Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-14
A HIDDEN HERO.
By. J. 8. WINTER,
AUTHOR OF "BOorLES' BABY" ETC.

By. ]. g. WINTER,
AUTHOR OF "BoorLKs' BABY" ETC.
Lord Archie Falconer was keeping his hunt
ers to the tune OF q modest couple-out Of bar
racks and was on his way to see them, when he
CHANGED to meet with Marcus Oxford.
His way lay through poor and fOrlorn-look-
ing district, laid out In small and narrow
streets of ugly little featureless houses built in
rows to the cultivation Of nothing but q certain
air of crushed and melancholy meek neatness,
and situated about midway between the bar
racks and the town of Warneclifie. 1t was peo-
pied chiefly by such of the Benedicks among
the rank and file of the Black Horse AZ were
not on the strength of the regiment.
Marcus Oxford was laughing as Lord Archie
banding into a broad smile instantly.
what are you laughing ate" he demanded.
"that Arnitt was down with a severe attack Of
congestion of the lungs-a very serious case, his
wife told me the doctor had pronounced it.
sent him q basket Of things down this morn
ing-ice and grapes and jelly, and so on, you
knOw-for, poor devil, 1t must be hard lines to
he i'll in such a hole as that"-jerking his stick
over his shoulder to indicate q row OF squalid
little houses behind him-"and Moore brought
back word that he was very bad-as bad as he
hear how he Is to-day. lis tidy little place.
but terribly bare and comfortless, and found
half, dozen youngsters all squatting about the
minute to hear that the end had come. 'HollO,
my man., said / to the biggest boy, lad of
Yes, sir, we're all his'n,' he piped out oh. are
your said, thinking Arnitt may we'll look as
hungry AS, as he does And hGw Is your
bad-as bads he can be, the youngster piped
out in reply. An the dorctor e says If father
lives till morning, there ii be some Opes: but II
he don't live till morning, he won't have no
'Opes at ALL
Lord Archie laughed outright. and Marcus Or
ford continued But don't believe Arnitt will
live till morning, poor chap; and If not. what
his wife will do with all those youngsters is
rather a hard question:
"Yes; decent fellow, Arnitt. had him with
my horses for time. Pity he married without
waiting for leave, it's such drag on a man, UNI
her own; and Arnitt poor beggar, is so over
ridden with children, and his wife's line of busi-
ness not of much use to her."
what was it?''
'Oh, she was a circus-rider and q ripping
smart girl, too remember seeing her the year
i Joined. She had pretty little face, and a
pretty little figure too, and a lot of light crink-
ling fair hair that seemed to wave all over her
head in shining flecks of light; never saw such
jolly hair
-She's pretty little woman now" Marcus
Oxford remarked. "Well?"
1--WE were all more or less gone on her." Lord
Archie continued. 1.-THE little favorite, we used
to call her. Her circus name was Mademoiselle
Favorlta-her own, God knows! However,
none Ofthe fellows could make any impression
upon her whatever, not the very smallest, and
one afternoon, about six o'clock, met her
going down to the circus with Anritt-and
shortly after that she and Arnltt got married.
If he put in for leave, ahd waited till he got it,
which he would have done, they might have
got on very well; but he married her straight
out OF hand. and there they have stuck ever
since. Arnitt ought to have got on, for he's a
gentleman-a Varsity man too; but he's been
unlucky, unlucky all round.'
"iou don't mean it, Oxford cried in huge
surprise, "that he's a gentleman-and a Varsity
man?"
"Oh, but do, though-an Oxford man. 1 re-
membered his face distinctly as a man of Brace
nose when was at Paui's, but for the very life
could MT then, and have never been able
since TO put name TO it. And yet almost
1ancy-and think of it every time get a fair
look at him-that I've seen the face with a tuft
"A tuft. you don't mean it9'' Oxford cried
"ies, do. / get back to certain point, and
blocks me com pletely."
'Oh, you must be mistaken, or be mixing him
up with somebody else," Oxford declared. 1T
couldn't be, you know; somebody would be sure
to recognize him."
"Well, 1 may DE, Lord Archie admitted-sI
may be, but still I've had the same Impression
ever since have been in the regiment Still as
you say, may be mixing him up with some
"Why don't you ask him outright?-
II did hint at 1t once. One of the horses was
sick, and We had good deal of trouble with
put . bandage on, when the conviction that 1
had known him before came upon me stronger
than ever This is not the first time you and
said to him. He looked up at me quickly, a
flash of look as If might be a detective who
had had been tracking him for years; ana had
don't my lord he said, all in hurry; it's no
use pretending that was once "a AN under
he gave such a crngfng shiver that 1 felt sure
I'd put my hand on open wound and
wished had let him alone. 4 want to forget
all that, my lord; sunk that lite and every
thing connected with it long since he said,
Desperately Il wouldn't have Joined the
Al q ali ioft
remind you of II again, Arnitt,' told him; for
of course, 1 didn't want to make his burden any
could not remember his name, and should not
try to find out. Only, 1 said, i do remember
perfectly well that you didn't call me my
old days, he burst out. Il forfeited all that
made them worth having. and 1 can bear it,
but don't remind me of them, If you know what
wouldn't, and no more did. never tried to
find him out, but I've often thought about it,
the face, but never could; 1t has always eluded
my memory just as q dream often does Yes
there is a queer story at the back of Arnitt's
hard life. know that. It's a strange fate for a
man to have been a tuit at BrazenoSe and
then private in marching regiment, with
a wife picked out of a circus. And he's fond
of her. too; OH yes, for she is not a bad sort,
story, very. Well, must be getting along
"By-by," returned Oxford, and went on
his way wondering much about the story he
ndQ just nearu. meantime LORD Archie went
furth her along the street, and turned i'm at an
archway between two OF the little featureless
houses. which brought him into the stable
yard. He just cast an eye over the animals
and then inquired of the groom which was
Arnitts house.
The man pointed it out, and Lord Archie
crossed the narrow, illpaved little street, and
knocked softly on the panel of the door. It was
opened by the pretty fair-haired wife, who
arms; two older children, yet little more than
infants, chung to her skirts, and the bigger ones
stood In the background looking shyly on
"GOOd-day, Mrs. Arnitt How is your hus-
band?' he asked.
"Oh, my lord. he's very ILL., she answered with
quivering lips and eyes Drumming over, not be-
cause she had been weeping much, but because
heart and Liade IT CULVER like harp swept by
a strong hand 'he' 5 very ill indeed; and Dr.
Granger scarcely gives me any hope at ALL
who's attending to him? Have you got a
nurse or anybody to help you?' Lord Archie
inquired.
as ever he heard Arnitt was ill-very i'll, that is
And lowering her voice almost to u whisper
He's got something on his mind; know it;
I'm sure o. It,"
What kind OF something?" Lord Archie
asked.
II can't tell that, my lord, she answered:
"but something there is for certain. Arnitt is a
very quiet, close sort OF man, and though he's
and has never given me a cross word since we
were married, and has never raised his hand to
one OF the children-and they are trying at
tmes, there's 10 denying it-he's never told me
a word about his past life, never one. don't
know anything about him, my lord, not even