The herald., 1911-09-21
AN ARMY
LOVE AFFAIR
By JOHN ADAMSON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.
By JOHN ADAMSON


which used to be very aristocratic in
situations. are. like everything else. be-
coming democratic. The old army be
fore the civil war was like one family
that is. the officers and their wives
and children constituted one select so
cial circle. Recently there have been
several episodes to indicate that the
old spirit is dying. but dying hard. The
following story illustrates this:
I was graduated at West Point at
twenty, and | don't know a more dan.
gerous age than that for q young otfi-
Ger. His pay enables him to marry
He has seen nothing Of the world and
nothing Of the opposite sex except for
q couple of months each summer for
two years during the encampment sea
son while he was a cadet Released
from a combining life. he Is ready to
fall In love with the first girl he meets.
l was graduated in the engineers.
and the first job l was given by the
government was making an estimate
on certain intended repairs on a fort
on the Atlantic coast In a southern
state. The fort had not been kept up.
having been left in charge Of an ord
nance sergeant, but In view Of a feel
ing on the part Of the people Of the
United States that our coast defenses
needed strengthening the government
decided to look into the matter.
Fort L. was situated on a point OF
land extending into the ocean and "a
lonely as lighthouse. For a few
months In the spring the neighbor-
hood was a resort for northern per
sons. chiefly invalids. there being sew
eral hotels on the beach. I was sent to
the fort In October. When ! first saw
the old pile with its empty easements
and empty quarters shuddered at be-
ing obliged to pass some time there.
The sergeant made me as comfort
able as he could In q easement, his
wife taking pains that 1t should be
clean. and my bed was provided with
snow white linen
And now comes the point Of my
story: The couple had daughter sew.
enteen years old. What could | do?
What did do but make love to her
| knew perfectly well that there is a
barrier in the army between the fam
lilies of commissioned and noncommis-
stoned officers. | knew furthermore
that Mary Converse was getting no
education and had never mingled with
the class Of people to whom | was
used. II l married her 1t would place
her out of her element and she would
be a lifelong drag on me.
But here was | In the springime of
life. shut up with girl In a fortress
and no other associate. doubt If any
precaution would have availed. She
was situated just as | was, shut up
with a young soldier. and could no
more resist natural drift toward me
than | toward her
Before leaving | asked Mary Con-
verse to be my wife. | knew ! was
wronging her and myself in doing so,
but | had conceived high notions of
honor at West Point and considered
myself pledged to her. At her age, and
being one of those feminine girls who
when they love love hard. believed
that II ] deserted her 1t would wreck
her life. So l went away engaged.
well knowing that If ] did not desert
her both our lives would be wrecked.
My first visit to my fiancee was In
the following spring. The hotels on
the beach were now open. and took
up my quarters In one of them. Some
seven months only had elapsed, and
Mary was not much changed. | felt
the same toward her as before. The
reasons I attributed this to are that 1t
was a case of young and innocent love.
and Mary was a superior girl. She
was bright, she had what we call
character. and she was pretty.
At the hotel I met a Mrs. Boyington.
the wife Of an army officer, who con-
ceived a marked friendship for me-
She was twenty years my senior. and
I craved some one on whom to be-
stow my confidence. So I told her of
my affair.
1T must be broken off," said the
lady, both on your account and the
girls"
"She will not be able to endure It
without serious consequences" l re-
piled.
Our talk ended In the lady's going
to see my betrothed On her return
she handed me a note from Mary bad
ly written. misspelled and blotted
with tears. in which she said that
Mrs. Boyington had convinced her
that she would harm me and herself
by marrying me and she released me.
I was so far attached to her that
spent some time making up my mind
to accept the release.
After that I met many young ladies.
but none Of them pleased me. | was
preoccupied with my first love. In
deed. did not propose to replace her
Since the difference in our stations
prevented our marriage I would mar
~ no one. At intervals I met Mrs.
Boyington. to whom I told my feel
ings.
Don't talk that way at your age"
she replied. You'll surely find some
one you can love"
Six years later Mrs. Boyington and
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