The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-05-02

admit that he Vas ''corking" 1t
around and giving his absent leg sn
extension OF furlough. After 4 year
he wrote that he was about to leave
the army and come east. and he would
pay her an early call and ask her
father an important question. This
would have been 4 little ambiguous
to a5man. but it would set the heart
of girl Of ten a-palpitating. With
her little pen Miss lone wrote the
name on stray bit of paper several
times over-"Mrs. Claude NJ. DuPrey."
1t looked great to her. It looked. forty
times greater than the name Of Jones
or Brown.
Then came the waiting-weeks Of
it. The government transports don't
run Marathon races on the home
ward voyages. No letters. no cable
grams-just waiting. Miss lone had
mental picture Of just how the colonel
would look. He would be tell and
stern and commanding. He would
have a dropping mustache and dark
eyes. He would limp on his cork leg,
but it would be a limp that thousands
of men would envy. Oh. she could
not mistake the family butcher for
her brave colonel.
Az the date drew near when the
lover might be expected. Miss lone
unwillingly accompanied her father
and mother for weeks stay at the
house Of a relative, but word was left
for the colonel in case he came. and
come he did.
The family cook had not been in
charge OF the house but two days
when the hero came walking down
the highway from the depot. He still
wore his uniform. and it was much
the worse for wear. He was short
and squat. He had no limp. He did
not look stern nor commanding. His
mustache didn't droop any more than
the average hair brush.
We'll. what's wanted" demanded
the cook
rs Miss lone at home:"
"She is not"
will she be soOn?''
she may and she may not"
Now the cook had soft heart for
a soldier, grun as she was toward the
plumber and painter. and as the COL
onel turned away with a sigh OF dis
appointment, she melted and said:
Might offer you light lunch?"
The colonel entered and lunched
and visited for couple of hours. 1t
could also be said of the cook that
she was fat and single. and had long
had her eye out for man. The COL
onel praised her cooking, her looks.
She praised his bravery. She had
5000 saved up, and he had a little
more. He was thinking Of a little
chicken ranch. and she looked to him
just like a woman that just dotted on
| chickens.
Thus 1t came about that when Miss
lone reached home, which was one
day ahead Of her parents, she found
a stranger smoking his pipe on the
veranda. and the smiling cook ready
to explain:
This is Tom Rogers. just out of
the Philippine army, and we are 10 be
married in two weeks
Il think you are the girl CORE
sponded WITH" observed Tomas he
took his pipe from his mouth
You can't be Colonel DuPrey",
There is no such colonel"
But he wrote me-"
1T was me"
"But-but-"
THAT is. l hired the bugler to
write for mel"
And you haven't got "a cork
leg?"
Not on your life!"
would l be marrying him II he
had?" demanded the cook with con.
siderable asperity.
But you were in the hospital" said
the persistent girl.
so l was, but not with a bullet in
| my leg. l was laid up with a rat.
bite"
And so-so-?"
And as l am going into the chick
en-raising. and as you don't look like
girl that would take kindly to
! chickens. and as the cook here do,
| why-why, it's off with you and on
with her. No hard feelings, I hope,
but l was cussed lonesome away of
there!"
Poor lone wept all night, but she
had gained lasting experience. .
copyright. 1913. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)
Harry vardon at Home.
The hundreds OF people who on Sat-
urday last saw Vardon 60 thrice