Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-09-28
A CASE OF
CONSTANCY
By ETHEL HOLMES

ing up their sons, young wives their
husbands and girls their lovers. The
chief places of interest We're the camps
where officers were being trained to
command the expeditonary forces that
were to be sent to the theater of war.
"Auntie," said Miss Lucy Marston, a
girl of seventeen. take me to Camp
= I don't care to go to the seashore.
as usual, this summer. ! should die
of ennui. l want to go where they
are drilling these young men who are
to be captains and lieutenants in the
army that is going abroad
Auntie was Miss Edith Sands, a
maiden lady of thirty-three who had
been a belle In her day and whose
beauty had ripened rather than de-
cayed. She consented to chaperon her
niece to a summer inn not far from
Camp =, and since they went there
in their car they were within striking
distance of the drill grounds of 1000
or 5000 young men who were being
turned from citizens into soldiers. Miss
Marston was looking for a romance;
Miss Sands was interested principally
in putting her niece in the way of
one.
The ladies arrived at the inn in time
for dinner and proposed to visit the
camp the next day. While they were
sitting on the porch an officer in the
uniform of a major of infantry drove
up to the inn, alighted and during the
evening took a seat near them.
ASK him." said Lucy to her aunt,
Eat what hour they admit visitors to
the camp"
Miss Sands asked the officer the ques-
ton. At the sound of her voice he
turned at once toward her. After he
had given her the information she de-
sired she remarked that she felt at
home among army peoples since she
had as a young girl visited West Point
and there met a great many officers
and their families.
"How about cadets?" asked the
major.
II also met a number of those young
men who in July and August of each
veal turn their attention from their
military studies to preying upon the
hearts of the girls who invade the acad-
envy grounds at that season. The
standard of honor in other respects is
so high that they strike an average by
letting it down to zero in their affairs
of the heart"
"I will admit" replied the major,
"that among young persons there Is
Jaa, .oxnra;,oJ ~ a-as1sDr 1arao ora
in that respect, but 1 doubt if there is
any more blame to be attached to the
cadets of West Point than other men.
Besides, 1 believe the girls who go
there are as inclined to heart smash
ing as the young men,"
Miss Lucy Marston was disappointed
in her visit to Camp - for the reason
that the young men being trained
there were SO busy with their work
or so tired when they got any leisure
that they had no time for entertaining
visitors. Major Rathbone, however,
found opportunity to visit Miss Sands
and quite often spent an evening with
her on the porch of the inn, occasion
ally bringing with him some n from
the camp to entertain her niece, for
the major preferred having Miss Sands
to himself, which he could not do I'M
less Lucy were provided for.
There was something In Miss Sands
that drew the major, something that
smacked Of his youth. 1t seemed that
her voice reminded him of some of the
many girls with whom he had 1880
ciated long ago. Then, too, there was
a certain toss of her head that suggest
ed to him some girl who in that way
expressed dissent. The major was fall
ing In love with Miss Sands, and he
could not tell whether he was drawn
to a handsome maiden lady Or the
memory of one he had known in the
past.
Major Rathbone proposed to Miss
Sands, and when he did so she thus
replied:
II assure you, major, that I feel high
ly honored by this second proposal of
yours and am quite sure
Second p%roposal!'
eyes. You proposed to me just
twelve years ago this summer on the
porch of the West Point hotel"
The major was equal to the occa-
sion.
"From my first meeting you here"
he said, II felt that I had loved you
and that I was true to that love. l
have proved by this second proposal
that constancy which is conspicuous
among the officers of the United States
army"
The lady laughed.
"And you have also proved hat as
surance, that readiness, that resource
whatever you choose to call (which
is also conspicuous among the officers
Of the United States army in extricat-
ing yourself from a dilemma"
do you mean to say" he rejoined,
that you considered a West Point pro-
posal of a cadet bona fide?"
"It matters not whether it is bona