Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-12-12
last with a wretchsd little sob, to end the

you shall cry all day long, if you likel" at
which Olive burst out laughing as une1-
rcc.edly and as suddenly as, two minutes
before, she had burst out crying.
GThere, that's betteri" he exclaimed, ad-
| miringly. Il thought it was something
rather new to see you like this You are
| upset by all this, darling-no wonder. l
was nearly out of my mind with suspense all
yesterday Oh, if you only knew the utter
! relief it was TO see my locket resting on your
pretty white neckl"
Il thought you said just now that 1t nearly
| kuff6cated you" Olive objected She had
fu d her voice at last, and made an I'M
mense effort to appear natural and at ease.
$50 it did; but it was with joy. Why,
very nearly jumped over the people in front
| of Inc to give you kiss there and then!
And, by the by, Olive. you'll give me one
now, won't your
! So Olive did-at least she submitted In
passive, unresisting way TO be kissed by
him, and in his bliss Hartog never noticed
it
"And you like your !ocket3' be asked, after
while.
@ImmenselyT answered she; which was
true enough, poor little soul.
IL have brought you ring-not quite to
match it, but still with saPphires, he went
on. HYou will let me put it on your finger,
| Olive"
@Oh, ycs!" she said; but all at once she
began TO feel faint and sick.
IL wcs lovely ring, as she admitted when
she saw ia large half hoop of three dia-
monds and two sapphires; the diamonds
very white and full of fire; the sapphires OF
the true "iucky" blue.
at is beautiful ring" she said, holding
| it between finger and thumb.
Let me put it on" Then he took it from
Ter and slipped it on the right finger. Il
hope it fits we'll. have heard it is unlucky
! to have them altered; and we must have no
| ul-luc5, must wel"
Il think it is all right," she said, feeling
very much as if a policeman had slipped a
pair Of handouts over her wrists.
You are not well, he said. looking at
her anxiously. a hope you did not take
cold when coming out Of that hot room last
night"
SOh, no; am we'll 1 all nothing, care
leSsly.
Pm afraid you've taken cold. hope not
And how does it fit! On, a little large. Well
|
grow Ell! Do you know, darling, l can
hardly believe my good luck yet We won't
stav in the regiment, ehl You don't care
about it, do youl It's really very stupid,
and YOU do get so sick and weary of contln-
ually moving about Besides, what IS oil
very well for bachelor becomes quite an
other thing when ones got wife to take
about: for one gets mixed up with all sorts
of queer people
you have got mixed up with meF
"That is different; just the difference be-
tween horrid bore and the most blessed
piece OF good fortune that ever beteu me-
| But YOU won't care for me to stay i'll the SER
vice, will youi / am so tired of it! We will
go abroad and see a little of other countries.
You would like that, wouldn't your
II did not like it when we were abroad be-
fore" she answered, blushing holly as she
remembered irhy she was so anxious to come
home. But it will lie different now, you
know" she added hastily, lest he should
make wild but accurate guess at the truth
ayes, of course; and we can soon como
home again if you don't like it."
Il did rather like it at first, only | got SO
tired of everything foreign. hated foreign
ways; the horrid bare houses; the horrid
oily, greasy cooking; the horrid jabEer, jab-
ber-aye, aye, ayc-that went on all day
long, and ali night, too"
Hartog laughed a'oud. I'm glad you're
such a thorough Englishwoman. | can't
help wondering sometimes how it is English
men bring themselves to marry French
women"
90 Englishwomen! Fancy marrying an
outrageouSly broad ,houldered Frenchman,
all pad and wadding; or horrid Italian,
all temp.r and meloLrama; or-or anything
not Englishr
You should have said anything not
Hartog," he >aid, smiling.
Olive pcs lively slu.ldered. As a friend
she hal liked him so much that in his soci-
ETY. she was at times almost able 10 forget
| HuknesS; as a lover lie was insupportable,
Ven to loathing.
| What changes there viii be in the old
regiment" he went on, presently. When
Bodies left it seemed to smash up every
thing. But you've heard all about him, of
course Then the colonel leaves at the end
of the year-and good thing, too, for those
who are staying, for he's rather a duifer--
and Han kness leaves almost directly. He,
you know, is going to be married, too"
YES" she managed 10 say.
"pm awfully glad about 1t, for Hardness
is one of the lest fellows cut; do anything
for any one, and always ready to help a
lame dog over stile. Besides, he has been
in love with the girl forever; and she's so
pre- tyI Really, Olive, after you, think
she's tn protest woman l ever saw"
"And he has been in love with her for
everi"
ayes; ever since they were big boy and
littl, girl together Hardness was not well
off then, and her people objected 10 him; not
only objected, but forced the poor girl at
seventeen into n marriage with a man she
hated. Poor old Ashford, quito thought
he would have gone mad at the time, which
was lust when | entered the service. He
and wero old friends-for our people were
neighborS and l was his fag at Eton-so |
| knew more than any one else about it,
| Well. about six months ago the husband
died, and then, OF course, he lost no time i'll
making M to her, and, by Jove, she's pref
tier than ever, and looks lovely in her weeds.
Shes only about five and-twenty now, and
Is as rich as CrU us
II hope they will be happy at last" Olive
| said. Closing her eyes, lest the tears which
| filed them should fall and betray her
How she did wish he would 60 away and
Jet her have the rest of the day 10 herself 10
think il all over-the mistake, the trap into
| which she had fallen, and what would be
the consciousness thereof. She felt just as a
little ird must feel when the meshes of the
fowler close ever it, and there is no prospect
of freedom, never forever, except the mar
row liberty Of a cage-a cage still. even
though the wires might be well gilded Oh,
was there no escap,i. He was all very wei!
to talk with q little, 10 dance with, even to
1 firt with, ii the Irritation meant nothing
but harmless fun; but TO marryl Well, he
might have been well enough to marry If
she had not wanted to marry Hardness.
| Then she remembered that Hardness did not
wans to marry her, or any one else but the
woman who had loved him, as he had loved
her, when they were boy and girl together.
No, there was no escape! She must ether
marry Anthony Hartog or let the world
know-her world, that is-that she had
| given her love where il WAS neither valued