The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-12-21


encouragingly.
"You see, it's this way. We were
co-eds at college, and good friends
from the start. Indeed, everybody
considered us sweethearts. / never
asked her to marry me; we were
both too poor. But we have held on tn
each other, and if it hadn't been fer
this war suppose we would have BEEN
married in the end.
"But now that I have met Inez,
and know what love is, 1 feel that /
ought to tell Nelly the truth, espe-
cially as lately she has been writing
as il we were engaged"
There was silence for a moment,
and seeing he expected me to say
something, / answered.: "Yes, dare
say it is the best thing to do.
It's well to be on with the old love
Before you are on with the new"
Emlen looked reproachful. He had.
big, brown eyes which could actual
ly talk, and answered sorrowfully:
"You don't understand. have
never been in love with this girl, but
l really am fond of her, and / hope
we will always be friends. 1t is only
that she has taken too much for
granted, and it wouldn't be fair to
her to marry her, loving another
woman with all my soul"
His eyes had their effect. / was
sorry for him, in spite of myself; all
the more that I hadn't q bit of faith
in Senorita Inez.
"Oh, yes, understand perfectly,
and I'll ship your package all right.
I hope all may turn out happily, any
way. Honesty is the best policy"
That was the last time I ever saw
him alive. There was a skirmish
that night, and he was killed. shot
through the heart, and, dying, the
surgeon said, almost before he knew
he was hit.
When the doctor told me, / made
up my mind to deliberate lie and
breach of trust. 1 didn't believe Inez
would regret his death much, and !
knew that the Girl at Home would.
l asked the doctor to get me one OF
Emlen's curls Che had beautiful
hair), for his sweetheart at home.
Had he sweetheart at homer"
asked the doctor. slow about the
fair Inez?"
'Yes, he told me all about her."
answered. "As to the fair Inez, ]
think we are all more or less atten-
tive to her, even the married men,"
The doctor laughed. He had
wife at home, and he saw the point.
He got me the curl.
When 1 reached New York, l
opened the package Emlen had given
me and took out his letter to the
girl.
There was a ring in it, SO knew
that he had deceived me, and that
there had been an engagement after
all.
/ cut little hole in the corner Of
the envelope, and took out the ring
before burned the letter.
There was nothing else except
dozen letters, all in the same wom-
ans handwriting, and a photograph
of one of the sweetest faces ever
saw.
Then / wrote the girl letter, in
which told her how sorry was to
send her such tidings; that l had
heard about her from Emlen; that
he had given me those things to take
care of before he went into action,
and that / had thought she would
like to have a lock of his hair; every
word of which was Gospel truth, SO
far as it went.
I told her, too, what fine fellow
Emlen was; how popular in the bat
talon, and reminded her, for her
comfort, that since his death was in
Simultaneous, he was spared all suf-
fering, telling her, also, the pain
from gunshot wounds in a climate
like that of Cuba is something terri
bic.
Then / did up the package again,
addressed it in my own handwriting,
and shipped it to her by express,
knowing that had betrayed dead
comrades confidence and broken my
word. Yet, felt well satisfied with
myself, and was still more so when
/ received the girls letter of thanks.
You could see that she was heart
broken, crushed by her grief, but
pride in her dead hero was writ
ten between every line, and
felt that his memory was her most
precious consolation. 1t was easy
to see that the knowledge of his I'M
faith would have been worse to her
than his death, and SO / shall always
be glad that l lied to her about her
lost lover.
Matrlm0ny Follows the Flag.
A orood fcrx., lixso-