The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-01-11

get it. Hampton was let go, on the
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.
"I'll tell you who the child's mother
| was, Wallace, because / was unfortu-
nate enough to know her. She was a
Miss Rennie, Miss Marjorie Rennie,
of Baltimore family-fine people,
and, Of course, with tradition like
| that. she believed in the scOundrei aD-
sOlutely. She came to me twice. Inc
| first time was before the informal trial
held by the department. She begged
me to believe he was innocent and the
| victim of trap. I 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 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
fee. That's about all"
Its enough" said Wallace. "The
girl married him. them"
$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 1 guess they
all knew something, and kept 1t quiet,
like you"
Wallace nodded. II fancy there's a
good deal of feeling" he said.
"Quite 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
cially"
"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"
"Tt'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 it? Adjust what?" cried
the Major, with sudden passion.
"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 a thing could have
happened, and the only way is to leave
him to Gods judgmentand 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. 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 ON that condition or
none"
Major Howard pulled at his mus
tache in agitation. you don't really
mean it, Wallace?" he asked.
81 do. If you want me to let you
take her till the wars over"
ut means forgiving that black
guard"
at means forgetting him and letting
the Judge judge"
"It goes against every instinct. I'd
bring her up away from the regimental
life. Besides, there are the Others"
"Who else knows?'
"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. could tell from
his manner"
II 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 explained.
"And Hampton's name was erased