Williston graphic., 1903-10-15
An International
Episode
r.
Bv EDWARD b. CLARK

BY EDWARD b. CLARK
nETTY RAWLINS had bank ac-
- count, and a huge one at that. But
Betty had a greater fortune in her face,
for she was as pretty as spring beau
ty, and though she was perverse and
pouty when she wanted to be, she was
ordinarily as sweet as violet.
Betty lived in the summer time at
Lowland Glen, not many miles removed
from Fort Sherman, big garrison with
enough young officers on duty to fill
the ranks of company, had they been
forced to drop the sword and shoulder
the Krag-Jorgenson. Betty loved the
military-what girl doesn't?-and it
truth be told Betty's heart was set on
marrying into the soldiery, but she had
made up her mind secretly that she
couldn't think of looking at anything
less than a colonel, and when she
thought of it she sighed, for the colonels
in Uncle Sans regulars were all so
dreadfully old, and Betty was only 49,,
mind you.
! There was young Roy Lanyard sta
toned at Fort Sherman. He was mighty
good looking. Betty admitted this to
herself, and it wouldn't be bit hard
to love him, but Roy was only a acaptain,
and nothing but colonel would do.
Capt. Lanyard, to get into the middle
of things at once, was just as desper-
ately in love with Betty as young SOL
dier just old enough to know his own
mind can be. He didn't care a rap
about Betty's bank account; in fact,
he never gave 1t a thought. 1t was just
pretty Betty herself that he wanted, but
he didn't dare say SO.
Now, Betty had another failing, not
uncommon among American girls not old
enough thoroughly to understand that
Yankee husbands are the best in the
world, and that was a firm belief that
the ideal condition in married life would
be that which would come from a hus-
band who was a combination of Eng
lishman and English army officer. "The
colonels are younger over there" said
Betty to herself, "and they are all of
aristocratic family, and. oh, we'll, Eng
lishmen are just too lovely for any
thing"
The summer colony at Lowland Glen
was unusually large that season. There
were punches of swell doings, as the
slangy Yale cousin of Betty would put
it. The army officers from Fort Sher-
man were much in evidence, and one
young captain in particular was very
much in evidence in the vicinity of Miss
Betty Rawlins. Betty saw the evil
dence clearly, and how she did wish
that the president would retire some few
hundreds of superior officers so that
Roy Lanyard could tack the abbrevia-
ton "Col." to the front part of his
name.
One day there was excitement at
Lowland Glen. Mrs. Calumet had in
vited two Englishmen, one of them
an army officer, to spend the month with
them at their summer home The news
reached Betty the morning after the ar
rival of the Calumets' two guests.
Twenty young women had told her
about it. Let the girls alone for spread
ing news of this kind. "And Betty"
said one cf her informants, "one of the
Englishmen is colonel in his majesty's
service, and young and good looking at
that"
Betty's heart gave thump. "At last, "
she murm,,red to herself.
The next afternoon Betty met the Eng
lishman at the Dexter Country club. Her
heart fluttered little as the younger of
the two men-the other was old and
out of the running-was introduced to
her. Col. Reginald Southcote was his
name. 1t fairly rang of aristocracy and
militarism. Betty knew that he was a
sim0n-pure ,Englishman all right
enough, because of his name, his accent
and his clothes-which didn't fit,
For the next week Col. REGINALD
Southcote was Betty Rawlins' shadow.
Capt. Roy Lanyard looked on and was
miserable. Betty gave him two dances
and about three words during the entire
week.
mo show for one of Uncle Sans
poor artillerymen when there's one of
King Edwards men with a drawl and
. monocle about" sighed poor Capt.
Roy.
Col. Reginald southcote was not long
tn finding out that Betty Rawlins had
. pot Of money. ana that she adored