The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-11-14
FOR LOVE OF A TOMBOY.
BY JOHN FORD.

FOR LOVE OF A TOMBOY.
BY JOHN FORD.
Reggie Cousins and Maurice Blount
had been close friends as long as the
former could remember. In casting
mental glances back across those year,
of affection and close union between
them l often wondered what had
prompted their intimacy in the first
place. Blount was some i've years older
than Cousins, being staid, rather mat
ter-of-fact man of 80 at the time when
Fate threw the two friends into the con.
slant society of Monica and Maudie Fir
lay, the coloneps orphaned nieces.
Blount, however, was captain and
Cousins merely lieutenant. He was
extremely boyish for his age, seldom
taking anything seriously. The whole
world seemed to be to him zone huge
JOKE" as he himself expressed it, but it
was his hearty laughter, his mischievous
pranks and his good-natured tempera.
ment that endeared him to all his fellow
officers. But first and foremost in the
young mans heart stood Maurice Blount.
This affection was fully returned, and
they were known as the ''Inseparables."
Ut course it was almost a foregone
conclusion that the arrival of Monica
and Maudie on the scene was bound to
make difference to one or other of the
two officers, although they had hitherto
been known to declare that neither H.
tended to marry, and that each found all
he could desire in the close comradeship
Of the other. But it was more than I'M
fortunate that they should simultan-
eously close their hearts and heads over
the younger of the sisters, Maudie
Monica was, if anything, lovelier than
Maudie, her gray eyes were full Of q
winsome usefulness that Won the hearts
of every one of us, always excepting
those OF the "Inseparables." It was APP
parently to be in their affairs of the
heart as in all thipgs-Cousins followed
in his seniors footsteps, laying his hand
and fortune at the feet of Maudie Fin
lay.
It was puzzle how they came to pass
over the sweeter, gentler, elder sister, to
fall victims to the boisterous, rather
tomboyish charms of the younger.
Maudie only tossed her head at them,
deighting in their devotion, which was
clearly Of the faithful-dog- fetch-and
carry order, merely because it gratified
her vanity, she having previously been
we'll informed that neither Capt. Blo,,nt
nor Lieut.. Cousins had ever been known
to fall in love before.
l was on sick leave at the time this
was happening, but I heard it all, with
somewhat exaggerated details, when I
rejoined; and the odd part of the bust
ness appeared to be that both apparent
ly saw through the girl they worshiped!
The elder man had been heard rebuk-
ing the younger for his foolishness i'll
allowing himself to be played with by
the heartless coquette; and the younger
man had been seen persuading Blounr
not to go near the fascinating Maud,e
on various occasions. It was mysterious,
to say the least.
At dances they We'd with each other in
obtaining the greatest number from the
younger Miss Finlay. At picnics they
outdid each other to the best of their
abilities in carrying tempting dishes to
Miss Mauiie, in seeing after her comfort
in every possible way. Neither of them
entered for the "thread and needle race"
at the sports because Maudie could not
NC PAL Cllei W CucIll UOCIl.
Ard all this while Monica was prac-
| tically left to herself; not that the en-
| tire regiment behaved as idiotically as
the "Inseparables," but because Monica,
quite early in the game, gave the others
to understand she did not require their
| attentions. The fellows chaffed me, say
ing it was only on account of my age
| that she tolerated my presence so gra-
| ciously, that no one would think if she
was seen about with a man old enough
to be her father.
| About the time that we received our
marching orders I noticed that Monica
had become rather paler than usual;
naturally wondered at it and whether
our move to Egypt had anything to do
with it. Then one day I saw Blount
looking at her; Monica's face was half
turned from nlm, and the view he had Of
it was perfect, felt sure. knew her
| profile SO well and could fancy any mans
heart being stirred by it's beauty; for
all that l was puzzled by the look in
Blount's eyes and his lips were set in
4 hard straight lire across his teeth.
Then, for one brief moment Monica lifted
her sad gray eyes to his, and-he sighed.
| The next-she was gone, and Reggie
Cousins slipped his arm through that of
his friend, pulling him round with jerk,
and they both laughed. The laugh
thought q nervous one.
| Soon after that we sailed. "
The campaign of. 1879 was the first
| active service young Cousins had ever
seen, and I was interested in him and
his impressions more than in those of
Cur fellow officers. He was wildly ex-
cited on the voyage out, and by contrast
his very excitement appeared to make
the captains manner more staid, re-
served and unobtrusive. They were not,
however, quite SO much together as they