St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-20

with her red-Drown hair, her dark eyes
full of pathetic pleading, like those OF a
stag, and her white skin and tall, slight
figure. she was generally admired.
People said she was sweet woman.
At thirty-five most. of US have out
lived our illusions. quarreled with our
bread and butter, and given our hearts
away TILL not the smallest particle re-
mains. May Desmond was an eXcep-
ton. Naturally cold, she was change
able, caprcious, hard to please. ana,
while rousing violent feelings in the
men who loved her, felt little or nothing
herself.
But the adventO of Capt. Jack Hamilton
changed all that-the irresistible Jack.
the possessor of laughing blue eyes, OF
cunningly curled hair. like sunshine.
of the proud. hard face with fine chiseled
features, sometimes irradiated by the
sweetest of smiles, passing like
flash of summer lightning. May en-
cOuraged him. liked him, admired him,
finally worshiped him; and when
woman once worships there is no know
ing what she will do next. However,
10 talk of love passed between them.
They called it friendship. pleasant,
familiar. brotherly and siSterly inter
power, knew that May was his humble
Slave, ami liked the feeling. In per-
feet dream of happiness May drifted on,
blissfully undisturbed by any thought
of the future, forming no plans, AFRAID
almost to breathe, lest she should dlSpel
the peace and contentment/ that haq
fallen upon her.
From this dream she was suddenly
awakened by the stern fiat OF heart
less government. Jack was soldier,
and was peremptorily ordered TO serve
his queen and his country on the ARD
plains and under the cruel sun OF India:
Naturally, he hated the idea. keglmental
paw is so small that it is scarcely to be
conceived one should give up every
thing for the mere fun of soldering.
The announcement hit the pair hard.
They sat together on the sofa,
with the open letter on their laps,
cIinging to each other i'll helpless misery
like two children, May striving to
be brave and keep back her tears, Jack
voiceless and choky. Face to face with
the realities of life, they confessed their
love. May, hiding her face on his
bosom, told him she would gladly die
for him, and could not, would not, let
him go.
Neither spoke of marriage. Jack was
II,
grudgingly left her by her late huS-
band, who inconsiderately never con-
templated her marriage with penni-
less successor. A wife would, she
knew. be heavy burden and
impeachment in the path of a
Young soldiers career Jack was
ambitious), and, in addition, May was
seven years older than her lover, and it
behooved her to be the prudent and wise
one. So, III much anguish and with
many tears, sorrowfully on his side and
despairingly on hers, they parted. She
looked after his creature comforts to
the last, provided him with the pest OF
rifles and the biggest of silver-topped
TASKS, and saw that he had a fur coat
and warm rug, and plenty
of the daintiest white silk pocket
handkerchlets embroidered with his
iaf hands in There red he tS 9 her in SE Es
arms, strained her fondly to his heart,
and kissing her as if he could never
kiss her enough, swore that she had
been more to him than any other woman
in the world, and he should never,neyer
forget her.
May felt very sick when the door
closed on him and his beautiful sun
shiny presence was gone from her
to go about her business and keep a
good countenance before the world !;
but deep down In her heart
the pain was always there
s-aching, aching. Should she ever see
Shin again, her darling, her king, her
'Sideal? Who ever rode like Jack, or
sdanced like Jack, or sang like Jack?
She drew better than any amateur she
ever knew grotesque caricatures full OF
the fancy of a Leech or Caldecott, or
lovely tinted bits of cloud and hill, and
dainty men and women in the fore
ground. He could talk. too, pleasantly,
senslbly, intelligently, by the hour. Her
memory wandered back to the days they
had spent together, which had
flown like minutes-long days on
the river in the summer sun
shine, where the may hung in
heavy perfumed garlands on the bank.
and the yellow iris grew in rich pro-
fusion among the reeds and rushes !;
when, gliding home in the red sunset
hour, the boat heaped with load of
tiowery branches and river stuff. the
gentle plash of the oars formed a grace
full accompaniment to love-murmured
tones. Was that heaven? Or was
it not rather the quick, breath
less galOp over grass fields and
hounds voices, side by side, their horses
straining every muscle, the fresh wind
flaming their faces, warmed by a de-
liciOus glow of excitement; then the
slow ride home in the damp twilight,
and the quiet evening, languid with
fatigue and pleasure, by the fires glow,
when gentle melancholy inclined them
TO sentiment? Or was it not, rather. at
the theater, entranced by the divine
harmonieS.or carried out of themselves
by the sublime acting of some great
player, to which every fiber of Jacks
artistic nature thrilled in unison? May
could not tell; she only knew that the
past two. years had been unutterably
happy, that she and Jack had always
been together-one in spirit, in thought
and in feeling. Sometimes she had
wished for death to carry her away in
the midst of her enchantment, but
Death never comes to those who long
for him, and she had lived, lived to see,
with aching eyes, Jack leave here-and
to remember! Time seemed to have
stood still now. when she endured
years of agony in few minutes. Thus
is it always with us; every moment OF
Joy has its equivalent of suffering, mer-
cilessly exacted by fate.
One only comfort May had: she had
promised land she meant to move
heaven and earth to keep this promise,
that she would come out to India in a
years time and spend few months
with her lover. How this plan was tc
be accomplished she knew not; miles
of sea and land lay between them, OBJ
stacIes innumerable, expense, difficulty
and the objections of friends and rela-
tons, who would naturally demur al
such an escapade OH the part of still
youthful widow; but all must be con
quered, and as May pressed her lips to
gether tightly-the lips Jack had kissed
SO often-She murmured softly, "Ce
que femme veut, Dieu lie veut."
Meanwhile, how Jared it with Jack:
A gay and talented young soldier could
never be dull. Even on,the voyage out
pretty women sought TO console him.
invaded his solitude as he sat in the
stern, solemnly smoking and thinking
of May. talked to him pleasantly OF
themselves, of himself and of his fut
ure. cajOled him into singing duets and
playing their accomplishments, bribed
H.