The daily Alaskan., 1911-08-07

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 sdtuHous, art, Ike everything eise, be coming democratic. The old army be fore the civil war was use one family -that is, the officers and their wives and children constituted one select SC. cial circle. Recently there have been several episodes to indicate that the | old spirit is dying, but dying hard. The | following story illustrates this; was graduated at West Point ai twenty. and l don't know a more dan eerous age than that for a young oti- cer. His pay cuubles him to marry | He has seen nothing of the world and nothing of the opposite sex except Tor s couplg of months each summer for 1 two years during the encampmeut sea son while he was a cadet Rplpased from a conhning life. be Is ready to | fan in love with the trst girl he meets 1 was graduated tn the engineers, | and the first fob was given h' The government was making an estimate on certain Attended repairs on fort on the Atlantic coast ID su7ihern state. The fort had not been kept up. having been left in charge of an ord nance sergeant. but iu view of a feel ing on the part Of the people of the United States that our coast defenscs needed strengthening the government decided to look Into the matter.
 Fort L.. was situated on point of land extending into the ocean and as lonely as a lighthouse. For a few months ln the spring the neighbor hood was a resort for northern per sons. chiefly tnvurds, there being sev- eral hotels on the beach. I was sent to the fort In October. When l 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 a easement his wife taking pains that it should be clean, and my bed was provided with snow white linen.
 And now comes the point of my story: The couple had a daughter sev- enteen years old. What could dor What did do but make love to her. I knew perfectly well that there Is a barrier in the army between the fam flies of commissioned and noncommis. sioned officers knew furthermore that Mary, Converse was getting no education and had never mingled with the class Of people to whom was used. # married her it would place her out Of her element and she would be a lifelong drag on me.
 But here was ! in the sprngtime Of life, shut up with a girl in a fortress and no other associate. I doubt # any precaution would have availed. She was situated just as was, shut up with young soldier, and could DO more resist a natural drift toward me than ! toward her.
 Before leaving l asked Mary Con- verse to be my wife. l 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 if l deserted her lt would wreck her nfe. So ! went away engaged, well knowing that if did not desert her both our lives would be wrecked
 My first visit to my 6ancee 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 | attributed this to are that it 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 told her of my affair
 'Tt must be broken or" said the | lady, both on your account and the | girls"
 "She will not be able to endure it without serious consequences" ]" 1 re- piled.
 Our talk ended in the lady's going to see my betrothed On her return she banded me note from Mary bad ly written, mlsspelled and plotted | with tears. in which she said that Mrs Boylngton had convinced Der that she would harm me aud herself by marrying me and she released me.
 was so far attached to her that spent some time making up my mind to accept the release,
 After that met many young ladies but none of them pleased me. was preoccupied with my first love h. deed. dld not propose to replace her Since the difference tn our stations prevented our marriage I would mar " no one. At intervals [ met Mrs Boyington, to whom told my feel | ings.
 Don't talk that way at your age, she replied. You'll surely fnd some one you can love-