Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-05-08

E elias lips were parted and her eyes
] q little glazed She knew the child was
, hypnotized because rhythm always hyp-
Noticed her. Anita Was staring urasee-
marching men. joan looked away and
back at her again. There was some
thing strange In Anitas eyes.
: But interest more than passing
, waned IN her again that night when
] she attended Graduation Hop in Cul-
lum Hall as the drag" Of First Glass
man Stewart Caran. In the course Of
the evening. she passed through the
arms OF approximately 40 cadets. But
none Of them aroused any feeling but
Joy In the dancing.
Dancing the dance before the last
with Bill Anderson she found herself
being maskerfully steered to the ball
cony entrance and out upon It.
81 want you" he said, ito see West
Point by moonlight-with me"
Thanks" She told him as she step
ped away TO avoid his encircling arm.
Its the loveliest spot on the Point.
A dense shadow wavered and broke
into its two component parts, q cadet
and q girl. She recognized George
| Aimes-and Anita.
"wen, Georgel Anital" She laughed
Fancy meeting you herel Lake thisI"
Anita laughed as she stepped past
tuclu VIII 1rCO1SCB Dut when JosAu HSb
! back to Mrs AtnSlees, she found Anita
little huddled heap on the bed. She
threw herself down beside her.
Ne mind, Sis" She sOothed. Il
hope you don't hate me too much"
mo" Anita told her. But. Joan,
let's get out Of here. Lets go home to-
night. Now
ting up off the bed. II can think of |
nothing nicer than q ride through the |
night with my own bed at the end of /
it. Cilly should be in any minute with /
no one can guess what new and shock
ing view Of life. Go put some cold
water on your eyes.
ANITA
Anita stood with Joan and Priscilla
watching Graduation Parade. She saw
the graduating class line up along the
parade grounds, their hats In their
hands, their faces set in the mold Of
reviewing officers. She espied George
Aimes. He was standing on the right
Of the reviewing line, his blonde, hawk
like head turned toward the plain. And
suddenly she realized that to her he
was West Point.
He was one Of the first men she had
met when she began to come up. That
was in another June and he was q
Yearling They had struck up a dessIlt- 2
DRY but persistent friendship. Only q /
few letters had passed between them. I
But he had been most accommodating ]
in getting weekend "drags" for her and
Joan until their acquaintance widened q
SO that his help was no longer needed. q
Once he and another cadet had spent 4
2 day at their home. And several times y
he had dragged her himself. She knew I
about his family and his circumstances &
He came from Wisconsin and farming
people who had been comfortable" b
until the depression. Now they were c
no longer comfortable. Ia
The corps swung by them in review, x
$40 men marching as one, the lines d
IS straight as arrows, the rise and fall
1f the feet as even and cadenced as Il
though governed by metronone. The II
land blared forth It's martial music.
They affected Anita not at all. They
we're merely robots marching, collec-
ion OF well-drtlled young men with y
Nothing to interest her. George Airnes .
vas no longer among them She knew q
n flash that she would never come -
ID to West Point again because there
vas nothing here to draw her. And at
hat moment, she realized that she
owed him.
He was dragging" her that night at
Graduation Hop and he danced with
Ter as he usually danced, not too
ably, not too well, because he didn't
are. But as the sixth dance passed and
he cuts began, she found him in
istently cutting back to dance with
er again
Lets 90 out to the balcony" he said,
hree dances from the end. 81 want to
ak to you" :
They stepped out on the balcony and
nita caught her breath. The moon was :
full and under its eerie light the
'orld was vague and reckoning Al
lost directly below them a train ran
its lighted windows making
resemble swiftly moving glow
orm. Eastward. the Hudson shimmered
! the moonlight and from behind
lem came the soft music Of the or
1estra.
well, Anita" he said and his voice 8.
as brUsque. II guess this Is the end" =
yes" she whispered. =
I've put In for foreign service and .
Y fou-year rating Is pretty good
Epect to get It,"
NWhere?" she asked and held her q
Shanghai. Manila, the Hawaiian Is
nds." -
"It's so far"
ANITA" he said, II want to tell you
fore 60 that 1t has been fine know =
g you. I-well, I'd like to say some a
ing else to you. But I can't. A sec
10 ueutenaut gets ~ ,4Do 3 year ana #j
emotions are slow Ia the army @
ay be q second lieutenant a long 8
ne" Her heart leaped. He was telling In
n he loved herI I'D like you to wait
r me, IL you feel the way I do. But I "a
MT want you to wait. 1t wouldn't be @
II to ask you to wait because"
Wen both wait" she said, and
ltled into the darkness. wen wait @A
each other until another love
mes. Were you trying to say you .
ged me?"
'fYesl"
Z love you, too, tonight But let's not Ass
nd each other with promises. II we're 80
marry, wen marry
4Oh, Anital Damn itl Why can't F'
t out Of the service? I'm a trained
gtneeT. ought TO be able to pick up Ia
good enough job with q West Point III
3. tackled onto my namel Then we
uld be married"
You owe the army at least a year. -
J. George PLAY IL inf @~~