The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-01-19

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for the gun rack outside the first guard tent.
Its duty" he sighed to himself, "a hard
duty, but still duty even If it does take you
away from the girl you love-"
1t was eleven o'clock at night. Taps had
sounded an hour earlier. Billy Lang was
pacing up and down number four between the
trunks of the great elms. which, with the SEN
tinels, guarded the camp. 1t was the blacklist
kind of night Up on Crows Nest mountain
and to the northward toward the Catsk1Ils
Hudsons crew was playing ,enpins 1t is
long bowling alley which Old Rips friends
when they begin their favorite game The
thunder came nearer and the lightning played
overhead. This is time when the sentinel.
with his steel bayonet pointing skyward. feels
more nervously apprehensive than when In the
face of human enemy. Patter, patter, patter.
the rain began to fall on the leaves Of the
elms. The sentinels on number four knew
that in a minute the gates would be open and
then deluge
The hickering oil lamp at the south end OF
the post sent feeble CLEAN out into the
darkness. Forty yards down the roadway
Billy Lang saw someone approaching. who
comes there?' rang out the challenge.
Friends" came the answer in a mans
voice.
A flash of lightning lit up the roadway and
Billy Lang saw Frederick Jackson and Frances
nelQ mOllOQleSS Oy QlS CnalleuSe. Al
that instant came the deluge. Umbrellaless
and unprotected in any way stood the young
couple. straining their eyes toward a place
where they knew was a young fellow with a
bayonet-tipped rife.
Billy Lang knew that he could strain
point and let the two pass. Any cadet in the
corps would have done it ON recognition as
certain as his. But Billy was a stickler for
duty He knew his orders. Halt, friends
he said. and then raising his voice. he yelled.
Corporal of the guard No. A.
How the rain did come down. Frances Cur
It's light bali dress was a rag. She was chill.
ed through and she stood holding the arm Of
her escort and shivering from her light slip
pers to the bedraggled rose thtat crowned her
hair. Frederick Jackson was in as bad
plight. though he didn't allow himself to
SILVER.
IT'S my duty" said Billy Lang to himself
"and Frances is a stickler for duty; she'll
like me all the better for It,"
The corporal came at last. He allowed the
shivering couple to pass on to the hotel He
saw the plight they were in, and II he hadn't
been 'yearling' corporal and Billy Lang a
first classman he would have told No. that
he was an ass for not using little common
sense and allowing the storm-stricken pair to
pass.
Frederick Jackson left for New York the
next morning: When he was relieved from
guard Billy Lang called at the hotel. Miss
Curtis could not be seen that day. She was
slightly indisposed. The next afternoon Billy
Lang received note 1t was in Frances Cur
It's handwriting 1t read like this: "A tele-
gram from New York tells mother that Mr..
Jackson Is dangerously i'll with pneumonia as
result Of exposure in the storm. He has no
relatives nearer than England. I am a great
sttckler for duty and so mother and | are
Just leaving for New York to nurse Mr.. Jack
son. You will doubtless applaud my course,
for you are one Of duty's own disciples"
Frances Curtis did not return to West Point
that summer. It was late in the fall when
the postman one day handed Billy Lang an en-.
velope postmarked New York 1t contained
wedding cards in which the names OF Curtis
and Jackson were prominent
A yearling corporal stuck his head in the
door: Tomorrow. Lang" he said. you are on
special duty"
"D-n duty" said Billy.
And the officer Of the day who was passing
skinned" him for profanity.