The aegis & intelligencer., 1901-03-22
A Devoted Striker, Two Engage
. ments and q Freed Lieutenant.
By Gwendolen Overton.

! B, e~.naol.n ovsrsen. I
.-s-s-S-f-I--s-s
Throughout the department Strathmore
was known by the striker he kept. This
had its disadvantages, but the advan-
tages outweighed. No one could have
realized this better that Strathmore him
self, and yet sometimes he was moved in
the bosom Of the mess to complain. ut
Is telling on me-" he would insist. II am
slowly breaking down under the strain.
came across something in a French book
the other day about how few masters are
worthy to be valets. That's what / am
striving to be, and the failure Is telling
upon me. They used to-" he explained
complacently, "they used to say when my
name was mentioned from Dan to Beer
sheba: 'Strathmore, Strathmore Of the
s'teenth. Big. good looking chap "
Srathmore had picked up Chester's man
ner of speech" 'one of the Strathmores
of Boston, isn't he? Now it's 'Strath-
more? That's the chap Chester's strik-
ing forP Oh, yes, think I'll send Ches-
ter back to the troop"
Which, Of course, he never did. Apart
from the fact that he could never have
done without him, he could not have had
the heart.
Chester had been as good a soldier as
he was a striker, but he had languished
under barrack rule. Exactly for the rea-
son that he never said SO, 1t was plain
that he had been used to better things.
It was SO plain that Strathmore would
never have thought of suggesting to
him to become q body servant had not
Chester himself, when a desperado's
bullet had left the position va
cant, volunteered. As q striker Ches-
ter had many little luxuries that he had
lacked before-his own room. his own
bathtub and the run Of his masters small
but choice library. With the help of
draperies and blankets that Strathmore
let him have and with that Of some pot
ted plants he managed upon his own ac-
count he transformed the room into quite
q sybaritic retreat, and his literary dis
elimination was a thing to wonder at.
He tackled up colored supplements of the
London Christmas papers, and there was
a photograph-tust one-on his mantel-
piece. 1t was of a woman who had soft
eyes and hair and lovely mouth. Strath-
more ventured to ask who it was one day.
and Chester told him that It was "an
English woman, sir"
Now, this was In Texas In the early
days shortly after the war. in the State
Of the Lone Stars palmiest time. There
was much drinking In the land and much
poker as well, no pious general having as
yet arisen to bid gambling cease. There
was also sorue shooting, but Of unattach-
ed women there were sadly few, and
those that there were were generally not
very nice This condition Of affairs led
to a good many unfortunate things. Any
man prefers even a second rate woman to
none at all. and any man, being deprived
Of standard Of comparison for a length
Of time. will come to think that an ex-
ceedingly poor article is superior enough
after all.
That was what happened to Strath-
more. He should have known better,
because his youth had been spent among
women who were lovely in every way,
but the memory Of man Is Shorthand he
was lonesome. There should be pro-
vision for this in the regulations. When
a man gets any Of the ills that frontier
service is apt to induce, they bundle him
of back east on a sick leave. Yet when
which Is infinitely more prejudicial to
the standing of the service-he reaches
the stage of loneliness where he would
marry the Witch Of Endor herself rather
than continue to be alone, there Is no one
to indorse his application to be sent
somewhere where he can find the proper
sort Of girl
Strathmore had been In the wilderness
a matter Of five years, and he was grad
ually, very gradually, lapsing from civili-
cation. The first intimation of this that
Chester had was that the lieutenant
made unnecessarily frequent calls at a
ranchhouse some ten miles from the res
ervation. Chester knew that girl lived
there-a dreadful girl, who had plump
ly pretty figure and face. but whose
speech was a thing to shudder at. and
whose name. besides being Halloran,
was Mamie Pearle. He also knew that
If that were not enough to set Strath-
more's teeth on edge he must be in a
very bad way.
All this worried Chester a 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 1t TO the
photograph, standing before the mantel-
piece with his hands jammed deep in his
trousers pockets and a 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 HALO
ran GIRL" he said, he'll want to shoot
himself and her the first time he goes
east"-Chester cherished a cynical kind
Of regret that he hadn't done as much
himself some time before-"or he'll COM
Al. L., -
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 forfendT
more In the sitting room and proffered a
most Unprecedented request. II shall
like, SIR" he said, Ito be given a fur
cred and frowned. "What'n become Of
me. Chester?" he asked plaintively. "NVhat
will doY'
"O'Toole has promised TO take by PLACE
sir. He was Captain Lacy's striker for
several years, and he knows his duties,
SIR"
Strathmore sighed. "Very good" he
agreed. with sufficiently poor grace. 81
expect III make out somehow"
Chester went away, feeling contempt
BILE and small, and Strathmore SAT and
reflected dismally that 1t was emergencies
Of this sort that drove a man to matri-
mony. He ought to have realized that
when a man marries because he thinks
the woman can be of use 10 him. rather
man he to her, he Is making a frave
mistake. But he fancied the vague dis
satisfaction with his present lot was the
yearning Of affection and believed more
than ever that he cared for Miss Halo
ran quite a creditable deal. Before 'Ches-
ter left the next day he stood in front Of
the photograph again. She'll 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 a devilish contemplate busi-
ness, I know it is. But, then, my fu-
ture's all behind me, and his is all ahead.
He's only a boy. He has all sorts Of
pull'-what a 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
muspd Hthaf tho A Anar;oop orp,r oforo