several years, and he knows
his duties, SIR"
Strathmore sighed. "yery good" he
agreed with sufficiently poor grace, 81
expect I'll make out somehow. Put in
your application with the morning re-
port"
Chester went away, feeling contemp-
tible and small and Strathmore sat and
reflected dsmally that it was emergen-
cies of this sort that drove a man to
matrimony. He ought to have realized
that when man marries because he
rather than he to her, he is making a
grave mistake. But he fancied the
vague dissatisfaction with his present
lot was the yearning of affection, and
believed more than ever that he cared
for Miss Halloran quite credita Bile
deal. Before Chester left the next day
he stood in frortt of the photograph
again. Shell wear curl-papers and his
forage-cap and cape" he reflected
aloud. That was his notion of the point
beyond which vulgarity could not go.
Its devilish contemplate business,
l know it is. But then-my futures all
behind me; and his is all ahead. He's
only boy. He has all sorts of pulp
what striker does not know about his
master is not worth considering at all
'he will be able to get anything he asks
for in Washington. Not" he mused,
that the American army offers much
for young man just now. But he can
get all 1t can give. If he behaves him
self and marrles the right kind-or bet
ter yet, doesn't marry at all-he may
rise to the soaring 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
fireplace. Then he took the photograph
in his hand and started to put it in the
grip that lay on his bunk. But he
oh n N 0ad bic mind ond f,,oly al ~ tn+o ~, -.
tray of his trunk instead. And he gave
1t last look as he closed down the
lid. "In which case" he finished, as
he turned the key, ''he would be very
likely to meet you"
A hunting leave Is only week long.
But a great deal can happen In a week
to soldier who has cut loose and Is ac-
countable to no one, or to a 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 ana ne sat down TO think, he
found that he was not radiantly happy
as he had expected to be. But the way
the sitting-room had been busted that
morning had dlsgusted him, once and
for all, with single life. The next day
he was officer of the day and couldn't
leave the post. The day after that he
had a 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 a
strange Engllshman in town some fif-
teen miles the other side Of the Hallor-
an ranch; some twenty-five miles that
| ig or more from thq most II xyoq "a