The log cabin Democrat., 1909-11-13
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he had blundered in on naked soul. Noiselessly he slipped out of the range of vision. He spoke loudly, halting to ask some question about the rooms; this made a moments pause.
 It was sufficient; in the study they found a quiet, calm, although rather haggard-looking man, who greeted l Winters companion courteously. with a southern accent, and very good manner. He was presented to the col onel as Mir. Mercer. He would have excused himself, protesting that he was just going, but the colonel took the words out of his mouth: Ralph, here, has cigar for me-that is all came for; see you at the Tourafne, Ralph, tomorrow for luncheon, then. He did not see the man again; neither did he see Ralph, although he made | good, so far as in him lay, his fiction of an engagement at the Touraine. But Ralph could not come; and Winter had lunched, instead with an old friend at his club, and had watched, through stately Georgian window | the shifting greenery of the common | i'll an east wind.
 All through the luncheon the sol dier's mind kept swerving from the talk in hand to Cary Mercer's face. Yet he never expected to see it again. | Three years later he did see 1t; and | this second encounter of which, by the way, Mercer was unconscious, was the l ,i Af he cho ,ta in | his life. A short space of time that | chapter occupied; yet into it crowded mystery, peril, wonderful and awful | spectacle, the keenest happiness and i the cruelest anxiety. Let his days be l ever so many. the series of events 1 which followed Mercers reappearance 1 will not be blurred by succeeding ex- | periences; their vivid and haunting | pictures will burn through commoner and later happenings as an electric torch flares through layers of mist. Nothing, however, could promise | adventure less than the dull and chilly | late March evening when the chapter began Nor could anyone be less on | the lookout for adventure, or even in- terest, than was Rupert Winter In truth, he was listless and depressed. When he alighted from his cab in | the great court of the Rock Island sta l tion he found Haley, his old orderly with hand on the door-hasp. Haleys military stoicism of demeanor could not quite conceal @ certain agitation l at least not from the colonefs shrewd eye used to catch the moods of his soldiers. He strangled kind of sigh Doesn't like it much more than l." thought Rupert Winter This is mighty kind of you. Haley" he said.
 Yes, sor." answered Haley, salut ing. The colonel grinned feebly Haley busy repelling a youthful DOT ter. did not notice the grin; he strode ahead with the coloneIs world-scarred hand-luggage found an empty settee | beside one of the square-tiled columns of the waiting room and disposed his burden on the iron-railed seat next the corner one, which he reserved for the colonel.
 The train ain't in yet, colonel" said he I'll be telling you"
 "No, Haley" interrupted the col onel, whose lip twitched little; and 1 he looked aside; best say goodbye now; don't wait The fact is. I'm thinking of too many things you and l have gone through together" He held out 's hand; Haley, with stony expression, gazed past 1t and saluted while he repeated: "Yes, sor; I'll be back to take the bags whin the trains made up" Whereupon he wheeled and made off with speed.
 Just the same damned obstinate way he's always had" chuckled the colonel to himself Nevertheless, something ached in his throat as he frowned and winked.
 "Oh, get brace on you, you played out old sport" he muttered. The 1 games on the last four cards and you haven't established your suit; you'll have to sit back and watch the other | fellows play." But his dreary thoughts persisted Rupert was a colonel in the regular army of the United States. He had been brevetted brigadier general after the Spanish war, and had commanded, not only brigade, | but a division at one critical time in the Philippines; but for reasons prob ably known to the little knot of poli- ticians who hung it up" although in comprehensible to most Americans, congress had failed to pass the bill 1 giving the wearers of brevet titles the right to keep their hard-worn and empty honors; wherefore Gen. Winter had declined to Col. Winter
 He had more substantial troubles, including a wound which would prob ably make him limp through life and possibly retire him from service at 50. It had given him a six months sick leave (which he had not wanted) {. and after spending a month on the Atlantic coast, he was going for the spring to the Pacific. Haley, whose own term of office had expired, had not re-enlisted, but had followed him, Mrs. Haley and the baby uncomplainingly | bringing uD the rear, It was not fair