Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-27


VxMA@v0 trymen, and best of all Captain
AEl7QSNA Frederic Brownelle Once l told
~ESg ~ you how first met him, tanned
gJYG kSGO young fellow in a private's uni
form, and how after had in
vaded the German lines and robbed them of their last
drigible he was given his commission with us, to
become member, in time, of my regiment.
You don't know all that meant. You can't ap-
preciate that it great regiment ever rode
out in fororn and charged gaily to meet grim
and certain DEATH that the army talked OF It, that
and this with due modesty-we Captains Three were
all part of its history; and that Brownelle gained
his place but to add fame to its annals. Aye he was
worthy That affair at Poissy, the exploit outside
of Strasburg the episode of the spy at the crossing
of the Loire and-oh well, score Of other places
never tried to pry into his confidence after that
first night when / learned that he once had been
Captain in your American army and had left 1t for
woman's sake. A may not speak womans
name to his comrade. when it involves an affair
of the heart but at last learned the story from his
own lips after his Colonel had proved worthy OF 1t.
think he told it to me because in the gage of war
life is uncertain and he wanted some one to know. in
his snuffed out as is the candle by desert
wind that his way had been hard one and not with
out unjust travail
He graduated from that fine academy of yours.
that West Point which has set standard that de-
mands that officer shall be gentleman in all that
both titles imply | don't fancy that he what
his later recklessness would show that his blood
hot and that his spirit bold. presume that. like
many of own French youth have done. he
sobered and steadied down when his Government
gave him his commission and sent him out to be
example and to command other men. He admitted
to me that as Second Lieutenant he was still some
what uncurbed: but proudly asserted that when he
became First he had learned to check his temper.
When he became Captain at very young age, his
responsibilities weighed upon him and he began to
make amends for all youthful and exploits by
entering into the work at hand with hearty deter
mination give his best of brains and effort to his
service.
TN course of time when peace came over your coun-
try, he was sent back to the Philippines to take
part in the upbuildng of those islands You should
be familiar with all that done there. | am not:
for you know, l was then in Algers where the
worlds progress came to us in nothing more than
rumors and the very events of Paris were dsJonted
tales either utterly incredible sadly distorted
My Captain proud of his work and of the
under him. He wanted to achieve something. And
his ambitions spurred. those of SO many
young men, by the meeting with girl Mile. Ger
trude Sutherland gathered from all know of the
story that she was the daughter of Judge who had
been there to reconstruct the laws of those
turbulent isles and that she attracted much attention
from the men of Brownelles age. Anyway, she
tracted him.
He had much to commend him. He had breeding
and moreover, had inherited enough of the worlds
goods to make his pay secondary consideration.
/ have told you that even when first knew him he
good to look upon, and that was after hardship
and vicissitude had scanned his face and taken the
boyish enthusiasm from his eyes. All, he must have
been handsome young blade when first he met and
paid court to heri
But the ways of women and Fate are beyond COM
prehension. Perhaps | should not say that for
after all am DetLeT acquainted WITH raLe nave
had small time to devote to those other mstresses of
destiny.
There was another sutton in her train who
amoured the heart of Miss Sutherland, and have
mental picture of him given me by Brownelle that
night when, lying at the foot of grassy slope behind
grim and prepared gun, he told me his story. The
picture is that of young fellow appointed from the
ranks of the civilians at the time of the Spanish
American War, to become later First Lieutenant of
regulars debonar sort of fellow with many
compshments which the man who has chosen sol
dering as profession has scant time to learn:
who could sing and play who was good
and knew the the affections of