The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1878-10-15
MI SCELLAN
WITHOUT A PIGTAlL.
----~
The Story of a Pleasant Love.
CHAPTER /.

81 have got some news for you Mag
gie," he said, one day, about eighteen
months after he had gained his commits
sion. &c what it is
They were walking along the green
lanes of Porlock, listening to the cease
less murmur OF the sea, as at intervals
they had walked and listened ever sin &c
they could remember, or ever since Mag
gle could remember, at any rate, for she
was ak years younger than her former
play fellow
.a :" You are going to be promnted sha
+" Promoted, you little goose! No one
ever gets promoted in the British army.
Guess again.
"You are going to marry an heir
ess."
There was a lump in her throat as she
said it.
Wrong again No inestimable young
person with green eyes, turn-up nose 4,
susceptible heart, and fifty thousand a
year. has turned up yet. Bat it's SONG
thing nearly as good. I'm ordered o
Chinaw
"Oh, Alicv she gasped, and burst in
to tears.
1t was very foolish of her, but then she
was only sixteen, and had not yet &C
quired the trustworthy art of concealing
her feelings
"Why, whatever are you crying for p
he asked, as he kissed away her tears
He'd kissed her ever since she was five,
and thought no more of it than il she
had been his sister, or the cat, excepting
perhaps that it was nicer-whch it was,
no doubt. ~ shall only be away five
years at most, and when l come back
| L ] bring You pigtail and an ivory
toothpick, and whole lot Of things,
and"
Yesf' she said, listening atten-
lively.
But then you'll be a young woman
| | forgot-anG out aud all that sort Of
thing, and won't condescend to speak to
poor lieutenant; you will have all the
squires and fox hunters about the place
at your feet"
con, no, indeed | shan't Alic," she
said eagerly.
"But | tell you, you will. believe
you are born flirt, and shall come back
and find YOU"
But she burst into tears again, and put
up her pretty little hand as if to stop his
teasing, which she could not bear just
| then. 1t seemed SO cruel of him TO laugh
and Joke when he was going away for
| five years. He did not seem to care a
bit, and she could have broken her heart
on the spot, and would have gladly done
so. and thrown the pieces away so as
never to be bothered with it again, Then
seeing her mournful blue eyes, he was
merciful.
81 believe shall come back and find
you Just as great a little darling as you
are now, and if we have got any money
we'll get married and live happy over af-
ter, and if we haven't we'll get married
and starve ever after-unless, of course,
the heiress turns up"
"Oh, hope she won't!' said Maggie,
like a truthful little idiot "Shal you
ever write to me, Alic, dear"
"Yes, of course ! shall, and | shall
expect you to write back six pages cross
ed, and all that sort of thing, you
know"
So Allie Granger went to China, and
Maggie waited hopefully enough for a
letter, but six months passed and none
came. perhaps it takes longer for a
letter to get here from China" she
thought, knowing as little about the
means of transit and the time it took as
if the Celestial city had been in the
moon. But year passed and no letter
came.
Perhaps he's i'll, or it's miscarried, .
she said tearfuly, half wondering if it
could be possible that Chinese heiress
had turned up, and that was the real rea-
son of Alics silence. Two years pass
cd. and never a word "It's too bad,
she said bitterly, and wondered lueially