Smyrna times., 1912-07-24
A TEN YEARS
INTERVAL
By EMILY ]. ARMSBY

the academy?"
He does"
81 am a member of the class Of 190-.
studied under Professor D. and had
great admiration for him"
He waited for the lady to say some
thing more, but she did not seem in
clined to do SO. He continued:
Professor D. had a lovely daughter,
Alice. Is she still Iivlng"
"She is
Hin" He gazed on vacancy. Evil
IDENTIFY he had returned to his cadet
days and some especial memory.
IT knew Miss Alice d." he resumed
presently. "She was a lovely girl
"She is an especial friend of mine.
She told me once that she was engaged
to a cadet who graduated about your
time, possibly Of your class"
''Indeed?"
"Yes. He sailed for the east after
leaving here and did not return"
Surely he wrote to her?"
81 believe he sent her a letter or
two. but that ended the correspond
ence."
Dropped by the lady. presume
stancy."
'If having a sweetheart in every port
is cOnstancy then you are all models Of
faithfulness."
Il cannot conceive a member Of my
class-they were all honorable fellows
-disregarding his plighted troth."
There were some of them l can't
conceive of regarding it: was a
young lady when your class graduated,
and knew many of its members"
"One of us you wrong. That | know
myself"
"Indeedw
"Yes l loved a girl attached to the
academy. her father being a member
of the academic staff"
Professors daughters form excel
lent material for cadets to practice
making love upon"
You speak in irony. l parted from
the girl l loved the night before sail
ed right here where we are standing.
The moon was at the full and shOns
light quivering upon the grass on which
we stood. We vowed eternal constancy.
1t seemed at parting that l could not
let go her hand at last tore myself
away and the next day began the wan
dering of a naval officer"
He bowed his head, then finished in
a trembling voice, ALAS, when re-
turned a few years later to America
heard that she had married another"
Alice told me all about it."
"Alice"'
"Yes. You had not been long in la
pan when a cruiser returned from thers
bearing an officer who had met you iB
Tokyo. Alice met him in Washing
ton He knew nothing Of your engage
ment to her and told OF two affairs oil
yours at the capital of Japan"
And Alice believed these storiesY'
Others told them as we'll"
81 swear
by the inconstant moon, or. rather
don't swear at all You are absolvet
from all blame There is some incon
gruousness in a midshipman of twenty
keeping faith with his first sweet
heart. Besides, you have gained rath
er than lost Alice is now thirty. Yol
would not recognize in the woman
nearly middle aged the girl of nine
teen. You may still fit from flower t
flower for another decade and then b.
young enough to pluck bud"
II shall never love any woman ex
cept Alice"
"You would not recognize her If yOl
should see her"
81 would know her among a thou
sand"
Come and see me this evening ant
1 will give you an opportunity to picl
her out among half a dozen-the thirt
house over there in the officers quar-
ters."
She passed on. leaving the lleuten
ant uneasy He could not remembe
very well how Alice d. had looked a
a girl. Now that she was ten year
older to recognize her would be diff
cult. Nevertheless the officers Of tn
United States navy are used to stand
ing by their guns in more than on
respect He called on the lady he ha
met and found Eve other women o
ages between eighteen and thirty. 81
entered the room, casting furtv
1 glances on those assembled. The
were all in the secret and on the gu
vive of expectation. He was presen
ed to them all. but none Of thei
1 names was spoken.
"And now.' said the hostess, 18th
girl you parted with ten years az
stands before you. Choose her"
The lieutenant thought of the India
: ocean and wished he was riding on il
bilIows. He scrutnized them al
growing the while very red, and {
last concluded to risk a choice in
lady Of twenty-five.
:. 1t was received with a burst {
laughter.
'I am Alice" said the hostess. ian
= permit me to say that you are II
most unmitigated humbug have eve
1 known" "