The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1905-02-23
a REPUTATION
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Not the martial music, dress parade, |
guard mounting. indeed, any or all the
fascinating attendants Of military life.
can relieve the tedium that comes over
remote post when the inmates have
once seen enough Of one another. SO
thought pretty Mrs. Gessnor, the young
wife of Lieutenant Earl Gessnor, and
when it was announced that her hus-
bands chum at West Point was COM
ing to join them she was greatly
pleased.
For a week after Whites arrival
he and his friend Gessnor were in
separaHe; then Gessnor was ordered
away on special duty to be gone
several weeks He told White that his
| wife, who was city bred, found it duh
at the post and charged him to keep
her in spirits.
White began by acceding to his
| friends request, but soon discovered
| that Mrs. Gessnor was being carried
| off her feet in mad passion for him.
Reserve, even hauteur, on his part
| availed nothing to check her. To avoid
| trouble he secured an order Temporal
rily taking him away from the post.
One morning he rode away on horse
back Mrs. Gessnor called for her
| horse and rode after him to bring him
| back Whether her recklessness had
suddenly become apparent to her and
she feared his absence might attract
attention to her folly or whether she
could not endure his Ill opinion, she
did not know herself She was shoot
ing like shuttle from one emotion
to another.
There was at the post a Mrs. Major
Walsh, who had long known and looked
upon Lieutenant White with covetous
eyes. 1t so happened that on the morn
ing Of Whites departure Mrs. Walsh
was being driven by an orderly In
blackboard on the road he had taken.
and she suddenly came upon him plead
ing with Mrs. Gessnor, who sat In the
saddle irresolute. That. threw the win
ming cards into the hands of Mrs.
Walsh Conscious of her advantage
she was In no haste. She waited until
Gessnor had returned and White had
returned, then opened distressing fire
on White
cool head. The problem before him
was to save Mrs. Gessnor from the con-
sequences Of her rashness, himself from
!, the charge of taking advantage of q
: brother officer through his wife and to
save the friendship existing between
himself and Gessnor. This problem he
considered for hours, and 1t seemed to
him that every move he might make
must be In the wrong direction. How
ever, he formed a plan and set about
putting 1t into operation. He convinced
Mrs. Walsh that be was not In love
t with her rival, but was in love with
| her. 1t Is not difficult for us to be
{ lieye what we want to believe, and the
3 | first part Of the proposition was as true
) as the latter part was false. Mrs. Cess
5 nor was much liked by the ladies OF
t the post and was above suspicion, while
Mrs. Walsh was neither liked nor trust
D ed So far so good.
: But White could not long be devotet
] to the latter. He must find means a
once to spike the gun with which sht
; would kill Mrs. Gessnor. There Wa:
4 also an enemy in his rear In Mrs. Cess
: nor, who, despite her perilous position
: could not bear to see the man sh'
! adored devoted to her enemy. He hat
two women to manage, both of whom
were in love with him and either Q
whom was liable to commit harikar
3 to injure the other.
: One night the officers Of the post 60
O up masquerade. 1t was in the warn
f season and there was to be dancing o.
i the parade rs well as in the officers
II mess hall. The weather was super
n and the moon at the full. No fancy cos
. tunes could be procured at an arm
n post, far from civilization. SO the Ia
r dies made Up number Of dominos 9
different colors which were to be use
q instead
o During the festivities Lieutenan
"a Gessnor noticed a masculine figure i
d a yellow domino and feminine tigur
IT in d red domino 60 out into the opel
id At the same time figure In whit
1e domino slipped UP beside Gessnor an
le whispered, Watch the red
" Gessnor followed the couple out on
the veranda and on to the parad'
b. There they danced in set that wa
ly forming as they arrived. after whic
Lh they strolled about, getting farther an
i'll farther from the masGueraders TIL the
to reached q clump of trees back of Il
TX officers quarters and sat down on
rustic bench.
Though tine couple We're in shade
- Gessnor could see them plainly from
- distance. Suddenly he saw the ma
- take the woman in his arms and raj
her mask for a kiss. Infuriated. Ges
~ nor rushed forward, tore off the wor
., ans mask and revealed-Mrs. Maj
o. Walsh.
Gessnor, declining to look into Il
identity Of the man. turned on his ne
~ and left them.
Such was the result of Lieutena
en- Whites plot He had learned the col
of Mrs. WaIsh's domino, then instrut
ed Mrs Gessnor to tell her husbal
as that she would wear a red one herse
I'm but to put on a white one instead.
was Mrs. Gessnor who had whisper