Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-07
A TEN YEARS
INTERVAL
By EMILY ]. ARMsBY


of a class of graduates OF the Naval
academy at Annapolis Of ten years be-
fore. a lieutenant who. had just ar
rived stood on a certain spot on the
parade ground in contemplatiye
mood. a lady leading a little girl by
the hand came along walk.
Il beg pardon" said the lieutenant.
lifting his cap. Can you tell me IL
Professor d. still occupies chair at
The academy" = #
HE does" >... E.. a..
81 am member Of the class of 190-.
/ studied under Professor D. and had a
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 living" ..%. HI.
'.She is ~:
HIM He gazed on vacancy. Evil
IDENTITY he had returned to his cadet
days and some especial memory.
81 knew Miss Alice d." he resumed
presently. "She was 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"
I,o xx-,~f< ~ hor =.
q 81 believe he sent her a letter or
two, but that ended the correspond
ence"
Dropped by the lady. I presume.
We naval men are noted for our con-
staRcy." HI.
IF having a sweetheart in every port
is constancy then you are all models of
faithfulness."
81 cannot conceive a member Of my
class-they were all honorable fellows
-disregarding his plighted troth."
There were some of them can't
conceive of regarding it. I was a
young lady when your class graduated,
and knew many of its members"
Zone of us you wrong. That l know
myself" Iii.
.'Indeedr' ...
Eyes. 1 loved 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"
"Iou speak in irony. parted from
the girl loved the night before sail
ed right here where we are standing.
The moon was at the full and shone
down through the leaves. patches Of
light quivering upon the grass on which
we stood. We vowed eternal constancy.
1t seemed at parting that could not
let 60 her hand. At last I 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 l re-
turned few years later to America I
heard that she had married another
"AIice told me all about it y.
"Alice!''
"Yes. You had not been long In ia
pan when a cruiser returned from there
bearing an officer who had met you in
Tokyo. Alice met him in Washing
ton. He knew nothing of your engage
ment to her and told of two affairs of
yours at the capital Of Japan"
And Alice believed these stories?"
"Others told them as we'll"
81 swear
/ "By the inconstant moon, or. rather,
don't swear at all. You are absolved
from all blame. There isAsome incon-
gruousness in midshipman Of twenty
keeping faith with his first sweet
heart. Besides, you have gained rath-
err than lost. Alice is now thirty. You
would not recognize in the woman
nearly middle aged the girl Of nine
teen. You may still fit from flower to
flower for another decade and then be
young enough to pluck bud"
II shall never love any woman ex-
cept Alice" -. .:."..
0You would not recognize her If you
should see her."
81 would know her among a thou
sand"
Come and see me this evening and
1 will give you an opportunity to pick
her out among half a dozen-the third
house over there in the officers quar-
ters." ''s...... -:
She passed on, leaving the lieuten-
ant uneasy. He could not remember
very well how Alice d. had looked as
a girl. Now that she was ten years
older to recognize her would be diff
cult. Nevertheless the officers, of the
United States navy are used to stand
ing by their guns in more than one
respect. He called on the lady he had
met and found FIVE other women OF
ages between eighteen and thirty. He
entered the room, casting furdve
glances on those assembled. They
were all in the secret and on the qu1!-
vive of expectation. He was present
"a 20 +boy1, oil hut mono nf their