Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-23
CHAPTER w.

'
more. sat and dispirit"d, with long al
t.rna,ing intervals OF resienatioii'
yyh,n he took life as he found IL anu
MAS satisfied. But he always came
ont of thcs" into briei periods OF uh-
,rs, with the sense that he had awak-
,r,J ,ro,u som" l.tharey that was
d,mning his soul Is the alkali ana th'
winds of the plains had scanned ms
,,c. and taken the last particle oil MS
Youth away.
%n,y i'm Texas. now in Arizona. now
i'm suru, lonely border post III th'
rr,cZing northwest. 1t" remained ii '"P-
tain. He had no friends III Washing
,nn I'm tiinr--in long tim" h" would
reach his majority, no doubt 10 h' IT,
I,r,d suun after, and waddlc, with
.,,,,,, old mn, iors ul his own age. into
ornate clubs in army c"ntrrS not Hu'"
so TAR removed from ciNiliZati"n' i'
luokrd upon this prospect with irohic'ii
r,,,rpc,. and now and then asked
hims,Ir the unInSw"r;iblc question
,,,v Ia. had remained in the army
Eleanor waS grown up and doinicli'a
permanently IN Colonel iiowhrds town
hu,lS,.. and her letters had grown ii"i'
iufrcuurnt and pcriunCtory, until th"ir
.,rr;v,I bcr,Inc a quarterly affair IN
stead of a monthly event ana not a'-
ways that, either.
And bv and 10y the feeling came
over Mark that ii ever hc were 10 sc'
b.r o.uin there woulG remain no com
mon link between them. From doubt
ing his future ne had come To do"p'
himself. lie doubted whether tn" d's-
ar, life had not hluntcd him, bllinl'"
his finer instincts. and mad" nm uh'i'
far social liic--crrtainly rendered MN
uutit for the guardianship OF Il young
girl.
Hut that he had rclinquishcd To COL
ourl Howard grudgingly but uhcom-
p,omisingly. Never in any oi his let
,,rs did he put forward the shadow
of his former claim
Then. swiftly. and Unexpectedly
chance turned and bcckoncd him.
|, came i'm the form Of a letter from
col. Howard. the first in two years
uo,yord had. in the past. repeatedly
tried In induce Mark to take advantaG"
of opportunities that he had put pe'orc
him but Mark had refused stubporhi!'
until r4r,/n,"Jor iad si'9n- HIM - af- On
disrust. Howard did not know. th'
underlying idea in his own mind, III"
SENSE OF suhducd rancor AGAINST 'h'
man who had robbed him oi Eleanor
couplcd with the sense oi Sacrlh'''
that he might withdraw all his claims
on the child.
\uw. however, Howard made one
more attempt.
"I want YOU to think this PROPOSE
tion over aS quickly as possible m'
wrote. mot for my sake or yours nu'
h,cnus,. YOUR duty is to take the job.
With war with Germany in plain view
TO the initiated. there are great th'hSS
doing in Washington, and I've beth
offered my old post at the mohiliIalioh
druartmrnt, which has been enlarged
br,uud all knowlvdgr. Your work IN
the west Is better known than you
think. Wallace. and We want YOU mere.
Wirr il you can. and come 10y the iirs'
train. This is official. so don't wait
for divisional notification. which may
take days"
rh, letter reached Mark in one ot
his periods of helpless dcspondrnr!'
lmpuISively he wired back. accepting
regretted as soon rs the message hla
l,,n dispatchcd, but packed his suit
case. turned over the command 10 III"
senior lieutenant. and took III" Tram
Tor WASHINGTON
As h,. went east the years seem
Ia fall from him like Il dream. III was
u frozen labyrinth in which he seemed
To have been wandering: he seemed 10
come Ia himself with Il CONSCIOUSNESS
of wears wasted. Int of years oi action
ahead.
Colonel Howard Gazrd curiouSl! nj
him us he rose from his desk IN the
war Office and graSpcd his hands.
81 should never have known YOU
Wallace" he said.
What he was thinking was. foou
Lord, how the Years have eaten INTO
him."
Don't think that Your work mas
been unrrcognizcd." ne said. after Il
few minutes Of dcsultory chatting. III
has been, and know that recognition
is coming to you in the fullest meas
urr. You arc tn work under me here'
it's Il hig scheme that We ar" prclar-
iur. my hoy. and only kcllcrman and l.,
and Yourself. will br acquainted with
MI the details. outside OF the depart
mental head. You remember Keller
man."
Mark nodded. trying to pierce TO-
gcther the pictures of the past.
we are working out the mohiiiza-
ton plans Tor the first contingent, AZ
Ter /, reaches France" Howard con-
tinurd. Its Il bigger scheme than
ANYTHING we knew in the past. fouh
act rs my subordinate and have an IN
innate knowledge OF the details-a sort
of undcrstudy, in fact. but with i good
deal OF initiative as we'll. And II war
comes. as it is sure to come. wen he
sent over ON the first transport. to pre-
pare things fo~ the troops. All, kel-
lerman, here's Wallace. newly arrived
Ia take over his duties"
Mark saw not the slightest change in
Kellerman since the days of the Cuban
war. Kellerman was just as florid as
ever. just as burly, with the same rath-
er sinister way of glancing: his black
hair was unthinned and unto; he'd
with gray. He had borne the Years
ruch better than Mark.
Il Kellerman reciprocated Mark =
feelings. he showed no sign OF It In his
cordial handgrip.
We were glad to get YOU. Wallace.
he said. You'll excuse me for mo-
ment, I'm sure"
Ia L.,