Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-04-20

The force. which was mixed one, ieio |
Pretoria before daybreak, end John went
with it. He was rather surprised when, on
going to the car. il which jess slept, to get |
some little thing before saGdling up, to find
her sitting on the box in the night dews with
cup Of coffee she had prepared for him in her
hand
What do you mean by this Jess!' lie asked,
sharply. Il will not havo you getting up in
the middle of the night to mako coffee for
me-"
Il have not got up" she answered, quietly;
II have not been to bed"
THAT makes matters worse" lie said; but
nevertheless he drank the coffee, and was glad
to get il, while she sat on the box and watched
him.
put OH your shawl ard get something over
your head" he said, 1.-The dew will soak you
through. Look, your hair is Gil wet"
Presently she spoke Il wish you would do
something for NE, john for size called him
John now. "Wi,l You proinise!'
Glow ike a woman" he said, ito ask one
to promise thing without saying what it is y
Il want yoi. 70 promise Tor Bessie sake,
she said
swell, what is it, Jess!'
"Not to 60 on this sortic You know You
can easily get out of it if you like"
He laughed. "You little silly; why not!"
| cob, don't know. Don't laugh at me, be-
cause am nervous. I am afraid that-that
something might happen to YOU"
We'll" Eo remarked, consolingly, "every
| bullet has its billet. and if it docs don't see
that is can be helped"
| "Thinl; of BESSIE" she sail again.
| "Look hare, jess" lie answered. testify,
"what is the good of trying to take the heart
out CT a fellow Ike this! If am going to he
shot can't help it, and I'm not going to
show the white feather, even for Bessie's
sake: so there you are, and now must be
Off"
"You are quite right, john" she said, qui-
city; Il should not have liked to hear you
say anything different, but could not help
speaking. soo;. -, JOHN; God bless you'll"
and size stretched Gown her hand, which lie
took, and went.
Upon ny word she has given me quite
turn" ref .ctei John to himself as the troop
crept Oh through The white mists of da.v'-
Il suppose that she thinks that am going to
be plugged Perhaps am. l wonder how
Bessie would take it. She would be wfully
cut up, but expect that she would get over
i. pretty Soon Now don't think that jess
would get over thing Of that sort in hurry.
That is just the difference between the two
the one is all flower and the other is all root :"
| And hen he Tell TO wondering how Bessie
was and what she was doing, and if she missed
him as rluch as he missed her, and So ON, till
his mind came back to jess, and he reflected
what a charming companion she was, and
how thoughtful and kind, and b.eathed a
secret hope that she would continue to live
with them after they were married. Some
how they had got to those terms. perfectly
innocent in themselves, in which two people
become absolutely necessary to each others
daily life. Indeed. jess had got long way
further than that, but OF this he was OF course
, ignorant. He was still at the former stage
and was not himself aware how large n pro
portion of his daily thoughts were occupied
| by this dark eyed girl, or how completely heI
personality was ovcrshadowing him. He only
knew that she had tie Enack of making him
feel thoroughly happy in her society. Wher
he was talking to her, or even sitting silently
by her, lie became aware Of sensation OF
! restfulness and reliance that he had never be
; fore experienced in the society of n woman
. OF course this was to large extent the
! natural homage Of the weaker nature to tbt
stronger, but it was also something more i
was tie shadow of that utter sympathy an(
perfect accord which is the surest sign of til,
|
a.isl when it accompanies the passion Of mel
;. and women, as it sometimes, though rarely
! does, being more often found in its highes
q form IN those relations from which the elelnen
4 Of sexuality is excluded, raises it almost above
4 the level of tho earth. For the love wher,
a that sympathy exists, whether it Is bet-Te
% mother and son, husband and wife, Or thos
Q who, while desiring it, have no hope of tina
8 relationship, is an undyin5 love and will eli
3 dure till the night of ime has swallowed al
{ things.
n Meanwhile as john reflected, tho force L
Is which he was attached was moving into &c
i tioa, and he soon found it necessary to com
70 down to the unplcasant,y practical details o
t Boer warfare. More particularly did thi
y come home to his mind when, shortly after
d ward, the man next to him was shot dead
70 and a Ettlo later he himself was slight
II wounded by bullet which passed betwee
O. his saddle and bis thigh. Into the details O
l. tho fight that ensued it is not necessary t
enter here. They were, if anything, NOR
n discreditable than most of the episodes o
u thit unhappy war, in which tho holding Q
le Potchcfstroom, Lydenburg, Rustenburg an
le Wakke,strOom are the only bright spots
Is Suffice it to say that they ended in something
+ very like an utter rout at the hands Of
% much inferior force, and that, a few hour
r. after he had started, John found himself O
q. tho return road to Pretoria, with q severel
ID wounded man behind his saddle Nhe ambr
10 lance being left in the hands Of the Beers
s. who. as they went painfully along. mingle
III curses of shame and fury with his OWL
in Meanwhile exaggerated accounts of what ha
- happened had got into the town, and, anon
in other things, it was said that Capt Mi
ka<1 hoov, al,Ot do0d Ono ,v,ovr xr3,o mn
y stated that he saw him fall, and that he wa
I'd shot through the head. This Mrs. Nevill
co heard with her own ears and. greatly shocket
er started to communicate the intelligence I
hs JeaA
IN A soon as 1t was daylight jess had, as Wa
I'd customary with her, gono over to the lit
Of house which she and John occupied, sTt
q Palatial," as it was ironically called, and Sc
I'd tied herself there for tho day. First she trie
"a to work and could not, 50 she took a boo
" that she had brought with her and hegaA [
IN read, but 1. .-as q failure also. Her cy,
- would wander from the page, and her eal
~ kept straining to catch the distant boolnin
Of the big guns that came from time to tin
=. floating across the hills The fact of tho ma
ter was that the poor girl was the victim Of
presentiment that something was going [
~ ooPk'oAA W SOAu AAAOSV poOPAC VI 1Q8AU6bAv
- mind have suffered from this kind Of thing
i. ono time or other in their lives, and hav
=. lived to see the folly Of it; and. indeed, thel
g was moge in the circumstances Of the preser
=. case to excuse the indulgence in the luxur
=: :. Of presentiments than is usual. Indeed, a
happened, she was not far out-only q ii,
- teenth Of an inch or so-for John was yer
~ nearly killed.
-. Not finding Jess in camp Mrs Nsvil
=. made her way across to 1.-THE Palatial, whe,
To she knew the girl sat, crying as she went .
q. the thought Of the news that she had to con
n. municate, for the good soul had grown yer
fond Of John Mel Jess, with that acu'
sense Of hearing that often accompani'
nervous excitement, caught the sound Of Il
little gate at the bottom Of the garden q
most before her visitor had got through
and ran round the corner Of the house to Q,
d. who it was.
! One glance at Mrs. Nevilles tear staine
y face was enough for her. She knew WIN
was coming, and clasped at one Of the your
-