The Topeka state journal., 1913-10-15
TIE EVENING STORY
The Majors Last Charge.
By Louise Merrifield.)

"A ridiculous proposition on the face
of it," said the major, his blue eyes
fiery, and his imperial lifted until its
tip barely touched his shirt front.
EtoiIe. never even moved Perched
comforta bly, on the arm of his chair,
with one slender arm barricading him,
she held him prisoner.
But, dear. what difference does it
all make noW?"
teen aren't you? You have no idea
of the deadly struggle which took
place some years back before your
BIRTH
And 1 don't want to, dad. 1 hate
the very sound of it. l don't even like
to see veterans parading, the poor old
fellows. I'm sure if it had happened
found decent, well-bred way out of
it instead of peppering each other the
way you did. It's awfully bad form
for members of the same family to
fight publicly with each other
The major stared, and then slowly
a broad smile overspread his features.
Does Harvey Granger dare to fill
your head with this piffling nonsense
after 1 chased his father from one end
of the wilderness to the other, and cut
off his last retreat?"
He laid you up in the army hospi-
tai IOT IOur 1nOHlllS d1IeT II, Odu- 4NOW,
don't deny it, for it's the proudest
achievement of the colonePs whole war
career, and if you take that away from
him 1 don't know what he would live
on
The major fumed and fretted.
You boss me shamefully. Positive
ly bullyrag me. You coaxed me into
wintering here in New York instead
of South in comfort. You coaxed me
into an apartment hotel instead of my
own comfortable home study, with
good open fire to cheer me. And now
you bring out my worst wartime enc
my and ask me to go and call on him
because he is crippled and cannot very
well call on me. AS though any NOR
tai power could make Tad Granger call
on me-
''Oh. he would, really and truly,
dad Etoile insisted. He's the dear
est. jolliest old gentleman"-
Since when have you hae the pllas-
ure of his acquaintance?'
Harvey wanted me to meet him so
much, and I know Harvey well, dad.
You don't realize that I've been rum
ming up here for three whole years.
visiting Aunt Winifred, and meeting
a great many people,
How old is the SUBJ" The majors
eyebrows looked as shaggy and fero-
cious as some old lions.
'Twenty-four. He's in his last year
at teen mining engineering, dad, anC
he wants to go down to Peru after
ward; in fact, we had planned'-she
stopped short. a quick flush sweeping
over her face-"to give him a sort of
send off, you know"
If the major suspected any Interior
motive in her demands, he feigned
disregard of any ambuscade. But
neither coaxing nor pouting availed.
He would not call upon Col. Granger in
his suite at the Andorra; neither
would he leave his card for him. He
would barely respond to Harvey's cor
dial bow with reluctant lifting of one
fOref1nger to his hat brim when they
passed him sometimes on the drive.
There would be swift glance inter-
changed between Etoile and the COL
oners son. but that was all. Some of
her mothers splendidly vivacious Lor-
raine spirit must have kept Etoile's
heart light those days She had been
born in France and brought up there
during the majors diplomatic serv-
ices abroad. The career that lay be-
fore Harvey, with its promise of ad-
venture and achievement, had ap-
pealed to her from the first of their ac-
Quaintance.
1t had not been chance at all that
had led them to the Andorra- Her