Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-12-06


understanding that he leave the coun-
try forever. oh. yes, he assumed the |
innocent air quite dramatically. Some
of the war Office people believed In him |
until the damning documents were laid |
before them.
"And he was still somehow in touch |
with things, Wallace, and the leakages |
went on afterward. That's why we |
had orders TO hang him as soon as
Santiago was taken. He did the kind |
est thing he could have done to him.
self when he got in the way of that
sniper's bullet.
IN tell you who the child's mother
was. Wallace, because was unfortu-
nate enough to know her. She was a
Miss Rennie, Miss Mnciorie Rennie,
of Baltimore ffainily-fine people,
ana, of course, with a tradition like
that, she believed in the scoundrel alb
solutely. She came to me twice. The
first time was before the informal trial
held by the department. She begged
me to believe he was innocent and the
victim of trap. wouldn't even lis
ten. You know, when a man has TO
run down his friend he has to harden
his heart.
''She came to me again, after Hamp-
ton was broken. She told me l had
played false to my best friend and
that I'd suffer for 1t to the last day of
my life. I've never forgotten that In
terview, and you can guess how ii
made me mad to hang Hampton when
we learned that he was still keeping
up the game from his exile in Cuba.
He must have got quite a number of
confidential papers out of the war of
fee. That's about ALL
'It's enough" said Wallace. "The
girl married him, then?"
$50 much we learned. And also that
she died later. You see, we've been
pretty close on the fellows track the
last couple of years-ever since the
war became probability, in fact.
Most of the officers In the regiment
are since that time, but l guess they
all knew something, and kept it quiet,
like YOU"
Wallace nodded. ST fancy there's a
good deal of feeling" he said.
Quite a good DEAL" said the major.
dryly. "And guess you'll agree with
me that this makes it--let's say. lit
tie difficult to adopt his child Off
clallyf"
"You mean the remembrance would
be too bitter?"
II mean that that position is the
one and only position that she is dis
qualified from holding, by reason of
birth"
STILL" urged Wallace, ut isn't in
The blood The mother was decent.
Why should that baby be furnished
with her fathers treachery?"
"It's written in the Good Book"
began the major.
"And there's something else about
Goals of fire, too, Major, which came
as a sort of revision of the old law.
It's just what we ought to do, because
it's the only way to adjust the mat
ter"
adjust tt? Adjust what2' cried
the Major, with sudden passion.
1.-THE whole of that hellish business, !
Major. The man was once an officer |
OF the Seventeen. He's dead and his |
crimes have died with him. We want |
to forget that such thing could have |
and the only way Is TO leave |
him to Gods judgment and to cast |
out all bitterness from our hearts. /
You quoted Scripture TO Newell, |
gave you the answer from the same /
Book. Let death bring oblivion to the |
mans memory. He's left us the child. |
Start here. Start fresh. have the |
right to the kid, but what you have !
told me makes me feel strongly that |
there's a Providence in this affair, |
and Ill lend her to yor-mark that |
word, Major lon that condition or
none"
Major Howard pulled at his mus
tache n agitation, "You don't really
mean 1t, WallaceI" he asked.
81 do. II you want me to let you
take her till the wars over
ut means forgiving that black
guard"
1T means forgetting him and letting
the Judge Judge"
1T goes against every instinct. I'd
bring her up away from the reg. mental
life. Besides. there are the Others"
''Wbo else kaows?"
well, Of course, nobody else knows
who the dead mar was. The colonel
viii have to know. But he needn't
know we've adopted the child. He's
going South after the war. However,
I'm afraid Kellerman knows. He rec
Dgnized what was left Of the face. or
somehow. could tell from
his manner"
81 don't see any overwhelming diff
iculty in that. You can trust Keller
manT"
The major nodded, and it occurred
70 Wallace that he would rather trust
any of the officers than Kellerman. He
4