The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1914-07-16
ADOzEN YEARS.
AFTER
A Story OF West Point
FlirtatiOns
By EUNICE BLAKE

a dozen years absence from the Unit
ed States Military academy at West
Point. was ordered there as instructor
In artillery. He was twenty when he
was graduated. Now he was approach
ing middle life. The day after his ar
rival, not yet having entered upon his
duties, he strolled about, recalling here
and there scenes and incidents of his
cadet life.
Mounting to old Fort Put. he mused:
"What day that was when | came
up here with Jennie! How my heart
warmed toward her! can smell this
minute the delicate perfume there was
about her. / can feel the silken soft
ness of her sleeve, the sweet touch of
her fingers when mine came in contact
with them. Those beautiful blue eyes!
How conf,dingly, how lovingly they
looked into miner
Descending, he crossed the plain and
soon found himself on Filtration walk.
Again he mused: 1T was right here in
this little recess when with Belle |
stopped to tell her that I loved her.
She knew what was coming and look
ed out on the river and the hills be-
yond, waiting for me to speak. told
her that, though we had met but a
week before, | had come to love her
with an unquenchable flame. I re-
member that at the time the word un-
quenchab!e seemed to me very we'll
chosen. l was then a yearling with
nearly three years of study before me.
What mattered it? We were In the
summer encampment with little to do
but make love to the girls who had
sprung Up all over the Point like dali
sizes in the sweet springtime. In Sep
tember they vanished, and we were
again grinding away at our books"
He returned to the plain and strolled
past the monument to the West Point
graduates who had fallen in the war
and. standing ON tho declivity directly
north of 1t, looked out upon that view
up the Hudson river, as beautiful If
not more beautiful than any in Amer
lea.
1T was right here that I stood with
Alice Ward on that moonlight night Of
, the day | graduated. My cadet days
were over, and / was an officer in the
army. But the boy had not yet all got
out Of me. l had been sitting on the
porch of the hotel with Alice. There
were a dozen other couples there, and
to escape the clatter Of tongues pro-
posed a walk in the moonlight We
came here and stood looking out on
this very view, though then instead Of
flashing in the sun 1t was mellowed by
moonlight l should have known bet
ter this time. was of age. l did
know better. but failed to act on that
knowledge. drew her to me and
kissed her"
The blood of shame mounted to his
cheek when he remembered that he
had told her she was the only girl he
had ever loved.
But" he added. though did not
know 1t at the time. it was the truth"
He turned away from the scene be-
fore him, taking the path that led
around by the officers quarters. On
the way he met lady with boy FIVE
or six years old, the child running
about chattering to his mother. The
lady was the wife Of one stationed at
the Point and, recognizing an officer
by his uniform, bowed to him. He
doffed his hat and said:
II presume, madam, you are one OF
our army family here?"
~ am"
l ho 1tYc onYtxy oP hca
of twelve years"
"You are Captain AinsworthT'
81 am"
81 have heard of your coming We
keep posted on the changes as they
occur. You relieve Lieutenant Wa
ters, believeY'
81 do"
"Does the Point look the same to you
, as when you left itY'
"West Point can never change
though its buildings may. have beer
visiting old haunts."
'Indeedp
Eyes. | first visited Fort Put re
membered being up there once with {
very lovely girl"
"She was'-
"Her name was Jennie Upon my
word. my memory is getting shakyP
"Was 1t Marston?"
"Marston! Certainly! How name
do fall us when we try to recall them
' Did you know her?'
l "She has always been an intimat
friend of mine"
"Is she married2" asked Ainsworth
} assuming an anxious look.
"Oh. yes; she's married. but II re
quired some time for her to get owe
7 that visit to Fort PutP
"You don't mean 1t! That was tn
4 episode OF my life. But--I was moth
ing but a plebe."
"Jennie was very young too. She
! happily married now"
"She must be an intimate friend Q
yours"
my husband accuses me OF lovin