The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-08-11

uC1 uCesu3 HI ACE 4utVCIAuS O1A ~AAHSSS above all in the defiant glances of her eyes, which appalled, him. She was talking loudly. He heard her drop an h. He shuddered at the thought that she had called herself his sister. Hisl He plunged his spoon into the soup and ate savagely.
 "Ahi could you tell me" his neigh bor presently said low in his ear Macdonald was an excellent fellow, but he had a trick of humming and hawing-"who that-er-very singu- lar woman is, seated opposite us?"
 "No," replied the dean steadily, ap- bearing to take little notice. while Mary blushed to the tips of her fin- gers. "I have no idea"
 "Er"-with his eyeglass up-"such very strange womanl Do you not think SO, Miss Young? To be here, you know?"
 Mary murmured something which the major could not catch, for the wo- man in question was speaking loudly. "Yes, it is dreadful thing to be es- tranged from ones family 1" she was saying. "I should know it if any one does."
 "I did not know-er-thats such peo- pie had 8 family" was the majors muttered commentary.
 "But," the lady in black continued, "what never would have believed is the unkindness I have received from my family abroad. My own broth- err"
 "Er-she is quite a characterl" said the major. He turned to the dean, but found him inattentive. "Quite char acter," he continued, Ger - Miss Young."
 "Oh, quite," said Mary faintly.
 Then the major, who was not fool, his manner notwithstanding, detected something amiss in Mary's tone. Look ing up quickly he found her coloring and confused, and saw something was wrong. He wondered amazedly what it was, but groped in vain, and grad ually forgot the incident and it's cause in murmuring matters more interest ing to himself if not to her.
 But 1t chanced that after dinner he fingered behind the dean 8 moment. There were only Angelo and Beppo in the room when he rose.
 "Who is the lady in black, who sat -er- there, and talked so loudly, Angelo?" he asked, moved only by lazy curiosity.
 Angelo shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands, while his curly hair sped down to his eyebrows and back again. "Well, sare," he answered, 'she says-but there! Pouf !" And again his scalp made forced march.
 "Well, what does she say?" "She says she is the sister of the English gentleman you dine with"
 "What!" incredulously, emphatic ally. "Whatw
 "She say so. He say no," with in- difference.
 "Impossiblew Major Macdonald cried.
 "She say so. He say no," repeated Angelo with superb shrug.
 The major paused moment to take it into take in even the idea of it, and moved away in maze. Of course the report was preposterous, abso- lutely so. He had the dean's word for it that it was not true. And yet the deans stiffness and Mary's embar- rassment when their attention had been called to this woman had not es- capped him. He sent some excuse to the dean by one of the servants, and hurried to his quarters. If the truth must be told, he felt very uncomfort- | Ioh hIo hotrcr ha ma ho vuoo
 For he had one weak spot in his character, had Andy Macdonald. He feared one thing to excess, and that was scandal. That the breath of it should come near him or hisl Pah, the thought sickened him. He was Scotch; proud, honest, not very dull. He had never himself done anything of which he was ashamed, nor to the best of his belief had his people. He was manly in his way. He loved Mary Young much, but he feared scandal more. Poor Mary!
 However, she knew nothing yet, whatever she may have thought of his sudden indisposition. Nor did she or her father even hint at possibilities until the next afternoon. Then, as they were driving to the Gymkhana 1.-the fortnightly garrison sports-in one of those pony chaises the hire of which seems SO ridiculously low, the dean said, "I suppose Macdonald will be here to give us tea?"
 "Oh, yes, think he said SOL Mary replied hurriedly. But her face fell. The drive, hitherto triumph for her, had lost it's savor, or she her zest. l On reaching the course they went at once to the stand reserved for the officers friends, and she was quickly surrounded. But all the homage in the world was nothing to her now, unless Andy Macdonald was one of 1 xN L. A L l. q