The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-04-04

L
pleasure of which our hearts are capable i
touched. At the moment when | realized
that Colonel Davenaut loved me, reached
the EXTREMIST point of joy possible to me
| have never come near it since. For day
| went about in a trance of delight.
trod on air The little worries of dali,
life, mammals coldness, Claire's temper
Amy's sarcasms, had lost, for the time
their power to wound me. | was in al
atmosphere in which the petty vexations O
this humdrum world could not live NJ,
satisfaction was entirely confined to myself
My sisters we're too much occupied will
themselves, and my stepmother with them
to have any attention to spare for me
My father was always shut up in his study
poring over ancient Volumes of science
and seldom troubled himself to enquire int
the affairs of his family. That Colone
Davenant frequented the house was taker
as matter Of course. The officers from
Croxton always did so. 1t occurred t.
nobody but myself that he came to see me
and was careful not to draw attention tt
the fact
'Those were happy days. Even wher
| was not fortunate enough to see him Oh
speak to him, could hope to catch {
glimpse of his horse as it passed for exer
else in the early morning along the road
or I might see a soldier of his regiment &c
by; or we might drive into Croxton, and
l could gaze at the barrack walls within
which he dwelt; and these trifing gratif.
cations afforded me the keenest delight. ]
asked for nothing more. Colonel Dave
nant never made love to me, nor did I wish
him to do so. [ never wished him to dc
what he did not do, or to leave undone
what he did. Everything he chose to dc
or say seemed to ME just right; everything
that belonged to him was dear to me. |
think | loved his dog Jack even more en-
Enthusiastically than he did himself l cour,
ted that insensible animal with surrepti-
tious biscuits and countless private blan-
dishments without inducing him to mani
fest any sentiment towards me but one of
contemptuous Indifference.
$50 the days went on, until my unthink-
ing contentment one day received shock.
We were at an evening party, where, as
usual, the officers from Croxton had mus
tered in force.
"Colonel Davenant came and sat down
beside me during a noisy pianoforte duet,
which two elderly sisters were performing
with great energy.
i suppose we L.,.J venture to talk, he
said that is to say, if we cau make our
selves heard.
II smiled. Idid not care much whether
we could talk or not As long as Colonel
Davenant was near me [ was perfectly
happy.
''He, however, seemed to prefer some
less passive form of enjoyment, and in,
sisted on trying to enter into conversation
1t was not very successful, for the noise
was really deafening, and [ did not hear
above half he said, till he quickened my
senses into keenness by observing
al am so very sorry l can't accept Mrs
Fortescue's kind invitation to dinner next
week, as I shall be gone
"Gone! [ echoed, with dismay which
was too startled to think of concealing.
Are you going away?
4 am going on leave, he replied
"'OhI Will you be away long,? I
asked eagerly.
"'For about two months 1t is the
only leave [ take in the whole year.
always think that the colonel of regiment
like the mother of family, ought to look
closely after it, and not leave it too much
to its own devices
aThis was the sort of speech my step,
mother called prosy. Its length was Of
great benefit to me on this occasion, for ii
gave me time to snbdue strong inclina
ton to tears.
"'Are you going to take Jack p I en-
quired, feeling that to know Jack was in
Croxton would be a sort of consolation to
me.
"'Oh yes. That is matter of neces-
sity. Even if [ could exist without him
he could not without me- [ verify believe
he would die. fl leave him for two days,
he pines and refuses to eat
''Ah, how [ envied Jack To be Col
onel Davepant's dog, to lie all day at his
feet, or trot after him in unquestioning,
silent devotion, to feel sometimes his strong
caressing hand upon my head, to be priv
ileged to pine in his absence, seemed to
me the very acme of bliss. But / could
not be his dog, and failing that, l began to
ask myself what [ could be to him.
II went home that night restless and un-
happy. The spell of unquestioning content
that had bound me was broken.
GAS stood that night at my window,
gazing, according to lately formed custom,
upon the lights of Croxton, the satisfaction
that had hitherto had in reflection that
some of those lights shone on him was
damped by sudden sense of the extreme
slenderness of that tie, and its utter made
quateness to afford me permanent consola-
ton. [ remembered that few months
ago the Croxton lights had never shed their
rays on Colonel Davenants face, and that
in another few months they would do SO
no more. A new regiment would occupy
Croxton Barracks, upon whom the gaslights
would flare unconeernedly, and there would
be no visible sign left of the til or its
colonel.
"The parting that lay before me now
was but foretaste of the longer parting
that must shortly succeed it. The first
farewell came before had in any degree
reconciled myself to the thought of it.
"Two or three days after the party
have just mentioned, Claire, Amy. and
were returning from walk along the high
road, when Colonel Davenant and one of
his officers rode past US. Immediately they
recognized us they turned back, and the
former said
"'We were just coming to call on you
to say goodbye
Before anyone could answer, the horse
he was riding, handsome chestnut, reared
up on his hind-legs, and then began series
Of back,jumps, which to my eyes seemed to
threaten entire destruction to its rider.
II shrank behind Claire, and covered my
face with my hands.
fortunately my sisters were too much
occupied themselves with Colonel Dave
nant's danger to notice my agitation. Claire
screamed, and Amy prepared to scale the
hedge to be out of harms way.