New-York tribune., 1891-12-20


and IL seemed 10 her that II Mark would be equally
sharp they might have a MICS little quarter of an
hour or so all by themselves in the lamp-ht draw
| ing-room presently.
Mark had more than once seemed to appreciate
! such little quarter. of an hour.
/ Why then, was he stupidity incoming about out
| side, letting the precious time pass
What in the world is he doing P" repeated the
little spy, more emphatically than before, as she
marked the dimly outlined figure beneath
stretching hither and thither long arm which
was now hidden, now defined against the clear
sly, above.
| He was gathering sprays of arbutus laden with
berries and blossoms
few minutes afterward, Marie, the maid, ap-
| peared. bearing the same at her young MISTRESS
door. :" From Monsieur lc Capitaina. observed
the abigail airily for messeurs les captanes there
is always soft spot in French girls fancy, for
| the hair of Mademoisellc He begs that Mademoi-
| sellc will 20 him the honor to wear the posie.
| 1t is not a very chic pose, eyeing the massive
bunch with the disgust of an artiste; II Is too
! large, il is too heavie for the hair tins great
| bush. But contrive-I arrange tit needs not
| that use il all more cheerfuly. "Permettez-
moi, Mademoisclle one leete piece will DO all that
| is required. Mademoiselle WILL of course, wear
what Monsieur has sent? demurely, as with an
afterthought
Mademoiselle bowed her head
The same evening a year later.
i never could make il out observed Charlie
Hooper, the gossip of the fort TO select circle Of
| listeners. was altogether out in my reckonings
in that quarter. / thoheht old Mark had dropped
a II.
Edith Darlington is no beauty, she is very nice
| girl; and old Mark is not everybodys bargain
Himself, by Jove! We all thought it was done
thing Mark went Tor her like blazes He was
never away from The Hatch. The widow seemed
| agreeable; and the GIRL hear, has broken her
heart since it all came TO nothing. What stopped
| it, no one knows. POof! In the twinkling of an
| eve il bust up Mark off; the Carringtons
held their tongues; and not soul could lind out
| the rights of the story"
"rll find out, however, decided one of the
group, as the prattler ceased and presently the
person who thus meditated slipped away from the
rest, and he and Mark Brett were seen strolng OH
| across the fields, away from the fort.
! Afternoon was giving place 10 evening II was
almost the same wItching hour as that in which We
first beheld Edith Carringtons lover.
Hold hard :" exclaimed Captain Bretts com
| panion Look out, there! How dark 1t grows
ion almost ran me into that arbutus tree" q,
80, Arbutns tree? That's not an aroutus tree;
| tree when you see it?'
Rather. And when don't see it. In dark
| ness or in light, this is an arbutus.'
| The speaker broke off short. and whistled
All right, old man, but if it's the same 10 you.
this is an arbutus Mark had got hold of an ar
gumentativc yOungster who held TO his point.
Rot 1t is nothing of the kind! lt-now
don't bother for tell you it is not" continued
! Brett, sharpness Of accent increasing as memory
| woke more and more; and ] ought to know
| COnfound you then, if you will have il. | tell
you that all my happiness in the world once
turned upon an arbutus tree Yes, it did; YOU
may stare if you please Il know what ] am talk
! ing about I-it-but for it--never mind-Tm a
fool, if You like; only don't tell me that don't
| know arhutus berries again when see them"
"Arbutus berries? Oh. well, we all know the
| berries There are none as it happens on this
I tree" said the younger man. peering about.
| However, il You only know an arbutus by its
berries" laughing, with his nose in the cir.
| Perhaps might not know the tree for certain
| without them" conceded Mark, reluctantly
Neither would you One shrub is very like
| another"
" But there are the blossoms"
Now that noodle of Mark had never observed
/ that the arbutus has such thing blossom.
ever noted the shrub in question at all had been in
| the waning December dusk. when the walth Of
crimson fruit had caught his eye. The hanging
| blossoms, which, everyone knows, ought to
| know come out AZ the same time as the berries
| ripen, had been entirely overlooked by him.
What do you mean by the blossoms ?" he now in
quired with rather curious tone in his voice
In few moments the veil had fallen from his
| eyes: he saw it all: the mistake into which igno-
rance had led him: the pit-fall into which dlhdnce
| had entrapped him
OF course Edith--hs Edith that shonld have
| been-had worn spray of green, with white bells
pendant therefrom, on the fateful evening when he
| had fancied her lost to him forever
One glance had doomed him in his own eyes.
He had not seen his arbUtus berries wreathed In
the dark locks for which he had designed them and
| he had sat thereafter with dumb lips and dead
| weight at his heart-and then, then had followed
the m9idenly modpstv which nc had mistaken for re-
! sentiment, the retcence which had prevented en-
panation his own proud resolve to make neither
complaint nor comment, and finally his retirement
! in fun marching order from the scene. lie hau
told himself that he was man VINO Knew When he
was beaten
lie had made his offering and his request. The
one had not been accepted, nor the other compiled
] with There was more to be SAID. ,
As he had ridden away that night he had
| mentllly bidden farewell to all the bright pros
pect which had danced before his eyes during ring
! deludcd and mistaken; and quietly set about 10
| retrace his steps -,
| bailed even his comrades in arms, and II was
only now. only when a kindly, simple lad, having
had the luck to stumble upon the keynote OF the
T, affair at the outset, pressed home query upon
curry, that he prevailed upon to disclose the
| events Of the past.
Then his ears caught the sweetest music to
/ which they had listened for many long day
| We'll, ! do Uhink, you know, that you have
been "a laundering fool, you know
You really think 50, really ?" said Mark
A %thundering fool ?' Delicious epithet
Dare he presume TO apply it to himself?
| "Of course | do. What o'clock is il 7"
"Half.past :. Is it's it-were you think
inc II was too late Jenny? Too late to go over
now, Jemmy?" almost whispered voice in
''a'' Not bit TOO late We shall be in quarters
| in five minutes In ten minutes after that you
| can be oil. You won't stop by the way, laugh
ing "Yon won't take the wrong turning. Why.
It's poetical Justice that YOU should 90 tonight
| the very night. l know they are at home, and
| / know they are alone. And to make a clean
| and half ago. and came back meaning 10 have
| IL all ont with YOU. There Now you know
! the truth Edith is unhappy"
| "IIi-there! Saddle the mare shouted Brett.
| don't come TO grief against an arbutus tree
q second time called out jolly voice after him as
| he rode off. -.
| II never did understand IL, murmured the JOY
full Edith in her lovers ear few hours later "and
never mind what I supposed. wore the arbutus
exactly as lreceived it it came from you and l
wore il for you only Marie would put in only the
half: and there crtainly wr no berries-of that /
! am absolutely sure.
$50 am ], said Brett. -,
"For I recollect hearing her mutter TO herself
something about great ugly, red fruits which