Daily camera., 1901-07-31
That Will nut an end TO f."


That will put an end TO IT,"
"Dut think" persisted his better half,
cts Florence I'm troubled about. It's
she who may not soon get over it. Hers
is deep"
But here the captain arose and
amazed his wife by taking her in his
arms and speaking with choking sob
in his voice:
Don't talk of it, Dot!" he said. I'm
the one to blame. / never thought OF
Brownie as anything but child until
three days ago. I've been praying you
wouldn't see it-that there'd be nothing
more to see, but" and here the gray
stubble about the captains mouth be-
gan to twitch and work convulsively,
and he had to stop.
"You know he was engaged-to some
body-east. and it was broken OFF,
said Mrs. Tremaine, "ard / hadn't
thought of danger until just a day or
two ago Now--if he's going next
week, as he says--and she has learned
to care for him, what can we do?'
HE is going next week. said Ire
maine. "He told me yesterday be ought
to go now, and wished to go now. 1t
was Wells who forbade. But Grafton
always liked Merriam and Hayne be-
lieves in him. Our Florence might do
worse, Dot"
But do you understand?' she said,
do you realize that, Just from proximi-
ty perhaps, Florence may have learned
to care for him, while he is still thinking
Of his lost love?"
You mean that--you think it all
Florence and not Merriam?" he asked,
starting back, and holding her from
him, and looking with amaze and in
credulity into her eyes-straight into
her anxious, fearful face. why, Dot,
it isn't possible! She-he-he must
have learned to care for her. Itcorldn't
be otherwise. Only hadn't thought of
Floy except as a child, and l wasn't
prepared
Like many another father, to whom
daughter is as the apple of the eye,
Tremaine could see no fault, no failing
in his child. To him she was the fair
est, as she was the best, tondest, most
dutiful girl in the whole army. One of
his fayorite plans had been to take her
to West Point the previous summer,
and let her, as he said to himself,
'paralyze the corps One of the sweet
dreams he had often dreamed was of
the evening when, with Florence on his
n h. Ch4r,'i ,ar tho old
hall which he had not visited since it was
bravely decked for the 2Sth of August
hop, the year Of his marriage. He had
promised TO take her thither for the
graduating ball, and had pictured her
as the belle of the occasion, sought
eagerly by the cadets as their partner
for waltz or "two-step;" and, as in his
eyes she was the most perfect creature
that ever lived or moved, his one anX-
iety was lest the boys in gray, always
susceptible. should forget that Floy was
only a child and fall in love with her
forthwith. 1t never occurred to him as
possibility that FIoy in her turn might
fall in love. But there was no delicious
visit for Florence TO the Point that year
The moment examinations were over
at school her mother started with her
for the far west. and Tremaine met
them a. Santa Fe Junction. Then, after
one brief week OF Sedgwick, they had
started for the cantonment, and there
had led their uneventful life until the
coming of Randy Merriam, PROSTATE,
with the days of another June. And
now, while Florence was in tears and
hiding in her pretty room above stairs,
this errant, erring invalid warrior,
with no word or sign of being himself
sorely heart-srnitten, was determinedly
talking of going back forthwith to the
mountain trails. Tremaine would not
let his beloved helpmeet speak. either
TO Florence or TO Merriam, but he fully
meant TO say more words than one to
Merriam himself. and then he be-
thought him Of Dalrymple, and the
famous frock that doughty major
donned whenever he sailed forth to ask
the intentions of O'Malley's dashing
light dragons, and this reflection gave
him pause. Ii. either by accident or de-
sign, the heart of his precious child had
become wrapped up in Merriam, then
Merriam should not leave the post with
out an explanation. But there was yet
time. 1t might be that the poor fellow
was really sore smitten himself, and
that the tender but unconquered heart
of his daughter was touched with pity
for his suffering.
Meantime the culprit officer himself
had been carefully lifted into the doc
tors buggy, and with that excellent
practitioner was enjoying drive. The
one thing Wells could not understand
was that, while his patient rapidly gained
in health, flesh and appetite. he seemed
so odroop in spirits. Not one word had
he been told of Merriam's broken en-
gagement, beyond what Mrs. Tremaine
had impaired, and she could give but
scanty information. Merriam was
grateful for all the care and attention
lavished upon him, grateful for return
ing strength, for sunshine, fresh air,
and the brisk drive along the shores of
the winding Catamount, but Merriam
was silent, smiled but seldom, and
laughed not at all. Merriam was plain
ly troubled, and that night, when Mrs.
Tremaine asked her friend, the doctor,
how his patient enjoyed the drive, that
gentleman replied that if it did him
good he gave no sign. 81 believe" said
he, that Merriam's in love, and that's
why l cannot understand his eager
ness to get back to his troop" And the
mother leaped with hope. She, too, had
had other plans for Florence than that
she should marry a subaGern officer;
but if by chance Floy had chosen for
herself and fallen in love with one, it
could not have been without some per-
suasion, some pleading on his part. It
must be that he was the first 10 love
and to plainly show it,
That night Florence was very quiet
She read aloud to her father, as was her
custom, and chung to him as he kissed
her goodnight. Merriam had gone
early to his room, as though fatigued
L L., Il l,,,t l,~