Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-16

Kate Langdon was character. Not
especially pretty. she had 4 way with
her that first attracted peoples atten-
ton, then won them. Some said she
was very deep, others that she was a
simple child of nature. She was GER
tainly reckless. She would f1irt with
several men at a time without needing
the consequences and when cornered
would, if possible, dodge them all by
fight, leaving them to settle the mat
ter among themselves.
And so it was that some blamed her.
Others defended her, but all were
amused by her. It was very interest
ing to see a MILDLY come upon the
edge of the vortex, get drawn il. drop
out, giving place perhaps to a fellow
MILDLY, perhaps TO an officer. Whether
the girl realized the wrong she was Of
ten doing, whether she was unCon'
scious of ii or whether she had no ap-
probation Of the tenderness of mems
hearts, certain it is that she never seem
ed either ashamed of her conquests or
proud of them. Indeed, she gave every
evidence that she regretted them.
A fine field for such girls is either the
West Point or Annapolis academy,
where young men are trained for the
army or navy. Kate LangdOn the year
of the breaking out Of the Spanish
American war visited the Naval acad-
envy as the guest Of her aunt, Mrs.
Lyall, the wife of one of the professors.
She hadn't been there a week before
she had half a dozen cadets by the
ears" =
In the class to be graduated the fol
lowing spring were two young men,
Hector Peckham and Leslie Holt. Both
met Kate Langdon, and both fell VIC
lently in love with her. In the govern
ment academies the standard of honor
is very high. Neither of the cadets
would take the slightest Advantage of
the other, but neither could find out
which was really the favored one. Nor
were they ever sure but that one of
several other cadets might not after
all carry of the prize.
Peckham finally won. Kate gave
him her heart and, to the surprise or
every one, gave him the whole of It,
There were a number of disappoint-
ments in consequence of this victory,
the most serious of which was Leslie
Holt. Kate had given him great
deal of encouragement and for some
time after she came TO a decision
hadn't the heart to break with him.
When it finally came out that Peck
ham had won, Holt went to see her to
ask If the news were true. She con
fessed, and he told her that she had
wrecked his life
Young men have said this before to
young women, to marry some othe"
and live happily. Some have remain
ed single. cherishing their idol in their
hearts, to meet that idol when past
middle age and find it demolished.
Holt so long as he lived-he did not
live long-never recovered from his in
fatuation. The words he used at his
last meeting with Kate Langdon made
the first change In her. BY them her
light, gladstone nature received Its
first SOLDERING
Meanwhile the Cuban war was COM
ing on, and ships and munitions were
being hurriedly put in condition for
war. And the cadets, too, were being
hurried on in their academic course,
to be graduated as soon as hostilities
commenced.
The following spring Peckham and
Holt were graduated and assigned to
war vessel sailing for Cuba. Peck
ham and Kate were married before he
sailed. The wedding was notable
from the number Of disappointed
young men In attendance. But every
man of them swore by the bride and
considered the groom the luckiest man
that had ever wooed woman.
Kate, having joined the navy matri-
felt at home at naval sta
ton. and her aunt. who adored her,