The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

106 Trent took her arm and supported her gently. ‘You must get home at once,” he said quietly, ‘“‘ but you must try to calm your- self before Jack sees you. He might start out to murder—somebody.” “Jack is at the armory,” she said faintly, “and I will try to control myself before he gets home.” “Then T’ll take you home,” said Trent. “Please don’t try to talk now. I under- stand everything perfectly, and I’m glad that I happened to be near when you needed me.” . They arrived presently at her door. ‘“‘ I—I can’t even try to thank you,” she said plaintively, giving him her hand. “I hope I shall never see that man again, but I suppose he will try to make all the trouble he can. Jack will have to suffer, now, for all my foolishness.” “T think that Jack is man enough to take care of himself,’ Trent assured her, then bade her good night and hurried to the armory for his midnight tour of duty. On the way he found one more incident to attract his interest. At a_ brightly lighted street intersection, a policeman was solicitously assisting a stout and badly disheveled young man to climb into a taxi- cab. CHAPTER XIV. A PAIR OF LUCKY HITS. HAL TRENT was resting in the com- pany room next morning when Cap- tain Soames came in to look at his official correspondence and confer with the hard- working company clerk about his records. The captain returned Trent’s salute and bade him good morning with unusual courtesy. A little later he sat down by Trent and assumed a conversational atti- tude. - ““T’ve been thinking about you, Trent,” he said, “and it seems to me that you’re quite a decent sort of fellow. Now, I should think you would be more com- fortable and happy in some other regiment. It’s easy enough, you know, to artange a transfer, and if you care to select the regi- THE ARGOSY. ment that you prefer I will undertake to fix it up for you. Mind you, I want to do it as a favor to you.” Trent looked frankly astonished. “With all due respect; sir,” he said slowly, “I would like to inquire why I can’t remain in this regiment—and in this company also.” Soames assumed an air of patience. ‘“That’s all right, my boy,” he said, ‘but you ought to see that you would be better off somewhere else. You're rather unpopular around here, and—”’ ‘“T don’t intend to talk back to my superior officer,” Trent said quietly, “ but please allow me to say, Captain Soames, that I thought my unpopularity was con- fined to you, sir, and to Corporal Perkins —and for reasons best known to your- selves.” ‘We won’t quarrel about it,” the cap- tain said graciously, “but you’d better take my advice. The fact is, Trent, that it will soon be just about impossible for you to stay here. The regiment is—vwell, it’s still more or less a secret, but I’ll tell you in confidence that we shall probably have a new colonel in the near future.” “But what in the world has a new colonel to do with me, sir?” “TH tell you, and you'll understand perfectly,” answered Soames with an un- pleasant smile. ‘“ The powers that be have selected a wealthy young society man for the honor—to raise the tone of the regi- ment, I suppose—and his name is Hartley Stuart Trent!” ‘““As colonel of this regiment!” ex- claimed Trent. “Why not?” sharply. “T suppose it is not for me to say,” Trent returned quietly. “ But you must see,” persisted the cap- tain, “ that'it might be embarrassing for the new colonel to find a man in, the ranks bearing his own distinguished name.” ‘““Wouldn’t it be just as easy for you, sir, to admit frankly that you were re- quested by Judge Waring, or some of his political associates, to get me out of the regiment? I knew it, you see, soon after I was enlisted.” demanded the captain comicbool< CO