The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-02-09

he'll compromise and take to drink
instead. No." he nodded his head
decisiyely, ''he shall not marry Mamie
Pearle, not'-he looked ut the picture
q long time--"not If I have to marry
her myself. Which heaven forefend"
Tho next afternoon he found Strath-
more In the sitting-room and preferred
most unprecedented request. u
should like. SIR" he said. 'to be given
furlough for week." Strathmorc
considered and frowned. "Whatll be-
come of me, Chester" he asked. plain
lively; ''what will do?
"O'Toole has promised to take ray
place, sir. He was Captain Lacy's
striker for several years. and he
knows his duties, SIR"
Strathmore sighed. Every good" he |
agreed, with sufficiently poor grace,
81 expect I'll make out somehow. Put
In your application with the morning
report"
Chester went away, feeling contemp-
tible and small, and Strathmore sat
and reflected dismaily that it was
emergencies Of this sort that drove a
man to matrimony. He ought to have
realized that when man marries
| because he thinks the woman can be
of use to him, 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 a creditable deal. Before Ches-
ter left the next day he stood In front
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. "It's devil
tsh contemplate business, know 1t
Is. But then-my futures all behind
me; and he is all ahead. He's only
boy. He has all sorts Of pull''-what
a striker does not know about his mas
| ter 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 q young man just now. But de
D can get all 1t can give. If he behaves
I himself and marrles the right kind
I or better vet, doesn't marry at all
: he may rise to the soaring height Of
= an attacheship. All things are posi-
BILE with pull"
he stopped and bent down to knocH
the ashes from his brier-pipe into tt't
. fireplace. Then he took the photo
: graph In his hand and started to pu
: 1t in the grip that lay on his bunk Blu
he changed his mind and tucked 1t IN
!. to the tray of his trunk instead. Ant
= he gave 1t last look as he CLOSED
down the Id. "In which case" b
- finished, as he turned the key. III
y would be very likely to meet you"
" A hunting leave Is only week long
But q great deal can happen IN
u week to a soldier who has cut loos
and is accountable to no one. or to
~ ~ lieutenant madly determined to b
~ come lust the other way. What hal
ie peped to Strathmore was, In sum, thi'
y The day after O'Toole took chare
I'll no rode over to the Halloran rancl
and when he came back he was el
~ gagged to marry Mamie Pearle. VINE
us It was done and he sat down to thln
's' ne found that he was not so radiant
happy as he had expected to be. b
no the way the sitting-room had Dee
busted that morning had disguise
'so him. once and for all, with single III
.. The next day he was officer OF the Oh
iu and couldn't leave the spot. The d'
io' otter that he had q cold which he III
m caught making his rounds, and II CO
So fined him to the house.
-" AS for Chester. the way he put
his time never did become quite cie'
IN But for a period Of six days there ="
m a strange Englishman In town sol
VI fifteen miles the other side OF Hal
ran ranch; some twenty-five miles II
I@n' f. or more, from the post. 1t was
'ei, mud town, and its hotel was as Q
en' ms its reputation. but the Engiishm
!" STAYED there. He wore a conspicu(
Ia" suit of clothes, and spent money
ere tentatlously. He let it be understt
'ne that his name was Lovatt, and Il
Ans he was a lord; also, that he was IT
ap' cling through the West, and might
acA he fancied the country. buy ran
''cn It was probably with that end IN VI
.ne that he rode almost at once TO
cue ualloran place and explained to
'uiu hoc,endado that he would like to
81" shown how a ranch was run. he
ieic Miss Halloran, and her father TOLD
! W that che vas engaged to a heuten
nnu Mt the neighboring post, but tina
severe cold was combining the OH
o.. to his house. He expressed v
ne TINT Lovett might meet the iieuten
ups some day, and Lovett hoped tnat
inu would. 1t was possibly IN TINS
"as that he called at the rancn Ior
my successive days, but always-nao
49,. known tat en- hour When ~
unite unlikely that anyone wouio
-. coming over from the post AFTER
aoon they saw him no more.
On the evening Of the seventh
Ao0e Chester was In charge of Stratnm'
- 20 quarters again. Strathmore was
-. covering from the cold, and ne
' Chester that he had missed him
fancly much. Everything had
aoo, wrong. He asked what the ST.
had been doing with his time.
with Ches.cr .n'" a.ooa nm hrus
..o the chips from his sleeve. well
- he answered, II have been getting
g ex. gagged"
nd:ne Strathmorcs Ja" ieii' in'' -
lands that he would nave " NUM-