The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-02-27
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= THE SOLDIER GIRL
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mo BY MELVIN STEVENS. M
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BY MELVIN STEVENS.
ICOTyriBht, IYI8, hy Inc McIIurt
Der Syndicnte.)

! cidcd that he was working too hard
I and needed n rest, Happily, Dick was
one Of those fortunate young men who
could afford 10 take q rest whenever
he wanted one; and having made his
decision he packed al necessary cloth
ing IN n steamer trunk and took the
dain for Old Point Comfort, lie
couldn't tell why he decided on thnt
| place in preference to several others
he might have selected; but he blessed
his lucky star for guiding him IN his
selection.
For, after having washed and I'M
packed, he made his way leisurcly into
the broad sun parlor and discovered
! Edythe Norton, She was reading n
book, and the first thing he noticed
was that her long black eyelashcs lay
carelessly upon the pink Of her cheeks.
She gave not the slightest indication
Of noting his presence. Instead she
looked over and through him, and
| turned again to her book.
Dick felt suddenly that Old Point
Comfort wasn't all that 1t was cracked
up to be. He stn-tcd to back out Of
the palm room, but ns he did so a
young man in uniform brushed past
him and approached the girl Of the
black eyes. She sensad his coming
and looked up with q smile of greet
ing, and there was something in the
way she smiled which made Dick
Huber wish for the first time in his
life that he had gone to West Point
instead Of to Harvard.
He wandered aimlessly about the
hotel for time his thoughts on the
girl he had seen. Stll ponderIng, he
found himself back at the desk Of the
hotel. clean-cut young fellow was
in charge, and for want Of something
to do. Dick engaged him in conversa-
tion. He found, after a time, that the
clerk was a Harvard man also; that
he had been forced TO leave college
for a year because of lack Of fun Is,
and that he knew everybody in the
hotel. SO Dick questioned him guard
edly about the girl he had seen. and
found that her name was Edythe Nor
ton; that she intended to stay at the
Point until the first Of March and that
every good-looking soldier at the Coast
Artillery Training school was crazy
ahout her.
"Other fellows come from up North
to sec her" the clerk announced "But
no one without uniform has
chance"
Dick wandered into the dining room
after time. wishing more than even
that he had gone to West Point.
But the next morning, through ohS
of those rare pieces of luck which,
come to MS all now and then, he found
q mutual acquaintance who introduced
him. That was the beginning Of the
nappiest month Of his life. February
wore away and the time came for him
to go back North he made a desperate
resolution to ask Edythe TO marry him.
'Edythe." he began, "I--I want to
say something TO YOU"
She nodded. without raising her
eyes, and waited; but Dick became
suddenly fearful. He had never pro-
posed to a girl before, and he did not
know that she already knew what he
was going to say, and was trying to
make it easy for him. SO instead Of
along he simply cleared his
throat again aud relapsed into silence;
and the girl, simply because she was
q girl, looked across the room after a |
time, and discovered a figure approach
ing them.
Here comes Tom Atkinson in his |
new Uniform" she announced. 'T'm
just crazy about soldier suits, Dick"
And because he didn't know any
thing at all about women, Dick Huber !
decided that his case was hopeless and |
left for the North without saying 4
word about the love that was tugging |
his heart out.
He tried hard to forget Edythc after i
that; and because business was not |
strong enough to ease the ache which I
him. he announced himself |
4 candidate for the Second Officers |
Reserve Training camp early in Au-
gust, and September found him at |
Fort Myer training for n commission. I
A few weeks later he was transferred |
10 the Coast artillery and was ordered |
10 report Mt the training school at /
Fortress Monroe. which is only across,
he street from the big hotel at Old |
Point Comfort.
Dick smiled rather grlmly one after
loon late in November as he made his I
WY into the palm room of the hotel, /
ooking for another cadet who had !
promised to meet him there. It re- 1
minded him wildly Of Edythe, and in
he glanced over to the .
,orner where he had first seen her. I
snd then his heart stopped beating
or there she was, sitting in the wicker 4
'ocking chair.
For long two minutes Dick stood
oeking across the room at her and
hen she raised her eyes She gasped
bit as she recognized him, but when
le strobe over to her. she rose and
leid out both her hands.
sDfck! =" she said "What in the
world are you doing here?n
"Tm at the training school at the
ort." he told her snilingly.
"And your uniform It's just splen-
i'd"
There was something in the way she \
aid It which made Dick suddenly
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