The pioneer express., 1912-02-02
A Split Coin
By. ANNA 3. WRIGHT
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

1t was the llOetess Mrs. Browning, I
believe. who said that while love ~
but portion Of mans life it IL q
woman's whole existence. or words to-
that effect. While there are many ex-
ceptions to the rule. there is. no doubt
that woman treasures love. or at least
its memory. longer than man. Miss
Amelia Dexter has the half of silver
ten cent piece which has been in her
possession thirty years. At any rate.
she was treasuring 1t till recently. when
she met the man who gave 1t to her.
What she las done with it since no.
body knows.
When Amelia was seventeen she Wis
tied her aunt. the wife of professor
Of the Naval academy at Annapolis.
There she met young midshipman
who smiled upon her. showing beau
tiful set of white teeth. while his eyes
laughed with every other feature. The
girl collapsed at once. Whether her
love for the young man strengthened
is question. More likely 1t was born
all at once.
Nevertheless Cadet Williams and
Amelia Dexter ''paired off," as young
people call being exclusively devoted
to each other. Williams was Miss Dex-
ter's escort to the cadet dances and
accompanied her in her walks. No
other girl aspired to any attention from
him. and Amelia received no attention
from an! other cadet. In short, there
was between them one of those inno-
cent relations which have not the for
mality of an engagement-a sort Of
natural youthful emotion preliminary
to mating. In q man it is usually a
| pleasant tenderness which may or may
not take root. 1t may be the same in
girl. yet there are cases wherein it has
been an undying love.
There were special auxiliaries in this
case. the academy band discoursing
martial music. the cadet corps march
ing on and off parade. the formal sa-
lutes between officers and between off,
GERS and cadets. There is an autocracy
among men trained to fight as well as
certain swagger. probably intended to
overbalance the fact that what they
are being educated for is to be killed.
| Nevertheless 1t is fascinating to the
young of both sexes. who take very
little account of what 1t is for. It has
always figured largely in love.
Amelia spent couple of months at
Annapolis. then went home to begin
another year ut school. The nearest
thing to an understanding between her
and her cadet lover was the split coin.
As to an engagement. neither of them
thought of such matter of fact pro-
ceeding. They had not grown mature
enough to make an arrangement for a
lifetime. They lived and loved only for
the present. The future was or seemed
to be too far for their consideration.
The split coin represented what they
felt. and fts intrinsic value .about 80
per cent Of its current value, repre-
sented the real depth Of their affec-
tion.
That is. for the boy. As to the girl.
this is one Of the cases the poet de-
scribed. 1t was not an. egg to be de-
veloped. 1t was born perfect and in
destructible. She left Annapolis with
her half coin hidden away in. her
bosom. while underneath it burned a
fame like that kept alive by vestal
virgins.
What transpired from that time till
thirty years had passed is not part
of this story. Miss Dexter is now an
| old maid. Williams Is an admiral and
| grandfather. One summer there
was naval war game on the Atlantic
coast. At a reception given to the Of
derly spinster. was present. Admir-
q Williams was introduced to her.
They chatted awhile. when Miss Dex-
ter began to ask him leading questions.
She spoke of a certain moonlight even
ing on the porch of one of the pro-
fessors of the Naval academy. Then
and there he had given her her FIRST
kiss. She contented herself with men,
tioning certain correlative incidents.
The admiral didn't twig. She referred
to ride ON the water in which they
sat side by side in retired corner.
his arm encircling her waist. The
admiral did not even remember thsS
boat ride. She mentioned certain 60
cumstances connected with their lasg'
parting. The admiral wondered what
she was driving at.
Then the admiral began to fx1E aes
on not having married. saying tAat if
was undoubtedly her own fault. 81.
admitted that she had had an a6afr
when very young with q naval on
Ger and. taking In her hand d6ne
gold chain she wore about her neck.
drew from her bosom half 4 cline
She told the admiral that the man w4p
had kept the other half had forgotten
her. 81 35ss
IL you'll tell me who he Ia
piled williams. .'and II he is ever un:
der my command I'll mako him wish
he had q better memory. n (;
Mias Dexter sighed. but made -
reply. The admiral biuatered about
the dne HenAe Of honor yot ollcefs OF the.
Il.