Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-07-16

"About the meanest thing ever did,"
said Bass McPheeters, who had served
as a volunteer through the Cuban cam
paign, was to steal brandy off the
dead dagos. Every man Jack of them
had flask. 1 guess 1t was the worst
brandy ever distilled, but 1t tasted
mighty good to me, and, as I say.
stole 1t and drank it and felt like a
ghoul all the time"
"Ah, you're thin-skinned," growled
Heathcote, a Harvard man who had
come to be a Texas ranger because he
was plucked at West Point; "if you
want to feel real downright thirty
cents you ought to try peacemaking
between woman and a wife-beating
husband. I did. You remember 1t,
don't you, Harris? The time 1 came
back from Langtry in an ambulance?
l made peace between them all right,
but what they did to me between
them was plenty. Robbing dead
dagos Is Sabbath pastime compared
to peacemaking and twice as remuner-
ative."
Neither one of you knows what he's
talking about" drawled Lieutenant
Collins, who was doing his second year
on the frontier with his regiment, and
held the record as the only officer in
1t who was not pulling wires for de-
tached service. Zone of you is thief
and the other a fool, but can tell you
an experience that made me look like
thief and feel like a fool for long
time.
"You remember, Heathcote, while I
was at the academy was forever run
ming back to Cincinnati to spend day,
a week or month, or whatever time
could get on sick leave. bogus tele-
grams or other subterfuges. WE'LL they
were all bogus, but had reason, or
thought had, for going there so often.
Woman? Yes, of course it was 4 wom-
an. That is she was the making Of
fine and beautiful woman. She was
mere girl then, just come eighteen, and
as gentle and generous a soul as ever
lived. I might as well admit that I
had my heart set and my hopes built
on her and-lost. didn't find out that
part, the loss part, though, till my last
visit to Cincinnati, and as that's what
I started out to tell about, II Just be-
gin there.
"Well, 1 don't think Edith-that was
her name-I don't think she ever knew
how l felt toward her; you see was
never forehanded with women. or she
wouldn't have invited me to her thea
tire party. l don't know exactly how
her mother sprung 1t, but anyhow we
hadn't been in Ediths house five min
utes before everybody knew that she
was engaged to Herbert Humphreys,
spruce little dandy with light-colored
eyes and clothes that would have made
Freddie Gebhard look like a costermon-
ger. didn't like him first, last nor any
time, but Of course l was prejudiced
party.
"Well, I was assigned, that's what
you call it, 1 guess; l was assigned to
Fannie Ziegler-you know the Zieglers,
Heathcote? Brewers, you know, and
we went off to the theatre in a lot Of
carriages, the girls all talking about
the coming wedding and what lovely
doings would be pulled off, and what
a lovely ring that was Edith had, and
me-you can just guess how enjoyed
that theatre party. 1 don't remember
what the play was or who was in my
carriage besides Fannie or anything
about 1t except that one Of the party
was girl cousin Of Ddlth's who had
come from New Orleans to be leading
lady. or bridesmaid, or whatever it is
at the wedding.
"Well, sir, she was a sumner!
think If / hadn't been so faded on