Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-12
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DAILY SHORT STORY
A STORY BETWEEN THE ACTS.

from his seat in . ccw rows before us
and strolled 10 the foyer.
Did you notice that old gentleman:"
asked my companion.
The handsome Ole fellow who has
been sitting alone and got up and went
out aloneT'
HE isn't alone Did you notice that
he walked as if he were attending
some one. The seat next on his right
Is his as well as the one he occupies"
What does it all meanY' 1 asked,
mystified.
I'll tell you. He's Colonel Pinchot.
a veteran of the civil war. as appears
by the button lie wears in his lapel. He
typifies the extremes of love and hate.
He fought the southerners fiercely and
loved a daughter of the south devoted
ly. When he was with Sherman on
his way to the sea. Pinchot then cap
tain, was one day i'll command of a
foraging party On coming to q plan
tation he was appropria-ing the family
stores when a girl carae out on the
veranda where he stood and looked at
him. That's all she did. looked at him.
well. Pinchot talked with her
awhile. after which he told his men TO
drop the stores and go on to the next
plantation. but the eyes that had dis
armed him were looking into his and
kept on looking into his. When peace
came he went back to the plantation
and married the girl. She was only
seventeen when ne first saw her and
nineteen when they We're married.
Pinchot at the end OF the war was
transferred to the regular army and
has been there ever since. He was 4
typical cavalryman before he met the
little southern girl. a daredevil and the
life of the officers mess. AS soon as he
married he settled down, dropping en-
tirely out of his wild ways, and his
former friends said, What A pity for
such a fine fellow to be spoiled by petit |
coats
1.-The wife was as devoted to the hus-
band as he was to her. 1t seemed to be
one of those natural matings, just like
two birds in springtime. When Pin
chot was ordered out, as he often was. |
to fight Indians he became devil |
again. but his comrades said he was SO
anxious to get back to his wife that he
wanted to kill all the Indians at once. |
At any rate lie was terribly impatient |
and OH one occasion attacked without |
orders. Had he not routed the redskins |
he would have been court martialed |
for disobedience of orders and reckless |
ness. When he returned to the post he |
asked permission to ride ahead of the |
command. They say that to see the |
couple meet after one of these absences |
was enough to make every bachelor Il |
married man.
"One day orders came for Pinchot to |
go and drive some unruiy indians back |
ON TO their reservation. His wife was
ill at the time. and he was nearly fran
tic at having TO leave her. His COM
mander offered to send some one in his
place, but Pinchot knew this was not
soldierly and declined. He went on his
mission, marched his men night and
day. accomplished his object and re-
turned in half the time expected. When
he rode into the garrison his wife was
dead.
1T has been whispered that the night
after the funeral Pinchot went out to
his wifes grave with the intention of
committing suicide, but was watched
and prevented. One morning later on
found him at breakfast. A plate was
set opposite, where his wife used to
sit, and PinchOt acted exactly as il he
considered her present. After that ev-
erybOdy at the garrison came to notice
that when he walked out he seemed to
be attending some one. He talked to
himself, or, rather. to the invisible per-
son Beside him. No one disturbed him
in his hallucination or whatever 1t was,
and on one occasion when he intro
duced an officer, a newcomer, to Mrs.
Pinchot the man. who had been in
structed, bowed deferentially.
''Pinchot was just as good an officer
as before and just as brave q man. but
wherever he served he cast gloom on
the garrison and attracted attention
from strangers. 4 commission was ap-
pointed 10 look into the matter. They
did not bring the colonel before them.
They came to decision from their
knowledge of his case They unani-
mously recommended his retirement.
'Since then the colonel, who is alone
in one sense and with a companion in
another. goes about where fancy takes
him-travels lives in his own house;
indeed, follows his own inclinationS.
When he takes a train he buys two
tickets. When he goes to the theater
he takes two seats. Some of his old
friends of the Army and Navy club
elected him there. thinking it would
serve him in his loneliness. But he
declined to join. He never goes among
men or among women exclusively.
Sometimes he accepts invitations
where both sexes are invited. but al
ways deferentially attends his invisi-
bic wife,
The members of the orchestra be-
gan to come up from under tie stage
and after a few scrapings the con-
ductor waved his baton. and they
struck up lively air The old gentle
nis