Trooper Tales — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

Two Women and a Soldier. QI wounded soldier that night on San Juan Hill brought peace and strength. A month afterward Venning was much stronger. He was in a big army hospital back in the States. His face had always been one which a woman would remember. It was handsome still, but white and drawn from suffer- ing. A well-dressed woman was just stepping out of the of- fice at the entrance of the hospital grounds. She would have attracted a man’s eye anywhere. She was the same who had written to Venning so many times, since he had been a soldier—the same who had caused him to become one. A younger woman dressed in black and carrying a hand-satchel entered the office at this moment. The one who had just stepped out heard the other inquire timidly: “Can you tell me what ward Private Venning is in?” The older woman quickened her steps toward one of the large tents at the far end of the grounds. Not long afterwards she was sitting by the side of Venning’s cot, holding the soldier’s hand. The man’s eyelids were closed ; the woman could hear him breathe. She believed that he was very weak still. | “How did you get away?” Venning asked. His throat was dry and his words hoarsely uttered. “He at last concluded that we were not for each other. He was very gentlemanly about it—poor Teddy. You are all mine now, Mister Soldier.” ‘The woman was smil- ing merrily. “Do you mean that he has ee Eomichooks (E@)