New-York tribune., 1885-03-01
HESTER.
sOh! Hal /! 80 s,rry never thought OF such


q s6onld think you might have known when a 2
other girls before but this the real genuine thing
You must have all the summer now IVe "ol WI
shipped the very ground you troa upon. actet nIo
here!' Hal dved into the recesses OF coat poche.
somewhere near the region OF his heart brougne
forth small paper package and extracted iioni i.
n sharp fragment OF white rock. Hestei "0"""'
looked on with interest.
"Quartz isn't it n she ask ed gravely d..
He nodded You remember the picnic on p.-
rcanc Beachi You picked that up and gave L tut ~
mo because it was bore to carry, ana nave hep"
il ever since" . ,o,,ob
Invcluntarily IIeste- broke into a merry laugh,
for sne knew that impetuons Hal had been IN love
tfty ' times before and would be fifty times again.
But for the moment he was desperately serious, anu
Hester. repcntlng, grew suddenly p.af;o p.aaf; heatnr
"0h Hal how wish It had TceH co"fortaby o",o port
able. Pray throw it away and let us forget III '''
nonsense , ,:, oIoro
between the high banks OF the shady DeyohshlrSs
lane where the two were waikingi anu 70 foi in
modify at his boots I'm not leiio" Von W a." must
love one day and out the next. Hester! i0u mus
havc heart hard aS this stone, or you is'en ~
me more kindly s ,,o
A look of distress came over her sweet face; sne
stopped and laid hand upon his arm " Jear @ iiai
forgive me for laughing lou chose sticil lunhy
keepslkel But, indeed can't give you any other
"Not if | try again next year' come OF age next
"No. Hal; could never think of you in that
way.
"Tbcn there must he some other fellow"
"rO account of course. for my refusing anyone 80
extraordinarily fascinating as Mt. Iiai Ics.cI
Hester answered, laughing again: but liai was
ouick TO perceive that she flushed to the very brow
aWeil, must make the hest oft; but envy envy
flat other fellow his good luch" iiai sisheu
heavily. a SIGH strangely out of accord with his
sunny face, and the short silence whlch lolioWGu t
brought them TO turn IN the long Jhs wsiG hv ,t'o
gras,-grown hrle-road whose unkempt hedges
were Illuminated here and there with sprays oi
flame co!orcd brambe leaves, 10 the Rectory haiu
massive gates oil broad carriage drivo To tne
stately mansion brimlul of weali h and luxury 10
which he was sole heir. At that moment llai Iclt
lie would have gladly exchanged al-broa acres.
louse and all the chattcls thereto appertainlng-ior
a "les from the lips of the girl who STOOD iache
him. holding ont her hand.
We are friends still are we not. Hal! Ana hoio
some day you will find some one ever 80 inuch inoer
than | ain, who viii lie able To love you a. you
dc.eTv.; and when you do, Ill welcome her as Il
sister, -, -,
The promise was poor comfort to Hal. who conld
hayo dispensed with such passion lesS regard, ana
who felt at that momrnt-and perhaps w0uld ieei
for the space of whole week-as thohsh his iuc
happincss were wrecked forever. lie walkcd on
uondering with some Old suspicious revived wlthln
him. Could it be after all that she really car,d
about that fellow Gucsti and. IL 50. Why hlh she
let him 90 10 Egypt when all Silvercombe knew sue
had ONLY to lit hr finger to have hlIn AT her icel
Hester for her part, had often lately asked beiseil
the same question Alas she di1 not Know ,nen, ni
what she had found out since that her Ola play
mate Tablet Guest was more 10 her tlan any one
else ever could or would be- IL was the Old story;
"now could tell should love thee to-day
WLom that day held rot dear
How could know should love thee away
when did not love thee ancar e
Not until she hal sent him away did Hester begin
10 ind out how nsipid and cOlorlcss tho routine OF
daily lie was without him. But II was not too
late Had he not said he should Try again. aud
meantime make himscf more worthy OF hsrf Inc
Il. Ia. ats
sunny eyes as he held her hand ~ n clasp " wmch
turned ont to les one of farewell Hester had leit
Silvcrcombe TO visit some friends directly after.
ward aud the next news she heard oi her lover was
"A notification in The " csferH JiBics That captain
Talbot Guest. ith FattaliOn Of the Devon klles.
had been appointed 10 "a command IN the Egyptian
Army. and was leaving England imrncd lately.
