St. Tammany farmer., 1908-07-11

| | A. "@o Al a uOOhs OH 1lELA-
tion," where the rocks sloped direct
ly from their feet to the Hudson. With
q reckless disregard of regulations, the
cadet had unfastened the top hook
Of his collar and, with his hands
clasped behind his head, was gazing
meditatively at the girl who was
opening box of candy. 1t looked like
The regulation arrangement on Fir
tation," but it was not.
She arranged her skirts comfortably,
tilted her paraso1 at an angle which
shaded the cadets head as we'll as
her own, and then said: NOW, AL
Ian, you promised you'd tell me all
about it. There's no reason for put
ting it off"
The cadet rubbed his close-cropped
head thoughtfully. III tell it on one
ccndition-that you don't interrupt
I'm going to start in by saying
that you don't know the girl, but that
she's wonder! 1t all happened about
a year and a half ago-when she'd
been coming up to the Point for sew
eral months, to hops and things. She
was the gayest little fem you ever
saw-always cracking jokes and
laughing like chime of bells.
you know our set of six fellows,
and how we always hang together.
Well, we were together on this propo-
Bition all right! We thought she was
about the funniest little girl that ever
came along. She was always saying
something you didn't think she was
going to. I remember she was the
only girl l ever saw who had some
thing new to say when we told her we
called our room-mates our wives
"Well, year ago last fall when
was a second-class man, I was sitting
in my room one evening, boning on
math. I'd been working like horse
trying to max my calculus, and was
as grouchy as bear. My wife was
not any company, for he'd been doing
area ever since two o'clock, and had
turned in so dead tired you couldn't
have walked him with an ak. I was
! getting lonesomer and lonesomer, and
feeling more and more as though /
wanted blowout of some kind to
put some life into me, when there was
a whoop at the door and the five fel-
lows of the gang came in, all talking
at once. Puddenhead had a letter,
| waving it in the air, and the only
thing could get out of them was that
Helen was engaged. had two Helens
on the string about that time, and
was considerably excited till after
about five minutes they got smoothed
! down enough for me to make out that
! they meant this girl I'm telling about
hadn't thought of her at ALL
! She wasn't the kind you'd ever think
of as SOLDERING down enough to get
engaged. Puddenhead had had let
ter from a girl in Bridgeport, where
Helen lived, and she said Helen's en-
gagement to cit named Beardsley
was just announced. Well, we were
great pals Of Helen's, and we were
sore that she hadn't told US anything
about it. Puddenhead said: Think of
her nerve! She's coming up to hop
tomorrow night just as though moth
ing had happened. She thinks she's
going to fool us. Well just let her
know that she can't get ahead of us
with her practical jokes. Let's meet
her as the bus comes up to the top of
the hill and shout out ''congratula-
tions!" till they can hear us on the
| other side of parade ground
Il was just going to say 1 was game
for that, when Big Marshall began
jumping up and down and hollering:
T got you beat! I got you beat! RI
got an idea that beats that all to fraz-
! zIes! Let's all six Of us never let on
| we've heard thing, and then all pro-
pose to her, heavy-tragedy style, dur
ing the hop-take on as though we
were broken-hearted, and then have
the laugh on her the next day
"Say, that struck us all right, all
right! We just went into the air.
"We could hardly wait for the hop,
and when my dance with Helen came |
1 proposed to sit it out on the balcony
overlooking the Hudson, and I fairly |
shivered for fear she'd want to dance;
but she didn't, and we went down the |
stairs together, me beginning to put |
on the proper solemn air.
'It was moonlight-a warm October |
evening. The Hudson looked like a |
black diamond with rubies all around |
it where the lights Of the shore
cleaned. There wasn't cloud in the |
sky, and just the sweetest autumn |
smell in the air. Oh, it was the proper |
Suggesting, all right! I lifted Helen |
up to the broad balustrade-same way |
had lots Of times beforehand then I |
turned and gazed down the river, try
ing to look romantic. / won't tell you |
what said to her, but you can just |
bet it was red-hot! I told her she |
was the only one in the world for me
that I had my future all fixed up |
with her In the midst of it, and it |
would be the death of me to unflx my |
ideas, that I would quit the service
if there wasn't any hope for me.
"Say, it was a good thing was
leaning up against the balustrade,
cause if it hadn't been for that I'd
have fallen right down in fit Helen |
was looking at me with eyes like
stars, and they changed every minute
and got softer and softer till vas
just melted and foated away In air.
You wouldn't think she ever could
have laughed out of them, they were
so sweet and solemn. Her lips moved,
and could just hear her say: Allan,
my Allanl'
81 was about the most startled
and scared individual you ever saw,
and what with that and my gen.
eraI feeling of goneness, know must