Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-18
A TEN YEARS
INTERVAL
By EMILY ]. ARMsBY !.

Il
the hand came along walk
81 beg pardon said the lieutenant.
lifting his cap "Can Jon tell me II
Professor D. still occupies chair at
the academy?"
HE does -
liam q member OF the class ofl100-.
l studied under Professor ID. andshad q
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 stu livings'
"She is.
"Himr' He gazed on vacancy. Evil
IDENTIFY he had returned to his cadet
days and some especial memory.
81 knew Miss Alice D." he resumed
presently. "She was a lovely girl"
"She Is an especial friend Of mine.
She told me once that she was engaged
to cadet who graduated about your
time, possibly Of your class" 81
Indeed 7"
.Yes. He sailed for the east after.
leaving here and did not return.
surely be wrote to herr
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-
stancy."
IF having sweetheart inaevery port
is constancy then you are allmodels Of
faithfulness.
II cannot conceive member Of my
class they were all honorable fellows
-disregarding his plighted troth."
There were some OF them I can't
conceive Of regarding It. was a
young lady when your class graduated.
and I knew many Of its members"
s.One Of US you wrong. That Iiknow
myself"
aIndeedr'
$Yes. Flowed girl attached to the
academy, her father being member
OF the academic staff"
Professors daughters form excel
lent material for cadets to practice
making love upon.r
You speak In irony. ! parted from
the girl I loved the night before / sail
ed right here where we are stamding.
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.
It seemed at parting that could not
let 60 her hand At last / 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 I re-
turned q few years later to America I
heard that she had married another"
"Alice told me all about it,
"Alicev,
Eyes. 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"
.sAnd Alice believed these storiesg'
Others told them as well"
81 swear
by the inconstant moon, or. rather.
don't swear at all. You are absolved
from all blame. There is some ineon-
gruousness in q midshipman ofstwenty
keeping faith with his first sweet
heart. Besides, yon have gained rath
er than lost. Alice is now thirty. You
would not recognize In the woman
nearly middle aged the girl Of nine
teen. You may still fiit from flower to
flower for another decade and then be
young enough to pluck bud"
Il shall never love any woman ex-
cept Alice"
"You would not recognize her II You
should see her."
81 would know her among thou
sand"
sCome and see me this evening and
/ will give you an opportunity to pick
her out among half a dozen-the third |
house over there In the officers quar-
ters.n
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 i've other women Of
ages between eighteen and thirty. He |
entered the room, casting furtive
glances on those assembled. They /
were all in the secret and on the qui-
vive of expectation. he was present
ed to them all, but none Of their
names was spoken.
"And now" said the hostess, "the
girl you parted with ten years ago
stands before you. Choose her"
The lieutenant thought Of the Indian
ocean and wished he was riding on its
pillows. He scrutinized them all,
the while very red. and at