The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-07-10
The StiTTup-CuD
A Tragi- Comedy Of Gar
rison Life on the
Frontier.
BY O. o.


other. Everybody saw that. The
young lady herself saw it better than
any. They were beautifully matched
IN every way He was a dapper lit
tie cavalryman who only exceeded
the regulation height by two inches.
She was a dowdy little person, about
as big as twelve-year-old child. He
was handsome, in a French minia-
ure sort of way, and she was pref
try with the bread-and-milk beauty OF
extreme youth. AS to mental quail
fications, NO two could have suited
better, for his love of domineering
was that not only of the little man
but of an army officer to boot; and
she was .submissiveness itself; 1t
really was a pleasure to her to be
walked over and stepped upon by
anything masculine, which just met
the young officers ideas as to what
"a wife should be. AS II to leave
nothing wanting to complete this
match-.so evidently of celestial max
ing-fortune had given to her only
spendthrift father, and to him the
vast wealth of a second heutenant's
nay. They could have lived very
comfortably on such means, and paid
.off their accumulated debts of years
when he came to be a captain, as
Others have done before. But they
may as well be introduced; you may
meet them some time. She then,
was Miss Ruggles, daughter of Cap
tain Ruggles, of the --th Infantry;
he was Second Lieutenant Patten, OF
the -d Cavalry.
The timing started beautifully. Pat
ten had been twirling his thumbs be-.
tween reveille and taps, with more
or less cursing of fate, for year.
He was pretty badly in debt to the
sutler, and was likely to become more
so if he was not given something
to do with his evenings very soon.
He did not like reading; he was too
lazy to hunt, and there was nothing
but the elusive prairie dog to hunt
in any case; he was the only bache-
lor at the fort-which was hundred
miles from the railroad, by the by
and the married women could not
be induced to tlirt-with him, at any
rate. So the soil was ripe.
Now, just in the nick Of time, Cap
tain Ruggles's pretty daughter came
school, as innocent, simple, pink and
white as such girls should be- OF
course, Patten called on her the might
of her arrival, as is customary in
army posts. He found her quite in
teresting. She sat and smiled and
drank in his poured-out wisdom as
the soil of the plains drinks rain,
and the wisdom was lost in the sandy
depths of her unsophisticated soul,
Is IL also lost the little rain which
falls on the parched prairies. How
ever. she evidently admired him, and
he went home convinced that this
really was his first love, this time.
In New England boerding-schools a
man is never seen, so he was Miss
Ruggles's first experience of the sex.
and she was sure, too, that this was
not only her first, but her only love.
Now Patten liked the sensation Of
thinking Of some one else; it was
novel, and there was blessed little
novelty" in the post at any time, as
he Sadd-only he did not say "bless-
ed" exactly.
The trouble with novelties is that
as soon as they are experienced a
few times, they cease to be novelties,
oNnH al f,oh
the way with this one After a week
or two of thinking of Miss Ruggles
whom he fondly called Bertha" in
what answered for mis- mind-Patten
got tired of it, and concluded that
''ofd things are BEST" chat he pre-
fewed his quoudam occupation OF
thinking only of himself and he went
back to tit was far less trouble,
and he objected to trouble, attend
ing reveille was enough of it for him
in one day. Then. delightful ele-
ment was added to his former en-
ployment; he discovered in a short
time that some one else was thinking
OF him. That was charming: he sat
back and enjoyed it, absorbed it.
Heretofore the garrison had never
bothered its head about him, and he
had had only the sickly comfort of
telling himself that he represented
pearls, the garrison swine Here
however, was a girl who knew a
priceless jewel when she saw it. He
admired her taste. and smiled ON her
approvingly. She smiled back, even
more sweetly and, In little ways en-
tdrely original and clever, she tried
to lead him on. For instance, she
walked up and down her porch on
nice starry nights, and coughed now
and then, a gentle little cough. She
would go to the suffers for crewels
and ribbons at the hours when Pat
ten was likely to be there for his
Iox.