The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-05-08

"Ay, said 1, bitterly, "if 1 ever
come back. But many a poor fellow
will bite the dust before we leave
India again."
Bells face grew paler,s and her eye
lids quivered, but she said nothing;
until, looking at Milly, who stood with
her eyes, dilated and her hands
You are frightening the child,
Harry" !. i
mo, he is not" cried Milly, wildly
clenching her hands. ]" He is trying. to
brighten you, and you won't be fright
ened, because you don't love him. [
believe you would not care bit if
he was killed" abeo9 gss4a . a
Here Bell got up and walked across
the room, and Milly, who had not lost
command of her voice, dashed away
up stairs, and returned no more.
IaaPut off last words as you will, they
must come; and in the dim little
| drawing room, lighted only by the
wood fire, babe good by to Bell, with
| something very like pang at my
heart, and a newly awakened sensa-
ton / hardly knew how to account
for. My aunt being one of those wo-
men to whom weeping is necessity,
there were plenty of tears; and when
looked back from the threshold, saw
Bell kneeling by her mother, COM
forting her of course. 1t was very
nice to know the tears were shed in
sorrow for me, and loved my aunt
right dearly, but was not going to
marry her; and I confess [ would
rather have seen the mother com
forting her daughter. gpa +
Going through the garden, down
the walk by the laurels, upon whose
broad glistening leaves the moonlight
shone like frosted silver. / saw some
thing white standing in my path; the
next instant Milly clasped her hands
round my arm, crying
Die Did y9g st. think I was ghost.
Il believe / did. But what on
earth are you doing here alone?" =
= Waiting for you. Il was in such a
rage [ dared not stay in the room.
So 1 pretended to go to bed,
and came hereto waylay you, Just to
be the very last to say good by
Good by, then, Milly. Make
haste and grow a woman, and then if
Bell does not care for me, Eli marry.
wv Wapsou reany?a Thank you Hal.
I don't think Bell will care enough
for you. What's that?n'i staas4 ola
|nuShe started and drew closer to me,
shuddering, and then looking down
the walk / saw another figure,
and ghostlike in the uncertain moon
light. 1t was just turning towards
the house, and even as l caught sight
Of it. it vanished. rs 49,.
WHAT'S it, Hal?" whispered Mil
~. DO you think it was Bell COM
ing to look for me? Do come back
just to the grass. y
Invent back with her, and watched
her into the house Then / turned
and went on my way. $50
1870 IL. 3aos
During the stirring months which
followed on our arrival in India, l
had little time for thought, still less
for writing. Letters were a rarity;
we men looked with envious eyes at
the dispatch bags. Almost uncon-
sciously / had allowed my hopes re-
garding Bells first letter to get the
better of my discretion, and found my
self looking forward to the contents
as a test Of her real feelings towards
me. She would surely say something
to betray herself, either for love or
against it. When the letter did come
I was half frightened to open it, and
turnedit over and over before | broke
the seal. Bell never crossed her let
ters, and wrote large hand, so there
were four sheets of thick note-paper
beside afocarte Of herself. Nothing
could be kinder and more cousingly
than the letter, and yet my heart sank,
for not one single sentence could In
any way twist into anything more
tender; and crumpling it up, carte
and ell, thrust it into the breast of
my jacket. | was still reading my
dear old fathers chapter of
home news, the condition of the
horses, the state Of the crops, and
the hopes for the shooting season,
when the bugle sounded, and we were
again under arms. This time [ got
the worst of it. Il1 A6i4B9lt4t r ~ Sc.
The Sepoys had invented sort of
diabolical machine by fastening,
shell with long fuse into bag of
gunpowderss the powder of course
blew UP first, and they calculated that
the soldiers, seeing she'll rolling
about, would go up to have look;
nor were they far wrong in many
cases. 8 1 knew nothing of the trick.
and after the first explosion, took a
short cut past the shell, and came in
for the brunt of it, one piece smash
ing my arm, another peeling my shin.
1 have an indistinct notion of a terri.
bic thud-hardly pain, and yet some
thing hnrri hla-and than.I .lrnouu