Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-03-29
WILL OF HER own
But She Could Also Change Hel
Mind, and Did.

II nave AnIAtU WuiAt N"NANf W. ~" 49,"
had been Major General Cafew. q
hero OF shiloh. and II any point cou
: have been strained to admit Peter
4 would certainly have been done ~
D then nobody had expected anythln
q much Of Peter.
Peter was not really simple; in fac
: he was endowed with an amount 9
plain common sense superior to tn
average. But he was so quiet an
easily embarrassed. and had a certaii
delicacy of feeling which is not com
monty associated with army men. g
everybody thought he had found BIZ
proper level when he accepted a 20
sition at twenty-five dollars week II
a stock brokers' Office.
The Carews had lost most Of theii
money in the same speculative enter
Prise which involved Colonel Tarrish
the generals old comrade in arms. II
had always been expected that Peter
would marry Edith. Peter took this
as a matter of course. IL was Edith
who disillusioned him, and it occurred
just after he entered the firm OF Scar.
borough & Rink
And it's only twenty-five to begin
with Edith" said Peter, when he had
finished telling her of his new career
lie had not noticed the gathering
scorn on her face do you think you
would be willing to wait for me-
dear?"
Edith laughed mirthfully and then
put her small hands upon Peters
shoulders and pushed the big. over
grown boy up against a corner
Peter! Look at mel" she com
manded why do you take it for
granted that am going to marry you?
Why?"
81 don't know" stammered Peter,
miserably. my father and the colo
mel always intended it, | suppose"
We'll, Peter, you will have to learn
that a woman has will of her own
and isn't given away like a premium
on tea," said Edith. And really Peter
had behaved very badly-more like a
BOBBY than a man. But that was just
Peters way of doing things; that was
why people thought he was simple.
Thereafter the old house was gay
with company; army men, mostly
though sometimes men like Peter
came and stayed and went away not
to return. Captain Framley belonged
to the fastest set in the garrison
but Edith knew nothing about that
She only knew that they were fas-
cinating and daring and yet respect
full. And in all but the last quality
how different from Peter!
Anybody but simpleton like Peter
would have stayed away, but Peter
came just the same, and If he came less
often he was just as polite, just as
amiably interested as before. Some
times the garrison officers made fun
of him, but only in a sly manner.
Somehow Peter had a lurking quality
in him. a subdued power in his mild
blue eyes that instinctively made IL
self felt Nobody would have cared
TO affront six feet of keyed-up hui
manity like Peter Carew.
When people saw that Peter did
rot take his rebuff. the news of which
was common property, they grinned
again, but Peter had a reason which
he kept to himself Peters father
had called him to his bedside two
hours before he died
Peter" he said. that FLY of the
colonels will take the bit between
her teeth some day and bolt She's
got all her fathers spirit, and she's
good and fine; but she ought to have
been boy. There's much she doesn't
know yet. Drive her on the snaffle.
Peter, but hold the curb ready God
bless you. Peter. l wish | could live
to see you happily married"
Those were his last words, but Pc
ter never forgot them. And when his
illusions faded and he began to see
Edith Tarrish in clearer light he
felt, though he could not have ex.
pressed the feeling, that it was his
duty TO protect and aid her, If ever
she needed his aid, and that because
the colonel had been his fathers
closest friend, so he must be Ediths.
And then the day came when he
knew that he must aid her-against
herself.
It happened Unexpectedly. as most
things of that nature happen. He was
approaching the house at dusk, and.
silhouetted against the shade, he saw
Edith and a man. He saw the man
raise Edith's hand to his lips and hold
1t there. And the man was Captain
Framley.
He knew Framley to be a man of no
moral perception, but he did not know
then that his wife had been in an
asylum. an incurable madwoman, for
years. Nobody knew Of poor Mrs
Framley. for it was not to the cap
tain's advantage to proclaim this fact
If Peter had known-but as he did not
he only frightened his lips and rang
the bell AS he did so the shadows
started away.
90 so you've come again, Peteri"
said Edith, YEARLY, when he was
shown in; and anybody but Peter
would have walked out again. Peter