The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1901-01-25
Observation-Disclosures
; The means and the End. 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

set ctrdLnInOfe teeth on edge, ne must /
be IN a very bad way.
All this worried Chester a great deal i
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 damned
deep In his trousers pockets and a
pucker on his brow, which was fair to
the line OF the cap and quite crimson
freckled-face Halloran girl" he said,
hell want to shoot himself and her
the first time he goes East"-Chester
cherished cynical kind Of regret that
be 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 II / have 10
marry her myself. Which heaven fore
fendr'
The next afternoon he found Strath-
more in the sltting-roOm and proffered
a most unprecedented request. Il shall
like. sir" lie said, ito be given a fur
Tough for a week" Strathmore consid-
cred and frowned. "Whatn become OF
me, Chester?" he asked plalntively;
what viii doT'
"O'Toole has promised to take my
place, sir. He was Captain Laey's
striker for several years, and he knows
his duties, sir"
Strathmore sighed. Very good" he
agreed. with sufficiently poor grace, Il
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 dismally that it was emergen-
cies Of this sort that drove a man to
matrimony. He ought to have realized
| that when a man marries because he
thinks the woman can be Of use to him,
rather than he to her, he is making
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 Chester 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 90.
It's a devilish contemplate business,
know it is. But then-my futures all
behind me; and his is all ahead. He's
only 4 boy. He has all sorts Of pull
what a striker does not know about his
master is not worth considering at all
''he viii be able to get anything he asks
for in Washington Not he unused
that the American army offers much
for young man just now. But he car
get all it can give. II he behaves him
self and marries the right kind-or bet
ter yet. doesn't marry at au-he may
rise to the soaring height Of an attache
ship. All things are possible viii
pull"
He stopped and bent down to knOel
! the ashes from his brier-pipe into III,
, fireplace. Then he took the photograph
/ in his hand and started TO put it in III,
: grip that lay on his bunk. But b,
changed his mind and tucked It into tn.
2 tray of his trunk instead. And he gave
it a last look as he closed down III,
S lid. IN which case" he finished. a
: he turned the key, "he would be yer!
S likely to meet you"
I A hunting leave is only a week long
A But a great deal can happen in a weel
I to a soldier who has cut loose and is &C
+ countable TO no one, or to a Heutenan
j, madly determined to become just tn
other way. What happened to Strath
+ more was, in sum. this:
:. The day after O'Toole took charge h
i rode over to the Halloran ranch. an
= when he came back he was engaged I
S marry Mamie Pearle. When it wa
e done and he sat down to think. b
: found that he was not radiantly happ
e as he had expected to be. But the wa
/ the sltting-rOom had been busted tina
n morning had disguised him. once an
/ for all, with single life. The next da
z he was officer OF the day and couldn
4 leave the post. The day after that b
ie had a cold which he had caught maxim
n his rounds. and It confined him TO h
20 house.
e As for Chester. the way he put in h
sr time never did become quite clear. b.
for a period OF six days there was
r strange EnglishmaD in town some d
Is teen miles the other side OF the Halo
N an ranch; some twenty-five miles III:
is is, or more. from the post. 1t was
n mud town. and its hotel was as bad ,
Is its reputation. but the Engl.shma
N stayed there He wore a c0nspicuol