The spectator., 1918-11-26

 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.
 I'll tell you who the child'S mother was, Wallace, because I was unfortu nate enough to know her. She was Miss Rennie, Miss Marjorie Rennie, of Baltimore family-fine people, and, of course, with tradition like that, she believed in the scoundrel ab- 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 a trap. 1 wouldn't even lis ten. You know, when 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 I had played false to my best friend and that I'd suffer for it to the last day of my life. I've never forgotten that in- terview, and you can guess how it 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 flee. That's about all"
 Its enough" said Wallace. '"The girl married him. then?'
 ''SO 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 a probability, in fact. Most of the officers in the regiment are since that time, but 1 guess they all knew something, and kept it quiet, like you
 Wallace nodded. q fancy there's a good deal of feeling" he said.
 Quite a good deal" said the major, dryly. And I guess you'll agree with me that this makes it--let's say, lit tie difficult to adopt his child ofii- cially?"
 You mean the remembrance would be too bitter?"
 q mean that that position is the one and only position that she is dis qualified from holding. by reason of birth"
 "Still," urged Wallace. "it isn't in the blood. The mother was decent. Why should that baby be tarnished with her fathers treachery?"
 Its written in the Good Book" began the major.
 And there's something else about coals of fire, too, Major, which came as 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 1t? Adjust what?" cried the Major, with sudden passion.
 "The whole of that hellish business, Major. The man was once an officer of the Seventieth. He's dead and his crimes have died with him. We want to forget that such thing could have happened, 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, I 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. I 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 I'll lend her to you-mark that word, Major lon that condition or none."
 Major Howard pulled at his mus tache in agitation. You don't really mean 1t, Wallace?" he asked.
 'I do. If you want me to let you take her till the wars over"
 1t means forgiving that black guard"
 Tt means forgetting him and letting the Judge judge"
 Tt goes against every instinct. I'd bring her up away from the regimental life. Besides, there are the others"
 "Who else knows1"
 "Well. of course. nobody else knows who the dead man was. The colonel will 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 ognized what was left of the face, or suspected somehow. I could tell from his manner"
 q don't see any overwhelming diff ficulty in that. You can trust Keller man?"
 The major nodded, and 1t occurred to Wallace that he would rather trust any of the officers than Kellerman. He had conceived a prejudice against him which he could not have eyDlained