Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-09

and he would not have made this request
without considering it carefully beforehand.
In her uncertainty she went for advice
to Mrs. Whipple, the wife of a retired army
officer, who had been her mothers friend.
Mrs. Whipple was a woman of wide social
experience and unusual common sense. She
had settled in her day many of those dis
tIeSSing complications which arise at mill
tary posts in times Of national peace.
Young officers still came to her for advice
in their love affairs, which she always
| took seriously, but not too seriously. Wary
Raridan maintained unjustly that Mrs.
Whipples advice was bad, but that 1t did
the soul good to see how much joy she got
out of giving 1t. The army had communi-
| Gated both social dignity and liveliness to
Clarkson. as to many western cities which
had military posts for neighbors In the
old times when civilians were busy with
the struggle for bread and had little OPP
portunity for social recreation, army men
and women had leisure for a punctilious
courtesy. The mule-drawn ambulance was
picturesque feature of the urban land
scape as 1t bore the army women about the
rough streets of the new cities; it was not
elegant, but 1t was SO eminently respect
able! There might be an occasional colonel
that was snob, or a major that drank too
| much; or Mrs. Colonel who was a triae
too conscious of her rights over her sisters
at the post, Mrs. Major whose
syntaX was unbearable; but the stars
and stripes covered them all, even as
they cover worse people and worse errors in
our civil administrators
1t gave Evelyn a pleasant sensation TO
find herself again in the little Whipple par
lor. The furniture was the same that she
remembered of old in the commandments
house at the fort. 1t had at last found re-
pose, for the Whipples marching days were
over. They made an effort to have an In
dian room. where they kept their books,
but they RETAINED from calling the place a
library. On the walls were the headjress
Of Sioux chief, and a few colored photo
graphs of red men, the couch was covered
with a Navajo blanket, and on the floor
were wolf and bear skins. When chairs
were needed for callers, the general brought
them In from other rooms; he himself sat
in a canvas camp chair, which, he said
was more comfortable than any other kind
but which was prone to collapse under a
civilian. The wastepaper basket by the
generals table and basket for fire wood
were of Indian make, dyed in dull shades
of red and green.
MY dear child" Mrs Whipple began,
when Evelyn had explained her Grand
this is very pretty compliment they're
paying you-con't you know that?'
Yes, but I don't want it,, declared the
girl, with emphasis.
THAT is wholly unreasonable. There are
girls In Clarkson that could not afford to
take it, the strength of your position is
that you can afford to do it! It's not going
to lnJure you in any way; can't you see
that? Everybody knows all about you
that you naturally wouldn't want it. Why
there's that Margrave girl, whose father
does something other in one of the rail-
ways-she had this honor that Is worrying
you two years ago, and her father and all
his friends worked hard to get it for her,
Evelyn laughed at her friends earnest
ness. I'm afraid your re trying to lift this
to an impersonal plane but I'm considering
myself in this matter. l simply don't want
to be mixed up in that kind of thing"
These business men work awfully hard
for all of u.s. Mrs. Whipple continued. 1T
seems to me that their daily business con-
tests and troubles are fiercer than real
wars. I'd lot rather take my chances in
the army than in commercial lfe-if l were
doing 1t all over again-that Is, from the
woman's side. The government always
gives us our bread II it can't supply the
butter; and If the poor men lose fight they
are forgiven, and we still eat But in the
business battle" she shrugged her Shout
ders to Indicate the sorry plight of the van
pushed.
Yes. suppose that's all true" Evelyn
conceded. But you mustn't be so abb
stract! / really haven't a philosophical
mind came here to ask you to tell me
how to get out of this. but you seem to be
urging me int!
Mrs Whipple rallied her forces while she
poured the iced tea which a maid had
brought.
1--WE can't always have our 'ruthers'
Now this looks like very large sacrifice
Of comfort and dignity to you. I'll grant
you the discomfort. but not any loss Of