Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 81: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SOLDIER’S HONOR. makes the father’s curse in ‘ Hazel Kirke ’ sound like ‘ God bless you.’ “You plead with him, and we argue, but we might as well talk to a stone. Never shall you cross that threshold again, he declares, until you can do so with a marriage certificate in your hand. Then he goes inside and slams the door in your face. ‘What are we to d6? You're bawling and crying, telling us there’s no place for you but the river, and so I put it squarely © up ta Mosely that the only honorable thing for him is to marry you. ““¢ A divorce can easily be arranged later,’ I tell him; ‘ but in order to protect this poor child’s good name and save her from a suicide’s grave, somebody must go through at least the form of a wedding with her. I’d do it myself,’ I say, ‘ but un- fortunately I already have a wife; so it looks as if you were elected.’ ”’ “And you expect him to fall for a game of bunk like that?” queried the chorus girl scornfully. | ‘““My dear, it’s been my business to peddle bunk around this town for many years, and I never yet fell down on any- thing I really wanted to put across. I’ve seen older and wiser men than this cadet fall for stuff that was fifty times rawer than this is. No, sister; the one gift I have is a persuasive tongue, and if you'll only play up to your end of it, I’m willing to guarantee that I can coax him in front of a justice of the peace over in Hoboken, and that -you’ll be Mrs. Kerr Mosely by this time to-morrow.” Again Queenie musingly stirred her cof- fee. ‘How much real money can you hold the old man up for?” she questioned. “I don’t want to hear about millions, but what he’ll actually give up.” “Well, we ought to get fifty thousand dollars at the very least,” averred Mr. Wilburt. ‘“ And how are you planning to cut it?” she bargained. ‘Four ways. Equal shares to me, and you, and .Dilsey, and a fourth share to 423 the lawyer that we’ll need to conduct the negotiations and collect the money for us.” " Miss Sinclair drained the last of her coffee, and set down the empty cup with an air of decision. “Twelve thousand five hundred for mine, eh?” she calculated. “All right, Tommy. Bring on your cadet.” CHAPTER II. THE HONOR OF THE CORPS. A$ Tommy Wilburt had predicted, West Point won the Army-Navy football game that day; and consequently when the victorious team returned home the following afterndon, the reservation rang with shouts of exultation, and long after taps were sounded the barracks still continued to celebrate its triumph, the authorities for once winking at the breach of regulations. But the one man whose name was on everybody’s tongue, and who more than any other had helped accomplish Navy’s defeat, took but little part in the general jubilation. . ‘““Who’s got the Navy’s goat?” sang out a cheer leader as the hero of the occa- sion appeared in the quadrangle. And the admiring corps, crowding around in congratulation, chorused back: “Mosely! Mosely!” ‘Spell it out!” shrieked the cheer- leader, and five hundred lusty throats chanted in a great volume of sound: “ K-E-R-R M-O-S-E-L-Y!” They would have carried him on their shoulders in their exuberance; but he shrank back from the ovation, and in- Stead of seeming gratified, acted as if he wanted to run away. As soon as emight be, indeed, he did “make his escape, and slipping off to his quarters, where none could intrude save his faithful room-mate, Darwin, remained there in gloomy seclusion. ‘Hanged if I know what’s got into him!” Darwin reported to a group of in- comicloool C©