The daily Alaskan., 1907-05-17
A Successful Rival
's-i-ss-i-sll-ii-i,-s,'l '6'-'','si--s--is-t-i'
IorlglnaLl

J
 couple, but it is unusual for the course of true love to be turned awry by horse. The story begins back in the days when the Indians in the west
 were constantly breaking away from their reservations and slaughterlng all palefaces who came In their way. Lt was then that Florence Brooks was visiting an older sister at Fort R., the
 wife of an officer In the United States army. And then lt was that the gar
 rison having marched away, leaving the women and children to the protec- ton of half company under the com mand of a lieutenant, another tribe consisting of several hundred warriors came down to take possession of the fort.
 When a friendly redskln rode into the Inclosure and announced the com Ing of hls fellows. every man being needed for defense, Florence Brooks volunteered to ride to the nearest post fifty mlIes distant. for succor. Lieu tenant Howard Whiting, ln command, placed her on hls own Kentucky bred horse, Comauchs, and sent her flying out of the fort shouting after her, Their lives depend upon you" How the horse enabled her to cross the path Of the coming Indians an hour before they reached the point of Inter section, how ten miles farther on she met a squadron Of cavalry. how when the Indians reached the fort they found a force ample to protect lt, need only be referred to here From that day COmanChe was beloved by the whole garrison, and especially by Miss Brooks. As for Miss Brooks, she was beloved by the whole garrison, especial ly Lieutenant Whiting
 And now the view Of alkau plains surrounding Fort B. has changed to vacant lots on the outskirts Of a city. Mss Brooks rides In a trolley cur in. stead Of on horseback. and Lieutenant Whiting spends he greater part of the day in a recruiting office In one of the dlnglest streets of the city. But early Ln the afternoon he leaves his sergeant lu charge and. mounted on Comanche. rides past Mss Brooks abode She is watching for him from an upper win. dow. He raises his hat, and from be hind the curtain she throws him g kiss. But for one thing tue lover would be supremely happy. He is jealous Of ComaDChe
 Why" be asked on joining his .dancee after one of his rides, do you always feast your eyes on my horse and pay no attention to me? This aft. eruoon when l rode by you didn't even see when I raised my hat You waved your hand long after I had done SO"
 q love Comanche," she replied.
 Miss Brooks left the city for a month, and when she returned her lover in- formed her that he had sold Comunche. The reason he gave for doing so was that he had been ordered to rejOin bis regiment iu the west, and, COmanche having become old, besides gene lame. the lieutenant would not feel warrant ed in transporting him so far, especial y as he would need a serviceable ani, nal. Miss Brooks looked astonlshed when the news was imparted to her and argued long and well against the necessity for the sale. But Whiting had nothing but his pay, which was not sufficient to keep so expensive pet, and she was obliged to admit, which she did reluotaut,y, that be could hardly have done otherwise They parted with au embrace. warm enough on the part of the man, but not the girl.
 However, .Ir gradually came over Ilss BrooEs-planning as she was for the coming wedd.ng-that Comanche could not have been Included In the calculations. Indeed, It was very dIf- dcuIt for her to figure out the problem of living on WhIting's pay, even with out what Comauche would have cost She had an Income 0f $500 which she must relInquish upon her marriage. This left only a second lIeutenants pay, with communication for fuel and quarters, on which the couple must live. After all, Whiting was right.
 There Is no doubt that all would have gone well had lt not been for a certain lnopportune meeting. One morning while Miss Brooks was out buying her rousseau she saw a man driving a cart with an enormous load on lt. The horse was unable to get It up an ln- cline, and the driver was belaborlng him unmerclfulIy. Miss Brooks, natu- rally fond of horses, approached to pro test. The horse turned his head, look ed at her out Of a pair of melancholy eyes and whInuled. He was COmanche.
 Mss Brooks embraced hIm and wept
 The next mail carried to Lieutenant Whiting a breaking of the engagement from Miss Brooks. No satisfactory reason was given. The real reason was that she loved Comanche better than Whiting. On her income, which, if not married, she would retain till death. she could live and take care of Co., manche. She bought him for $50 and kept him In royal equine style.
 Comanche lived five years after be- ing rescued from the melancholy posi-.