Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-23
The Argus Daily Short Story
The Substitute-By George L. Byington.
Copyrighted. 1910. by Associated Literary PresA

! One morning after guard mounting
the communicates orderly came TO my
quarters and said that Mrs Comman-
dant (alias Mrs. Colonel Seymour
would like to see me. l obeyed what
considered an order and betook myself
to the most pretentious house in the
! garrison, where the lady lived.
MIR. Boynton." she said, my neph-
/ ew. Alf Rogers. is in Il lot of trouble.
| AT the supper table after the hop the
! other night he drank too much wine
| he's just out of West Point. you know.
and has no practice at winebibbing-
| ihsulted Major Whipple and is now
under arrest. have invited Lucia
| EdEerton. girl in whom ! am much
! Interested. 10 visit me especially to
| meet ALT. To confess. l wish to make
/ a match between the two. This stupid
! business of Alf's getting tipsy on two
or three glasses of wine has spoiled
! everything.
/ ITO tel! Il girl that the man / have
/ been praisinG to her and have indi-
/ Gated | wanted her to marry is under
/ arrest for drunkenness would be an
/ irreparable blow TO my matrimonial
/ plan. | have thought out scheme for
a substitute. Would you mind person
atinC Aft 70" a short time?"
Anything to please you, Mrs. Sey-
mour."
/ Il could tell Lucia that ALI had been
ordered away on special duty. but I've
| thought it over and have concluded
! that such subterfuge wouldn't be
| wise. | would rather post the officers
and their families that you are 10 act
| as ALI. and as soon as he is restored to
| duty we can turn it off as joke"
Our little post was so dull that not
1 only !. but the officers and their fami-
/ lies, were quite pleased with Mrs. Sey-
mour's plan. We all enjoyed the pros
| pect of fooling her protegee. watching
( her while we were doing so and OBJ
/ serving her actions while receiving the
/ attentions of the wrong man.
/ Miss Edgerton arrived. was welcom-
/ ed by her hostess, and l was invited to
| dinner. 1t seemed queer to be address
/ ed as Mr.. Rogers. but it was very nice
/ to be expected to make myself agree
/ able to one of the most winsome young
/ girls l ever met. She was barely eight
/ cen, innocent. unsOphistocated and APP
parently very easy person to perpe-
/ trate any fraud upon. 1t did not seem
/ possible to me that the deception could
/ be carried on very long. but l had no
/ sooner made Miss Edgerton's acquaint-
/ ance than | hoped it might be inter
/ minable.
While l found myself in one respect
/ in clover. in another l was troubled.
/ 1t was fine to be dancing attendance
/ on girl intended for Rogers while he
was languishing in his quarters, but
the fact was ever present that the day
would come when l must resign her TO
/ her rightful owner. | attended her at
/ Sunday morning inspection. guard
/ mounting and such ceremonials as
/ were possible ut a small post. l gal
/ loped by her side over hill and dale;
| danced with her. sang duets with her
in short. did everything except make
love to her. which under the circum-
| stances would have been dishonorable.
Every one who came in contact with
Miss Edgerton enjoyed immensely the
innocent ruse that was being perpe-
/ trated upon her. They were all very
punctilious i'll addressing me in her
presence as Mr.. Rogers. He was very
popular. and there was not one person
at the post who would for the world
have baked the plan to hide the fact
that he was under arrest for intoxica-
ton. | had expected Mrs. Seymour to
find some way out of the matter with
in few days. but she did not. and 1t
went on. An order for the converting
of court martial to try the real Rog-
! crS for conduct unbecOming an officer
and a gentleman was daily expected.
/ but did not arrive. However. there
were few of US ut the post. and every
one became so used to palming me off
as Lieutenant Rogers that it seemed
the substitution might go on indef-
nitely.
One evening Miss EdGerton. who had
been very shy. surprised me by init
mating in a delicate though unmstak-
able way that she was cognizant of
Mrs. Seymour's matchmaking scheme
and showed disappointment at my not
having evinced Il tender interest in her
1t was hard enough before for me to
get on without making love. but after
this it was impossible. l don't mean
that had fallen in love with Miss Ed
gerton. We soldiers. prone to extremes,
are given as much to lovemaking
as to fighting. 1t is. however, rather
lovemaking than love, for we have a
faculty for choosing sweethearts as
often as we are transferred between
stations. My lovemaking with Miss
Edgerton was more like that we were
used to practicinC while at West Point
during the summer encampment. when
we met swarms of girl visitors, each
one of whom would have considered
the corps ungallant if she were permit
ted to go back home without having
received at least one proposal.
But before being carried away l of
fered to Mrs. Seymour my resignation
as Rogers substitute, telling her that
i refused further to act unless she and
Rogers would eXonerate me from any
criminality should their matrimonial
plans be interfered with. Mrs. Sey-