Brief description:
In 1916 Kerr Mosely had left West Point to work with his brother on an engineering contract in China. The political intrigue was all-consuming involving his enticement by a scandalous woman, then he was grievously injured when an earthquake collapsed his home.
"Farewell now to any hopes of returning to West Point; Farewell, likewise,'to the continuance of his career in China. Worse than all, farewell to the dream of ever win ning Marian Long. He had seen her swift recoil at the revelation of Prince Chu, the look of aversion and contempt with which she regarded him. He would never be able to convince her that he acted innocently in the premises; She would always believe him a cheat and a. deceiver. " '
...
And then he glanced up to see Marian Long approaching him with a look on her face such as he had never. seen there before —a glow and a glory, “the light that was never on‘ sea or_land.” Straight upg to him Marian came andclasped‘ her arms about him, crooning “Oh, mydear, my dear,” she whispered, “I have been such a fool. Forgive me, Kerr, and love me.”
“ We squabbled once, Kerr, -because I was silly enough to think tliat you werethrowing away. your [engineering] career by going back to become a soldier. But to-day, when I heard that little Mongolian taunting us with our inefficiency, I saw my mistake. We need all the=trained men that we can get. And I say noiw, if you don’t go back, I’ll never many you!.
......
November again, and Thanksgiving time. A crowd‘ at the Polo Grounds in New York which, for color and size and tensity of excitement and official recognition, can bematched on no other occasion. It'is the annualsfootball contest between the'Army and Navy. One side of the great stadium are the massed ‘forces of West Point, a solid block of palpitant gray. Across from them are the Middies, a splotch of'b1ue against the banked up tiers of spectators. Forty thousand - spectators looking on with everybody there from the President of the United States to the navy goat and the army mule.
......
But that day things were going hard with .the Army. Like an irresistible wave the Navy line had crashed into them again and again to bearthem back, and now to add to the climax of a series of misfor- tunes, ‘Ventable, the chief dependence of West Point, was so seriously injured just as the first half was ending that he had to be ordered out of the game. ' The score stood 15 - 0in favor of the Navy. Already the cold, chilling sense of certain .defeat had gripped the ranks of gray. Their songs had lost their vim. Their
taunts were lacking in spirit. Then some inspired soul on the Army side of the field suddenly raised the cry :'“.Mosely! Mosely! Give us Mosely!" In an instant it was taken up all over the grounds. Ten thousand voices were chanting it, twenty thousand feet were
He was named as one of the substitutes of the teams, it was true, had trained with them, but not yet re-instated at the Academy.
An something amazing happens.
"Farewell now to any hopes of returning to West Point; Farewell, likewise,'to the continuance of his career in China. Worse than all, farewell to the dream of ever win ning Marian Long. He had seen her swift recoil at the revelation of Prince Chu, the look of aversion and contempt with which she regarded him. He would never be able to convince her that he acted innocently in the premises; She would always believe him a cheat and a. deceiver. " '
...
And then he glanced up to see Marian Long approaching him with a look on her face such as he had never. seen there before —a glow and a glory, “the light that was never on‘ sea or_land.” Straight upg to him Marian came andclasped‘ her arms about him, crooning “Oh, mydear, my dear,” she whispered, “I have been such a fool. Forgive me, Kerr, and love me.”
“ We squabbled once, Kerr, -because I was silly enough to think tliat you werethrowing away. your [engineering] career by going back to become a soldier. But to-day, when I heard that little Mongolian taunting us with our inefficiency, I saw my mistake. We need all the=trained men that we can get. And I say noiw, if you don’t go back, I’ll never many you!.
......
November again, and Thanksgiving time. A crowd‘ at the Polo Grounds in New York which, for color and size and tensity of excitement and official recognition, can bematched on no other occasion. It'is the annualsfootball contest between the'Army and Navy. One side of the great stadium are the massed ‘forces of West Point, a solid block of palpitant gray. Across from them are the Middies, a splotch of'b1ue against the banked up tiers of spectators. Forty thousand - spectators looking on with everybody there from the President of the United States to the navy goat and the army mule.
......
But that day things were going hard with .the Army. Like an irresistible wave the Navy line had crashed into them again and again to bearthem back, and now to add to the climax of a series of misfor- tunes, ‘Ventable, the chief dependence of West Point, was so seriously injured just as the first half was ending that he had to be ordered out of the game. ' The score stood 15 - 0in favor of the Navy. Already the cold, chilling sense of certain .defeat had gripped the ranks of gray. Their songs had lost their vim. Their
taunts were lacking in spirit. Then some inspired soul on the Army side of the field suddenly raised the cry :'“.Mosely! Mosely! Give us Mosely!" In an instant it was taken up all over the grounds. Ten thousand voices were chanting it, twenty thousand feet were
He was named as one of the substitutes of the teams, it was true, had trained with them, but not yet re-instated at the Academy.
An something amazing happens.
Publication
Argosy Magazine, October 1917