Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-09-06
COLONEL QUARTCH,E.C.
By B. RIDER HAGGARD.
HAROLD ouARrcu nEprrArE&


themselves upon the minds like a sun image
on sensitive plate and there remain unal
tsrably fired To take the case Of face-
we may never see It again, or II may become
she companion Of our life. but there the pict
ure Ia Just as we first knew II, the snme smile.
the same look. unaltering and unaiterabls,
reminding Us In the midst OF change OF the
absolutely ndestructible nature OF every en-
perience. act aud aspect OF our life For that
which has been Is, since the past knows no
change and no corruption. but lives etsrnally
In its frozen and completed self
These arc omewhat large words 20 be born
Of q small matter, but they rose up spofta
neously In the miRd Of q soidierly looking
man who WINS leaning, on the particular
evening when this history opens, over gate
In an eastern country lane, staring vacantly
at a ripe Geld q corn
He was peculiar and rather battered look
ing individual. apparently over 20 years OF
ags. and yee baaring upon him that unmis
taxable stamp OF dignity and self respect
which, IL II does not exclusively belong 70, 10
yet one OF the distinguishing attributes Of
the English gentieman- In face he was ugly;
no other word can express IL Here were NOS
the long mustaches, the almond eyes. the
sristocratic air Of the colonel OF hction-for
our dreamer was a colonel These were
alasi that the truth should he 10 plain-repre-
sented by somewhat scrubby, sandy colored
whiskers, small but kindly blue eyes, low,
broad forehead with n deep line running
across 1t from side To side. something like
that to be seen upon the bust OF Julius Cesar
and q long, thin nose One good feature,
however, be did possess, a mouth OF such
swee;ness and beauty that, sri ~ 10 was above
very square and manly looking chin, It had
the air OF being ludcrousy out Of place
"Umph." said his old aunt. Mira Massey iwho
bad just died and left him what she hadl, on
the occasion Of her first introduction to him
fye-and-thirty years before, ''umphl Nature
meant 10 make a pretty girl OF you, and
changed her mind after she had finished the
mouth. Well. never mind, better be plain
man than pretty woman. There, 60 along.
boy, like your ugly face"
Nor was the old lady peculiar In this re
spect, for plain as the countenanee Of Col
Harold Quaritch undoubtedly was people
found something very taking about IL when
once they got used to Its rugged air and
stern. regulated expression. What that some
thing was it would be hard 10 define, but
perhaps the nearest approach TO the truth
would be to describe IL light Of purity
which, notwithstanding the popular iden to
the contrary, Ia TO be found quite often
men ANY person OF discernment In looking
at Col Quaritch must have felt that he was
In the presence Of a good man, not prig or
milksop, but man who had attained 70 vir
tue by thought and struggle that had left
their mark upon his face "A man whom 10
would not be well to tampor with, and ono TO
be respected by all, and feared OF evil doera
Men felt this. and he was popular among
those who knew him In his service, though
not in any ail.felow- well. met kind OF way
But among women he was not popular. As
rule, they both feared and disIiked him
His presence Jared upon the frivolity Of the
lighter members OF their sax. who dimly
realized that his nature was nntagonistic,
and this more solid ONES could not understand
him Perhaps this was the reason why Col
Quaritch had never married, had never even
had a love affair since he was fve-and.twenty
And yet IL was OF a womhns face that 10
was thinking rs he leaned over the gate and
looked at the field Of following corn. undu-
lating like golden yea beneath the pressure
OF the wind
Col Quaritch had twice in his life been at
Honham before tins present time, when be
had come to abide there for good and all,
once ten and once four years ago His old
aunt, Mrs Massey, had place ia the village
Ia very small plaes--called Houham cot
tage, or Molehill, and be had on thess two
occasions been down 70 stay with her, Now
MIRA Massey was dead and buFisd, and had
left him the property, and he had given up
his profession, In which he had no further
prospects, and come 20 live at Honham Thia
was his first evening in the place, for no had
arrived by the last train on the previous
night AL day he had been busy trying 70
get the house q little straight and now,
thoroughly tired OF the. task he was refresh.
ing himself by leaning over gata II 10,
though great many peoplo viii not believe
II, one OF the most delightful refrs@hmsnts In
the world
And then 1t was. as he leaned over thu
gate that the image OF woman,s face ross
before his mind a 1t had been continually
rising for the last five years. It was Eve
years since he had seen IL, and those ave
years be had spent in India and Egypt 1;
seemed but the other day that be had been
leaning over this very gate, and had turned
10 see young girl dressed in black with q
spray OF honeySuckle stuck in her girdls and
stick in her hand, walking leisurely down
the lane There was something about the
girls air that had struck him while she was
yet q long way off-n dignity and a grace
and set Of the shoulders, and then she
came nearer he saw the soft dark eyes and
the waving brown hair that contrasted &C
strangely and effectively with the pale aud
striking face. IL was not beautiful face,
for the mouth was too large. and the moss
was not a. straight a. il might have been
but there was a power about the broad brew,
and force and solid nobility stamped upon
the features which had impressed him
strangely. Just as she arrived opposite "a
where be was standing a gust OF wind, for
there was a still breeze, had blown the lady's
bat of, taking It right over the hedge. and
he, as in duty bound, bad scrambled into the
Geld aud fetched il for her. and she had
thanked him with quick smile and light
ing up Of the brown eyes, and then passed
on with bow
Yes, with a little bow she had passed on.
and he had watched her departing down the
long level drift. tall she melted into ths
stormy sunset light. and was gone When
he returned 70 the cottage be had described
her 70 his old aunt. and asked no she nigh,
be, 70 learn that her name was Ida do Ia
Mole, which sounded like a name cut Of q
novel, tho only daughter OF the old squirJ
who lived at Honham castle And then
next day he had left for India. and saw n LIN
de Ia Molle no more.
And RoN he wondered what had become OF
her Probably she was married. 30 striking
q person would be almost surs 10 attract thu
notice Of nasn And after all, what could II
matter to himi He was not marrying man,
and women as q class had little attraction for
him. indeed he dlslised them II has bosr
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