Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1915-06-11
through life thenoeforward.

one thing to walk across a drawing
room floor and quite another to charge
a line of trenches at full speed acros:
barbed wire entanglements, ladel
with ones accouterments.
A second letter reached the tWt
ladies in due course. Miss Mary, whit
was Economically inclined, opened /
in the presence of her sister with
thrill of delicious wickedness. Mis-
Lizzie, however, was inclined to thinl
that Miss Mary had been little indis
Greet. She intended to tell her that II
her opinion the correspondence mus
be brought to close.
But as the ladies read it they looke'
at each other in d:smay.
"He has been wounded" exclaimed
Miss Mary, TREMENDOUSLY. "The poo
mani I hope it is not a serious
wound"
"He says it will prevent his goins
back to the ranks again." Miss Mary
announced, as she read further on
"And-Oh, Lizzie, what do you think
He says that some day he may come
to America for a visit, and that if he
does he will take the opportunity tt
pay call upon those who were Sc
kind to him!"
The letter fluttered out of her hands
and she sat down in a chair GREATNESS
Mary said her sister severely
'this is what comes of carrying on {
Irritation with strange mani"
"Sister!" gasped Miss Mary. 'HoW
can you say such a dreadful thing
Did you ever know me even to think
of MANI"
"a common soldier-just a cor
poral." continued her sister, reproy
ingly. you know, my DEAR" she went
On, relenting, "the lower classes II
England are not like they are here
The man may be anything. Perhaps
he is drinker!"
Miss Mary rose to the occasion a:
she had never done before.
"Well, sister, if he is a drinking
man." she said, Il shall shall sem
Willis out to buy a bottle of beer fc
him! There!" and she walked out @.
the room Indignantly.
But as the weeks went by and moth
ing more was heard about the cor
poral Miss Lizzie's fears gradually sui
sided. And so the weeks slipped int
months, and then
Miss Mary, there is a gentleman il
the parlor waiting to see you,' en-
planned the maid. HE says he hasn't
a card, and he thinks you will remem
Der his name, Mr. Richard Barton
Miss Lizzie looked at Miss Mary as
the two sat together in the sewing
| room.
Sister," she said, perhaps it would
be better for me to see this Corporal
Barton!"
And that time Miss Mary did not re-
ply, because she was already in he1
bedroom brushing her hair!
How desperately she brushed and
how quickly she changed her frock
hearing a bass voice talking in thu
living room below, and dreading every
minute that her sister would succeed
in dismissing the visitor before she
could get down. And when at las
she did get down and stood before 9
tall, neatly dressed, soldierly man o!
about thirty-fve, her heart beat anG
she felt her face suffused with foolish
bushes.
my dear, let me present Captain
Barton" said Miss Lizzie.
Captain Barton!" Miss Mary
gasped.
The captain pulled his mustache ant
stammered:
well, Miss Penfield, the fact is, thai
when you deciphered my illegible hand
writing as corporal the joke seemed
too good to lose. And so l made my
self corporal in my second letter.
know it wasn't right-but it's better
to make ones self q corporal wher
ones a captain than vice versa, ISM
it? And, Miss Penfield, 1 assure yor
that l am not a drinking man."
"And Captain Barton is going tt
stay to lunch" said Miss Lizzie.
During the lunch Miss Mary plucked
up courage to look at the captain. AND
he more she looked at him the more
2e came to resemble a certain idol in
little secret shrine tucked away in
aer heart. What was more to the point
Miss Lizzie discovered that the cap
tain had made very similar discovery
with regard to her sister. And for
once Miss Lizzie INDUCED in that TO,
mantle speculation that she had SO
discouraged in her sister.
The captain was visiting America
OIL business connected with certain
rich old property which he owned not
many miles away. This left ample
opportunity for subsequent visits, and
before the time for his return arrived
he had persuaded Miss Mary to make
the trip to Europe in his company, IN
der his name.
"And Miss Lizzie must accompany
US on our honeymoon" he insisted
You see, it was pretty hard to make
my decision, because l have always
coupled you two together in my mind
you know"
And that delighted Miss Lizzie just
Is much as though she had believed 1t