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Show "Oh, tnis Is awiul, Jim," said the sir, "and you'll be- a deserter, tOD." "I won't get any more, for that than I'll get for the other."- '. Then suddenly sudden-ly changing the subject the soldier asked: "How's your mother?" "Better, Jim, but she'd have died if. it hadn't been for Miss Norah Desmond. Des-mond. She's an angel. I had to stop work to nurse mother, and the money gave out and f got sick, and Miss Norah gave us a nurse, and a doctor and did lots else. I think she saved my life, too." "Norah Desmond, Polly? That's the name of the girl the lieutenant I cut from is to marry. He'll be disgraced dis-graced and the girl will suffer. She saved you and your mother, did she, Polly. Get on your'things, quick. She leaves for Florida. I know the train. The lieutenant '11 be there, I know that. Hurry, girl." Lieut. Robert Kmmett Kavanaug was kissing Norah Desmond good-bj Just then from behind him came ( voice loud and with something of a ring of humor in it. "Sir, all are present pres-ent and accounted for." Kavanaugh turned like a flash: There stood Private Pri-vate Spencer saluting with his right hand, while his left was holding that of a very pretty girl. "Spencer, you're a brick," said Kavanaugh, and nothing but army training kept him from slapping his inferior on the back. "I'll use every official friend I have to get you out of your scrape." A year later in pleasant quarters at Fort Grady sat Capt. Kavanaugh and his wife. "Norah," he said, "First Sergeant James Spencer has applied for a furlough to go to Chicago to get married. Shall I approve the application?" appli-cation?" "Bob, if you don't," said Norah, with her eyes dancing, "I'll get a divorce." ' i A Soldier's Gratitude . , . ii - - - to return in "time1 to say good-b'y, to his fiancee.' ; '? - Kavanaugh and his; charge stepped from the tram into the Chicago depot. de-pot. Bo'&'s heart was sore, '.' "I must see her," he said to himself. "I can't stand it for six months." At that instant in-stant he saw at the denot eisar stand. nisKlng a purchase, Jack Bacon, a First Lieutenant Robert Emmett . Kavanaugh was pacing up and down his narrow quarters in Port Grady, Michigan, holding a telegram in his hand. He had read it twenty times, - but at every second turn in his nervous ner-vous walk he read it again. The telegram was dated Chicago, and this is what it said: "Leave Thursday for v. Florida; Uncle Frank ill. Stay indefinite. in-definite. Norah Desmond." Lieut. Bob Emmett and Norah Desmond Des-mond were engaged. They were to be married as soon as a few accommodating accom-modating superior officers would consent con-sent to be killed off or die in their beds and thereby give Bob a chance to write captain instead of lieutenant before his name on the official papers. "Norah's going to Florida," he muttered mut-tered to himself. "I haven't seen her for three weeks and won't see her for eix months to come. Uncle Frank is one of the kind who never dies and who never gets well, and Norah'll stay down there until the old man is -willing to let her go. She's more of a stickler for duty than Old Muggs, the commanding officer, and that's saying a lot. He w.on't give me a leave; I've had too many. Great Winfield Scott, but L. would like to see Norah before ehe goes." And Lieut. Robert Emmett Em-mett Kavanaugh sighed. oo Kavanaugh couldn't keep any thing to himself, and in five minutes he was telling his woes to Capt. Percy Per-cy Lanyard of the artillery corps. "Brace up, Kavanaugh," said Lanyard; Lan-yard; "Muggs is going to send a general gen-eral prisoner through Chicago to Fort Sheridan to stand trial. It isn't a very pleasant duty, but if you'll volunteer, vol-unteer, I think Muggs will send you, and you can stop off on our way back " -- from Fort Sheridan it is only a few miles from Chicago and see your blue-eyed Norah before she gets on the Florida limited." Twelve hours from that time Bob j - ; Kavanaugh was sitting in a smoking car on a Chicago bound train, with a big Colt revolver strapped around him and an enlisted man, with a downcast look, sitting alongside of him. Bob Kavanaugh had a soft heart. The soldier at his side had een eight years of service and had never been in trouble before. He had assaulted the "top" sergeant, a serious offense in the army, as may go without saying. Part of a freight train went into the ditch ahead of the 'Fort Grady "I took a shot at him. Chicago club man, and an intimate friend. Kavanaugh hurried his charge over toward the young fellow. "Jack, old man, glad to see you. You have an hour or two to spare, I know you have; don't say no," and with this the lieutenant grabbed his friend by the arm, motioned his prisoner pris-oner to walk ahead, and the three went on a half trot into the office of a hotel across the street. Kavanaugh threw a $2 bill before the clerk and ordered a room. He hurried the astounded as-tounded Jack Bacon and the prisoner into the apartment on the second floor. "Jack," said Kavanaugh, in a low tone, "as you love me, watch . this man. I must see Norah Desmond. She's off for Florida. Take this gun and don't fail me," and with that First Lieutenant Robert Emmett Kavanaugh shoved a revolver Into Jack Bacon's hand, bolted through the door out of the hotel and on to a trolley car. In twenty minutes he was with Norah Desmond, who was in the midst of the last hour of preparation prepa-ration for her Florida trip. In twenty minutes more the door bell of the flat rang violently. The maid opened it, and in rushed Jack Bacon, flushed and fairly beside himself. him-self. "Boh," he yelled, "your prisoner skipped. He kicked open a door into the next room ar.d jumped onto a low roof and then into the alley. I took a pot shot at him, but missed, and when I got down he was clean gone." Bob Kavanaugh sank into a chair, his face pale. "Norah," he said, "this means court-martial and dismissal for me unless I can catch the fellow. It's a clean case of neglect of duty. It's all up, dear, if I don't get him, and if I'm kicked out of the army I don't know what I'll do. But this won't catch him. I'm off, but I'll be at the I train to say good-bye,' and Kava-liaugh Kava-liaugh was OUt of the door and down the stairs four st?"S M time. 1 frmrr - Mi1 'jfc i -mm V "' - - - "Norah's going to Florida," he muttered mut-tered to himself. passenger train. KavanSugh and his prisoner were delayed five kours. Finally Fin-ally the way was cleared and the traln rn on to Chicago. It was . . . Thursday, and in four hours Norah's -' train Would leave for Florida. It was ; , ; Utterly impossible for the officer to - . 4 prisoner to Fort Sheridan and 1 i Over on Halsted street in a tdom above a store a pretty, palo girl sat talking to a soldier in uniform. "It's all up, Polly," he was saying. "I hit the 'top' sergeant. He deserved It, but I was put in arrect and was to be tried, and it meant tv years. I just cut away from a 'cit' whom the officer who nad me la tow laTt m In care of." |