Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-04-26
"steve," said his aunt, with sweet Sc

full.''
SIT isn't!' Indignantly. ST never do,
since you told me looked like a pig in a
hurry. OF course, Pm going to be
soldier, though Uncle Sam is angry and
says it's only an excuse for being idle and
dressing up! But then he doesn't know
one end of a gun from another"
"Uncle Sam-Mr. Samuel Dale. of Mine
ing-lane-has a large tea warehouse, in
which is waiting a stool, its three legs
pointing to wealth, consideration and tur
| tie soup unlimited" said his aunt, in ex-
PLANTATION to the Major.
"Just as if he would ever catch me sit
! ting on it,"
''But still Uncle Sam is a wise man. He
knows what makes life comfortable.
think you ought to follow the legs of that
stool!"
"There now" in derisive and hurt
| scorn, 'that's just like girl. When you
know that you've always been talking to
me of the brave things soldiers do, and
only two months ago I found you cry
| ing''-
"Steve, there's your friend reckoning
| you. Go and see what he wants. Boys do
chatter sol" she said irritably to the
Major, as Steve dashed off, cor else they
don't'- with sudden recollection
which she as hastily put away. "Have
! you been long in England?"
''Only ten days. 1 am leaving again in
week"
| 'sLeaving it agains' Itseemed as if her
breath caught little. slave you been
| at home much during the last fifteen
years?''
"Not once. 1 came this time because"-
He colored and glanced down at his dis
| abled arm.
| ooh, yes! / know" she exclaimed, b r
face flushing into such lovely color and
| eagerness that the shadow of fifteen years
vanished from it, and it was again in his
| eyes as the girl-face which had been so
fair to him fifteen years ago. 81 read all
about your splendid deeds''-
''Such duffer as that fellow is!' ex-
claimed Steve, at her side. ''He has eaten
more cakes than he can pay for"
| She broke into laugh. 1t was a little
hystericai, but the Major, utterly confused
at her allusion to any thing so personal as
his late proceedings, did not perceive the
| false ring, and Steve was too much bent
upon getting his friend out of his unfortu-
nate astronomical difficulty. Her
| thoughts had gone back to the days when
this man-this hero with his grand
simplicity and modest gentleness-used
| to come to their house to spend his leave
with his friend, her elder brother, under
! whose care she was. She was only in the
schoOl-room then, but it seemed as if,
even in those days, he had not treated her
| as child, so courteous, so kindly, SO
gentle he used to be. He would leave her
| brothers. other guests to ride, or talk, or
| walk with her.
She had grown to look forward to his
visits, careless and light hearted and
| thoughtless as she used to be in those
| school days. And then her thoughts went
| backward suddenly to the last time she
had ever seen him. She was grown up
them. 1t was her seventeenth birthday,
and that day she had been presented.
Major Enthusiastically Captain then
had come with some other friends in the
afternoon to see her in her court dress.
But in some way it happened that they two
found themselves at 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 he had just begun a sentence when
her brother came up and stood between
them, making some foolish, trivial remark.
The sentence had never been finished.
She had never seen Major Huddlestone
from that day to this. He had sailed with
his battery week later, and did not even
| come to say goodbye.
for breaking off that sentence until the
day he died, some ten years ago. She was
married then to rich city merchant.
This marriage b ad been her brothers
| wish.
Thomas Dale was good man, and had
been kind husband to her. He had been
dead now three years, and she was rich
widow and free again.
But the man who had begun that SEN
tence so long ago had never shown any
wish to finish it. All these thoughts. fash
ing through her brain, hardened her heart
against him. She would not ask him to
call on her.
''Do fly to that wretched victim of buns
and tea, Steve" she said, putting her
purse in his hand; 'she looks wild and de-
spairing; and then settle our own account
You can join me in the drug department
afterward. Goodbye, Major Huddle-
stone."'
1t was awkward shaking mans left
hand, so she only bowed and turned away.
The Major stood, pale and upright, look
ing after her, as if he never expected 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 his friends &C
count and was rapidly returning to dis
charge 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 fa,vor?" he asked.
The boy looked astonished, contradic-
tory, suspicious. He had a vague idea
this might be the preamble to request to
relinquish his beloved profession. He
was accustomed to this form of address
when any virtuous and therefore unpleas-
ant sacrifice was to be asked of him.
sit depends" he said, with a defiant
negative in every feature.
The Major pulled out a card-case, blush
ing red girl.
''Look here" he said, awkwardly, ''the
next time YOU come here l want you to
drop me line to this address, and tell me
the day and the hour you will be here"
"Mev' in unmitigated surprise.
Was the Major hoaxing him or was he
meditating some useful "tip" in the way
of bat or fishing tackle.
'Your aunt, too. of course" said the
Major, more awkwardly than before. "But
1 want you to promise me that you won't
tell her."
81 don't know" said the boy, after a
pause, during which doubt, incredulity,
dismay, chased each other across his frank
face. 'You see, aunt hates me to do any
thing underhand. She says a fellow who's
a sneak isn't fit for a soldier"
'But don't want you to be sneak
said the Major, looking dreadfully
ashamed of himself. II only want you to
send me line to that address. 1t will be
all right; only have reason for her not
knowing. will tell her all about it after