Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-16
A STORY OF THREE.

-~~~~-~~~@s
Miss Mile Parkinson, only child OF a
retired colonel, who was vague about
the number of his regiment. and whom
the malicious said owed any military
rank he might possess to the volun-
teers, was the beauty of the little place.
Men assured her women in Miles es-
timation did not count-with more or
less directness that they found her eyes
blue, her cheeks pink, and the young
lady herself ''rippin'' They sent her
flowers and chocolates, duly lost bets
to her, and gave her theater tickets !;
but they always refraihed from adding
themselves and their names to these
miscellaneous offerings. When rather
sharp expression was creeping into
the corners of Miles eyes, and her
walk on the parade tby mammals side,
of course) was beginning to be period
of anxious speculation, Gerald Ashley
of the Queens Own dragons Joined the
camp ON the HILL and Stephen Lennock
accepted the place of master at the
preparatory school in the town.
! Gerald was not quite blameless, for he
dallied and laughed and firted and
danced with Mile, thinking if he
thought at all--that the girl knew well
how to take care of herself Stephen
was in earnest from the first; he of
fered himself daily: but though the sit
uation had the charm of novelty to
Mile. she was not the person to be
carried away by glamor. What could
she do with an undeTmaster in a little
boys school, who, when he grew slow
and heavy at 35 or so, would be super
animated?
One afternoon, when she had waited
for Gerald all the hour the band was
playing (mamma, of course, in attend
anee), and he had spent the time talk
ing to two quietly dressed sisters whom
Mile always told everyone she did not
want to know, Stephen, unfortunately
varied his programme, and instead of
going to look at soldiers from the hill,
strolled up the promenade Seeing Mil
lie alone he hurried to her. and as i'll
lux would have it. renewed his habitual
petition. Miles nerves were on edge,
or her temper was short; at any rate,
forgetting prudence for once-unYary-
ing sweetness was her role--she told
Stephen exactly what place he occupied
in her estimation.
sThen," summed up the poor fellow,
seeing clearly at last, you have been
playing with me. You have been lead
ing me ON to encourage Ashley"
Yes" admitted Mile quite eandidly,
quite brutally, "but / don't suppose he
took the trouble to be jealous of you.'
Suddenly Stephen asked himself a
question. Why should he not enlist? Ii
might be the first step TOTO honor,
promotion, Mile
For one moment longer he paused. A
trickle of cold prudence mingled with
the stream of his passion. and just for
an instant he told himself that the ex-
pedient, as means of making to Millie.
would be foolish, or worse
But so sane a man could not prevail.
Stephen stepped out across the pave
ment. He confronted the sergeant, and
he never knew why-asked for the
Queens Own dragons.
So he came to his sober-or unsober--
self, to find himself trooper in his
rivals regiment, and, what was more.
a trooper in Co. G with Gerald Ashley
for captain.
Ashley was a gentleman. His private
opinion might be that Lennoek was Il
silly ass; but when he saw the new
recruit there was but one start, the be.
ginning of an exclamation smothered
under his mustache, and then silence.
The trooper and his captain exchanged
Chances. The blaze was in the troopers
eyes.
Stephen, after that first parade, aban-
doned all notion of getting on. Ambition
was swallowed up in temper, and tenn
per led him to resentment. to sullenness.
to disgrace. He was soon branded as
that most unsatisfactory thing-an I'M
satisfactory gentleman ranker. He lived
completely friendless, out of favor with
the officers, Stunned by his own rank.
His colonel had him up and admins
tered stern yet not unfriendly warn
ing. Ashley tried to help him. Stephen
chose TO hate Gerald more than ever for
that. In his unreasonableness he could
see nothing but Gerald retailing the
items of his downfall to Mile and the
two making merry over his plight
The Queens Own was ordered to In
dia, and, as anyone hat Stephen might
have foreseen, Ashley went out without
Mile. Lennock immediately twisted
this into an additional cause for hatred
of his captain. Ashley, he told himself.
was a cad, BLACKBOARD, a deceiyer Of
women, wretch who made sport of
girls affections.
Cherishing his resentment, Stephen
drifted from bad to worse. The heat
came ON, and the physical discomfort,
which disorders the wisest minds at
times, acted as a goad to his brooding
discomfort. Each day he found some.
thing more TO complain of in Ashley
some slight, some insult to himself.
Gerald, ne would not have hesitated to
declare, took hourly advantage OF their
positions.
Yet the climax came one day, as Ste-
phen had not foreseen-came suddenly,
with no decentralization, IL ,raa Al. 80