Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-01

II read all ABOUT your spienaid
| deeds-----"
"such duifsr as that fellow is !" ex-
claimed Steve. at her side. "He has
eaten more cakes than he can pay for. "
She broke into laugh. II was \
little hysterical. but the Msjcr, utterly
confused OF her allusion TO anything 90
personal as his late proceedings. did not
perceive the false ring, and Steve was too
inuch bent upon getting his friend out OF
his unfortunate astronomical difficulty.
Her thoughts had gone back to the days
when this MARTINS hero with his grand
simplicity and modest gentleness--u
10 come to their house TO spend his leave
with bis friend, her elder brother. under
whose care abe was. She was only in
the school-room then, but 1t seemed as
/ il, even in those days, he had not treated
/ her as a child, 30 courteous. so kindly,
so gentle he used to be. he would
leave her brothers other guests TO ride,
OF talk, or walk with her.
She had grown to look forward to his
visits, careless and light-hearted and
thoughtless az she used 10 be in those
school.dsys And then her thoughts
went backward suddenly TO the last time
she had ever seen him. She was grown
I'D then. II was her seventeenth birth
day. and that day she had been present
ed. Major Huddlestofe-only captain
then-had come with some other friends
in the afternoon to see her in her court
dress. But in some way it hap
pened that they two found themselves
ut last apart from all the rest, and he had
looked down at her in different way to
what he had ever done before. He
grew very pale as he told her how his
battery had been ordered TO India, and
had Just begun sentence when her
brother came up and stood between
them, making some foolish trivial re-
mark. The sentence had never been
finished. She had never seen Major
6uddlestono from that day 70 this He
had sailed with his battery week later,
and did not even come to say goodbye.
She had never quito forgiven her
brother for breaking Of that sentence
until the day he died, some ten years ago.
She was then married to rich city mer-
chant. This marriage had been her
brothers wish.
Thomas Dale was a good man, and
had been o kind husband to her. He
had been dead now three years, and she
was rich widew and free again.
But the man who had begun that SEN
tence so long ago had never'shown any
wish to finish it. Ali these thoughts,
flashing through her brain, hardened
her heart against him. She would not
ask him to'call on her.
"Do 2y to that wretched victim OF
buns and tea, Steve" she said, putting
her purss in his hand; che looks wild
and desp&iring; and then settle our own
account. You can join me in the drug
department afterward. Goodbye, Ma
jor HuddlestOne.
It was awkward shaking mans left
hand, SO she only bowed and turned
away. The Major stood, pale and up
right looking after her, as if he neverex-
pscted to see her again. She had not
given him an opportunity OF meeting her
again. Then he suddenly remembered
the boy. Steve had just finished settling
HE friends account, and WAS rapidly re-
turning to discharge their own. The
Major looked at him. The boys face
was honest, and his eyes were kindly and
true; and he seemed fond of his aunt
though he had done his best to worry her
out OF her life.
"Will you do me favor ?" he asked.
The boy looked astonished, contradic-
tory, suspicious. He had a vague idea
this might be the preamble to a request
TO relinduish his beloved profession. He
was accustomed 20 this form of address
when any virtuous and therefore unplea-
SAINT sacrifice was 10 be asked OF him.
at depends" he said, with defiant
negative in every feature.
The Major pulled out card-case,
blushing red as a girl
Look here" he said, awkwardly,
"the next time you come here L want
you to drop rue line to this address, and |
tell me the day and the hour you will be
here"
"Me |" in unmitigated surprise.
Yves the Major hoaxing him or was he
meditating some useful "tip" in the way
of bat or fishing tackle?
"Iour aunt too, of course" said the
Major more awkwardly than before.
"But / want You to promise me that you
won't tell her.
81 don't know" said the boy, after a
pause, during which doubt, increduilty,
dismav, chased each other across his
frank face. "You see aunt hates me TO
do ANYTHING unaerhand. She says fell
low who's sneak isn't fit for soldier"
"Eut | don't want you to be q sneak"
said the Major. looking dreadfully
ashamed Of himself. "I only want you
to send me line to that address. 1t will |
be all right only l have a reason for
her not knowing. will tell her all |
about il afterward."
The boy fidgeted on his feet, but his |
eyes did not falter in their vigilant steadi-
meas.
81 won't promise. Aunt says that if a
fellow gives a promise he oughtto stick to
it. She once knew fellow who once did
thst"; he wondered why the Major
blusheS SO again, "and nearly gave his
life to keep it Butthen. she says, one
must thiuk well before promising"
every well, said the Major quietly.
" Think it over. If you still think it is
best not to give it, tell her all about it.
But wouldn't ask you to do a mean
thing"
There was something in the quiet
strength of his face, in the steady look of
his eyes that inspired confidence.
"1f write and let you know. and we
come, may tell her afterward what
lid?"
"You may tell her anything you like
,fterward. Nothing will make much diff
ference then, he added to himself"
CHAPTER II.
Dear Major Huddlestone If 1 had