Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-18

| opened, after single PREDATORY bang,
and in came the major.
Hello, lad! How are you today?
The regulations which forbid your visit
ing the commanding officer don't pre-
vent his coming in to see you, suppose.
Any more newspaper attacks? You
couldn't have got much worse if you had
been running for president of these
United States. l see that three papers
of my beloved home are now calling me
ugly names because my brother published
| letter in which had the temerity to say
to him that Welsh was sneak and
Abrams SLOUGH and you a soldier; but
never expect anything better. Why,
Hearn, my boy, forgive me. Some
things wrong. and here I'm rafting
away and never seeing it."
Read that" said Hearn: and the
major read, with wonjerment and con-
Germ deepening in his grizzled face, then
turned away to the window with long
| whistle
We'll, lad, that is something even I
hadn't thought of. BY CAD! I'm going
to write Il few lines to your good mother
on my own hook; she reminds me of
mine. No; no shutting yourself up in
your bedroom now. Come out here on
the piazza, where there's sunshine, and
where there will be roses presently.
Mrs. Lane and Miss Marshall have gone
over to the hospital with some jellies for
Brent, and its time for them TO return.
Come out, | say, or, as commanding
officer of the post, I'll send q file of the
| guard TO haul YOU out. You've lost
three shades IF tan in four days. and
I'm not going 70 let You NOPE IN hero, if
l have to annul your colonel's order Of
close arrest and give you extended lin
| its Come or.
| There was ~ resisting the major:
there was no resisting the deeper long
ing in his Eeart. Every day since his in
generation Mrs. Lane had found means
to send nm some 1rlenoIy little note,
together with dainties of domestic man
ufacture; every day she and Miss Mar
shall had appeared at least once or twice
upon the walk in front, although he
could not join them: and now they We're
| interesting themselves in Corp. Brent,
| said the major, and the corporal was
| getting well enough TO be read to a little
| while and TO see some of his chums for
n few minutes and to inquire how he
had been hurt. Kenyon fairly lowed
his prisoner ont through the hall and
landed him on the veranda just as the
MONDAY drum WAS sounding orderly
call. then rafting out Roast Beef of
Old England" in hoarse accompaniment
to the piping of the fife.
Half an hour later two parasols could
be distinguished above the low shrub
berry farther east along the row, and the
ladies on Burnham's veranda, where the
doc II was seated in clover, now that
Wallace had ridden away. stepped for
ward to the hedge and accosted the
bearers and strove to persuade them to
stay. Hearn's heart seemed to halt in
protest. then pounded gladly away
again, for the delay was bat momentary
-phenomenally short for feminine chats,
but the mail was coming and Mrs. Lane
was impatient to get her letters. Once
more the parasols came floating along
above the hedge. One. held some six
inches higher than the other. was on the
outside, farthest from the fence That
was hers, and she it must be who would
first come in sight from behind the big
lilac bush in Brodie's yard.
If Mrs. Brodie should happen to see
them and stop them. But no; Mrs Bro
die went across the parade to the Crosses
half an hour ago, thank heaven. Hearns
eager eyes were fixed upon the outer
edge of that lovely lilac screen. longing
for the first glance of the face he had
seen il his dreams night and day now
for nearly a week. If she were think
ing of him. if he We're anything to her.
would not she be apt to look toward this
veranda the instant she hove in sight
around that sheltering bush? "Yonder
they come now,' said Kenyon. slowly
lowering his boot heels from the balcony
rail. I'm going to stop them at the
gate to see how Brent is
Another instant, and once more the
floating fringes of the outer parasol came
sailing slowly into sight beyond the
lilacs, then the white ferrule. daintily
gloved hand, a white draped shoulder
then a proudly poised, dark haired head
thick, low arched eyebrows and long
curling lashes through f1imsy web OF
veil that hung almost to the rosy lips,
close compressed; then sudden upward
sweep of lash, a quick, straight glance
from two deep, dark eyes, CLEAN of
joy, of glad recognition, an instant part.
ing of the curving lips and flash OF
: white, even teeth, and Hearns heart
throbbed and bounded She had seen
him instantly and was glad.
Yet it was Mrs. Lane who had to dc
most of the talking, for Georgia Marshall
was strangely silent. Every now and
then her eyes seemed to take quick
note of the pallor of his face and the
lines of care and trouble Kenyon had
held open the gate and quietly steered
the two ladies to the veranda, where
Hearn was hastily placing chairs; and
though the mail orderly was approach
ing and Mrs. Lane knew there must be
letters from her captain, she could not
take Georgia instantly away, and so fol-
few moments they sat there in thei1
4 u int