Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-09-10
The
Unexpected
An Army Officer Meets
With a Surprise.
BY THEODORE BARTON.
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

Hawkins" said a captain In the
United States army in San Francisco
to a brother officer, you and l are of
the same height and weight. Let me
have suit of your undress uniform"
Certainly. May i ask what you pro-
pose doing with it?'
Eyes, wear It. Listen. old man, and
I'll tell you a secret"
proceed. II the secret is worth
the uniform it's a CO."
NEARLY ten years ago, when I was
a beardless boy at West Point, I had
a Irritation with girl"
"You mean you had several dozen
fiirtations with several dozen girls"
Eyes. but one of them has turned
out to be the real thing. We've never
have never forgotten her, and she
writes that she's never forgotten me.
To make long story short. she has
agreed to marry me-"
whats that to do with my uni
form"
"I'm coming to that. Marian-Mari-
an Singleton Is her name-is to come
to me at the Philippines to be married.
I've written her that / have been
ordered out there and must report at
my station at once. No time to be
married here. She is to go out to join
me on the ship sail in today, but
doesn't know that l will be aboard.
What I am aiming at is to win her
over again. She will never recognize
in the bearded man of thirty the
smooth faced cadet of twenty. She
knows that I'm in the infantry, and
what want your suit with Its artillery
facings for is to complete the decep-
ton"
81 see-what you are after is to win
your fancee from yourself"
"Or anew"
well, Morris, all l have to say Is
that, judging from my experience with
women, expect you'll succeed"
But don't you see that in either case
win?'
"Oh, don't care whether Captain or
Cadet Morris is to be the lucky manr
you've no romance in you, Haw-
kins. For my part l don't consider
marriage without the spice of romance
in 1t anything more than a business
contract"
Take care that you don't have SO
much romance that you'll lose the girl"
Nonsense! A woman is a woman,
to be won, held or taken away until
amenable to what we call honor and
not before. Marian Singleton was the
most desperate firt who ever tackled
the corps of cadets. She moved US
down as with Calling gun. But
believe she Is good woman. I'll
draw her into her old habit. She'll
hirt with me. but she'll tell me that
her hand Is promised and she will not
marry me, or at least without her
fance's release. Don't you see what
delicious situation 1t will be for me
to release her so that shescan marry
meT'
"Oh. don't bother me with your love
games. What do they all, end In for
us army men anyway? Logging half
dozen children from post to post,
to have a ranking bachelor officer turn
us out of our quarters when he takes
a fancy to do so. Here's your uniform.
/ think it will fit you exactly. All I
ask in return for 1t is that you shall
write me as to whether Cadet or Cap
tain Morris wins the girl"
''I'll do 1t. What's more. I'll keep a
diary noting down how the affair pro-
matter is decided"
In the time required for a trip to
the Philippines and return Captain
Hawkins received fat envelope, the
main points of which are contained in
the following synopsis:
Sailed this afternoon. Didn't recog-
nize Marian till / got the purser to
point her out to me. She is changed
from giddy girl of eighteen to a
dignified woman of twenty-seven. Still.
l can see in her traces of those facul-
ties so attractive to men with which
she bowled us all down at West Point.
She seems to be under the care of n
gentleman about forty years old, who
is starting on tour Of the world
\. Sept. z.
Have concluded to consider myself
a corps of observation for awhile.
Marian spends lot of time on deck
with Merton, the gentleman who APP
pears to have her under bis care. He
Is a very smooth cut man, and lady
who knows him tells me that he Is
very intelligent. He seems also to
have plenty OF money. Marian, I am
quite sure, is at least flirting with
him, and there may be something deep
er in her intentions. 1t doesn't seem
to matter whether 1 am In the infan-
try or the artillery SO far as she is
concerned. don't appear to cut any
figure In the matter at all.
Sept 0.
Have been introduced to Marian as
Captain Withers. She received me as
she receives every one-cordially-but
there was not the slightest sign of rec
ognition. 1 would have been more like
ly to recognize her than she to recog-
nize me, since / have bushy beard
and am pretending to be in different
corps from what she expects. pass
ed half an hour with her on deck