That was only last winter; bnt already, III hcr
dreams waking and sleeping. Hester was pl'tnrng
her hcro's return FROM his harvest oi glory bringing
his shcaves with him to lay at her ieet. lal
pleadings this November afternoon had recalled
that to her thoughts which was never lar away.
With rapid step and a happy Iight m hcr lawn
brown eyes she hurried humcward through the
gathering dusk. Tca-thnt intrusive afternoon
meal W hclI we have all made 80 welcome To our
h"arths of Iatc-was already waiting when she
reached the Reetory; The bright little kettle was
sd,anGf on rhcre w"s only the rector in tho hall
t;"ing cut again, papa You have only just
in = crrd Hester IN surprise. for her iather suAly
held thi, huur with the newspaper winch only
arr gcd at tea-timel sacred from disturbance.
AN going on "a sad errand chNd. hoSc poot
old r@oni, nt Guc,twyckcl" Hcstcr's heart stood
still She seemed To know evcryihingin moment.
and when her father spoke again IL was no news he
. There are terrible tidings from tho Soudan;
What n world il is, The ron of their old age. and
such "A son as Talhot Guest! There, cant Walt.
Take The Standard and read for Yourself. nave
to 20 and break the news The doctor u coWnTu
in such things; and Lcthbridge says II is not ms
business thongh be has managed all Their alia'rs
for forty wear. Tell Dora where am gone. !
NAV not Lc home till late. IL the trap ready,
Wllismr r. TIL" rector groaned to himself az ne
ted tho box seat, and drove OF. But lioster
never uttered a sound. Silently she took up the
newspaper and turned to the tclegraina
DISASTER IN the SoudGn. IoGl dStca' and gnniidnon
sIaiu. 4 few lines told ali That was known. Inc
decoy of the unsuspecting General lnto the dehth-
ravine the ambuscadc on the heights-,hc Ihtee
days' agony of thirst under ccascless pitess hreI
the SURVIVORS story of the dead soldiers. British and
African, lying together in the bloody soil MI.
Then followed list Of the Officers a ,ha Gi i,GHi tata
column till she came to this paragraph: ..oo
"Cnptain Talbot Guest was an officer on tho stan
of Hicks pacha, who greatly DISTINGUISHED hlihSeH
af the battle of Assalia early in the year lie was
the last surviving child and heir of John Guest;
ESQ., Of Gucstwyoke, in the county of Devon anu
Mary, his WIFE, only daughter OF christopher
Talbot. esq. Of llIghcigh. Cumberland. Captain
Guest was only tweniy-six years oil ago ana All
officer oi great promise"
II was late when the rector returned. tired and
wet with his drive i'll the drizzlng rain which was
now falling fast-Devon fashion. slight. dark
figure with pale deathy face met HIM III The haIi
and silently took his dripping oyercoat. Dora ana
Kathleen tired of waiting. had gone on to DcL'.
ONLY Hester remained 10 receive her father. she
warmed his slippers at the fire and pourei ont the
coffee she hal kept hot for HIM, all with the same
serene imr stability.
Her father sat down by the fire and stretched
himself and slipped the fragrant cSlee before he
spoke.
Hester waited silently.
"Wcll, clnld! | have had n sad time. Poor John
Gncst lie has seen four sons 90 before hlIn, ana
now the old place must fall to strangers Not that
the mother thought of that. poor thing; She
brought out ali Tabots letters 10 show me- Hester;
and told what good son he had been to them, ana
pra scd him and wept by turns. Not u word OF
Icpinng or complaint. Their patience preached me