Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-05-03
BY THE
MONKEY"
DNAAA BY
Michael James
Copyright, 1905, by Ruby Douglas

voice, "up near the horses. These gal
liant cavalrymen like to be about
horses, you know"
A January thaw had left the clay
roads liquid. but Il hard freeze follow
Ing had reduced them 10 smooth iron,
and the rumble of the wagon on the
hard surface echoed far through the
breathless. glittering cold Of the moon
light.
II was the night of the Changers
party at Merritield town hall, five miles
from Slocum, and week before Bur
CESS had invited half dozen young
1 people of Slocum TO attend, riding over
in his sleigh The thaw had necessi-
tated the change from sleigh 10 wagon.
/ Il wish | hadn't come, | wish |
/ hadn't come" beat necessarily in
/ Gormley's brain 10 the steady clop-clop
/ Of the horses feet. Il had no business
I TO do It, Burgess is bOOr. He never
forgetS his money nor remembers his
I manners. What got into me, | won
derY and much more of the same sort
of self deception, for Gormley knew
perfectly why he was braving the nip
ping cold and Burgess thrusts. Moth
| ing but sudden death could have kept
him away. Sylvia Gerrish was there.
! But the Joy of being near her was
dashed by the thought that Burgess
was nearer still-beslde her, in fact.
To secure that coveted place their host
had boldly ordered his rival TO the
front seat.
ANY man with red blood in his veins
! could scarcely blame Burgess for his
maneuvering The girl was bewitch-
ing little figure, muffied IN furs, CO
quettish red tam-o'- -shanter setting or
her piquaut face and mischievous eyes.
Burgess had never seen her look pret-
tier, and he glowed with satisfaction at
his neat disposal, for the drive at least,
/ of his rival.
Meanwhile the sweet tempered CORN
ley. by nature almost too submissive,
was near TO being reused. He was
lashing himself Ia bitterness of spirit.
1t had always been So Fate had made
him the football OF Rex Burgess. even
in SchOOldays Burgess was big and
brave and handsome. while he was
slight and pale faced. The boys had
nlcknamed Gormley Molly" because
he had once tainted at the sight OF
blood. Burgess father was the wealth
lest man In Slocum, and every cent OF
the money would one day belong TO
Rex, for he was the only child.
Regardless OF the merry chatter and
the snatches of song from the others,
Gormley plunged deeper into his mel
ancholy reflections. He, puny clerk In
dry goods store. 10 aspire TO Sylvia
Gerrish's love against one so favored
OF gods and men as Burgess,
His cheeks burned. too. when he
thought OF the others contemptuous
reference TO "cavalrymen." Frankly,
be admitted, 1t was ridiculous that he,
Molly" Gormley, should have martial
aspirations Yet when the state mill
tary board had offered Slocum the
equipment for II troop Of cavalry for
the national guard Gormley had been
unanimously chosen captain. And he
was the man for the place. He could
ride 1t had always been the sport In
which he excelled He knew the mon
key" drill of the United States cavalry
as he knew the alphabet
They talk Of Cossacks and Bedouin
Arabs and Indians and the way these
savages handle horse, but the man
who follows the yellow guidon is a lit
tie the best horseman of them all. And
Captain Molly" Gormley, Troop A.
First cavalry. state troops, rode like a
regular whether In the saddle, bare
backed over the hurdles or standing,
each foot planted firmly ON the back OF
Il galloping horse. Besides the first
qualification OF cavalryman he had
the other requisite for an officer, the
gift Of command, and even West Point
can't touch that. SO despite the fact
that his body qualled at the sight Of
blood Gormley's spirit sang with the
notes OF the bugle when Troop A, two
long straight lines OF men and horses
moving beautifully IN unison passed
In review at camp.
The thought of his creation-he had
made Troop \ the pride Of the national
guard IN the two years il had been or
ganized-gradually lightened the gloom
which had overspread Gormley's spir-
It's. He reflected with considerable com
fort that Burgess could not ride well
The big fellow did not understand
horses and feared them The bully In
him crept out. too. OH horseback. He
thought it merely discipline to jerk the
u a a
reason. Burgess was not member Of
Troop A. Maybe this fling at cavalry
men" had been due To envy
Even the possibility that Burgess en-
We'd him was balm to Gormley's sore
heart And if he could only plan 1t So
as 10 sit by Sylvia on the homeward
Journey now his cup Of Joy would be
full. II was a mighty bound from the
depths of despair almost to the pima
Gle Of bliss in one short half hour, but
GOrmley was young. and youth has
hope for a heritage.
InsenSibly the young man was at
tracted 10y the beauty Of the night
The FURNISHED moon glistened on mil
lions Of tiny floating frost crystals Tin
I'll they >parkled like diamond dust.
70 the westward the black roadway
uHrolled before them like velvet
ribbon Beaver creek crossed beneath
Il hundred yards away. From the
lowlaul bordering tie creek the road
had b.nu graded to = height of fifty
feet and the rHbankment was mar
rpw. steep ani dangerous. \ railing
un cleh side h"lgcd in the roadway.
Tonight nothing was visible below
tAat railing y mist. white and soft
as rpr.,u wool rose from the swampy
low ground and rolled In nolseless bill
lows = the height of the road The
advance Of the gathering wagon and
il~ occupants into this heaving white
silence seemed almost uncanny 1t
was as sea which might rise and