The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-02-12
A WOMAN'S 1azaa 'a
DEVOTION
TOriginal.1

| lOIlSliidll
Ono s0mmer while on a bicycle tour
stopped at evening on the banks of a
lake beautifully situated and looked
about for place to spend the night.
"A farmer came along driving a yoke Of
steers, and he told me there was but
one house in the neighborhood that
would be agreeable to me, Captain
Laurence's, but the captain was gen.
tleman and did not take in strangers.
Mounting my wheel, rode around the
lake till came to the house in ques-
ton.
1t was one Of the contest homes
have ever seen, built on an angle
formed by the lake and a stream.
Great overhanging trees shaded it, and
tie house was covered with vine. a
gentleman sat on the porch reading
magazine. l spoke to him, told him my
situation, and after going inside for
moment, to consult his wife, suppose,
he returned and invited me to be his
guest till morning. most gratefully
accepted.
1 sat down to dainty supper with a
family consisting Of the captain, his
wife, refined woman with whose APP
pearance l was especially struck, and
several boys and girls of various ages.
After the others had gone to bed the
captain and sat on porch overhang-
ing the lake, smoking.
II know of a Captain laurence"
said, though never saw him. You
can't be he, because he went to the
bad"
Captain L. G. T. Laurence of the
til United States artillery?'
Eyes"
II am the man,
1 was astonished. The Laurence I
referred to had been one of the most
promising young officers in the army,
but, having been caught cheating at
cards, was cut by all his comrades and
was forced to resign.
eff had known that you had ever
heard Of me-" said Captain Laurence,
II would not have invited you to stay
over night. AS it is, may make it less
embarrassing for you for have
ceased to feel embarrassed about my
disgrace) by telling you how it oc-
CURED. If you believe my story, you
will rest more pleasantly tonight under
my roof; If not, I will have done all in
my power to make you comfortable
my early years in the army were
spent in q seacoast fertilization isolat-
ed, especially in winter, from the rest
Of the world. To pass the time we
played poker, for awhile for money,
distasteful to me 1 finally declined to
play for stakes, whereupon we played
for chips. This not proving interesting,
we began to cheat one another, study
ing different methods, some Of us be-
coming quite expert. We would play q
game Of freeze out'-that is, any man
caught cheating was ruled out, the 9TH
ers playing on till all had been caught
but one, who was the winner. We
played this game necessarily one win
ter and found it more exciting than a
game for real stakes played legitimate
". At the end of the season I was de-
clared the best cheat of the party, hav-
others.
"In the spring was ordered to one
Of the principal posts in the west, in
which were located the headquarters
of the department. There I met the
daughter Of the general commanding,
to whom became engaged. Poker is
common in the army and was univer-
sally played at Fort -, but my dis
taste for the game was so great that
declined to play. However, one even
ing was standing over poker table,
and the players looked so social that ]
decided to take hand.
"Half an hour passed without any
change whatever in my finances. In
fact, the game proved so uninterest-
ing to me that my thoughts wandered
was thinking of the girl l had re
Gently won and the happiness in store
for me. I was soon to be ordered tc
the command Of an arsenal, where
would have an opportunity to use my
scientific knowledge and perfect new
gun I had invented. All these matters
were passing through my mind, and
the game was playing was absolutely
forgotten. Suddenly heard one OF
the company say:
"'Captain Laurence, you are 8
swindler.'
| "All rose from the table, some look
| ing at me with establishment, Others
| glancing at me. One who had beer
looking over my hands declared thai
he had not only seen me cheat once
but several times.
II awoke to the consciousness tina
during my observation-disclosures / hat
dropped into the habit formed during
the previous winter. What would i
avail me to assert my innocence?
was ruined.
Gentlemen I began and stopped
Why make defense that would no
be believed? / covered my face will
| my hands, turned and left the room.
"The next morning I was cut b.