The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-26

ing what were the results Of the collision,
| bat took his old horse by the head aud sent
him alorg best pace, quite aware that the
further he got on his journey before any of
his antagonists got up, the better. He vent
on for some time before he even ventured TO
throw glance over his shoulders, and then
found that there was nothing anywhere near
him. lie thought he had IL all to himself,
co commenced TO take it little more easily;
AID 1t was not until be passed the hillock
and heard the warning cry OF his friends
that he became aware there was anything
left IN the race but himself.
Hugh had never lost uo.d of his bride, but
10th be and the Bantam we're rather shaken
by tie fail and even y hen lie Tad regained his
saddle and set his horse going again, Hugh
felt that be must give him little time u
recover, and that any attempt to hurry him
at present would prove fatal He woudere!
IN his own mind whether II was any use
persevering when ne looked at the tremen
dous lead that Joskius had got of him. His
horse might be the quicker Of the two, but
then he dared not make use Of his speed just
yet. and in any case was il possible t. III IKE
up all that ground before the race was
over.
mo matter" muttered Hugh. "Ill see
him over the stone wall a second time at all
events. 1t settled three of US the hrst round,
it might settle him the second"
jumped the fatal wall without the slightest
mistake, and though the Bantam ran game
as gold and materially lessened the gap be-
twee him and his leader, yet he never
could get fairly within hail of hun, aud.
Hugh, when he found pursuit was useless
pull ed up, and left Joskins to secure an easy
victory.
well. after such a turn up as that" ex-
claimed the owner of Handy Andy, ITS to
/ e hoped the engineers have something for
us to do tonight. II there's anything they
want taking, they'll find the rangers in
lovely humor for it; they are broke to a
man"
"Pm afraid, IRE Joined Byng. Our fellows
are in much the same state; by the way.
what do the doctors say OF the two victims
of the accidentr
Knocked about,a bit and shook, replied
the mai r." but they are not broken serious
ly. Poor Tin Donovan, the theatrical
young beggar, he rode as if he was showing
off a horse at Bartlemy fair" The further
events Of the day have nothing to do With
this history, THAT mok9 racing Husssr once
more carried Off the race Of those quadru-
peds, in bis usual artistic fashion, sitting
well back on the animals quarters, in his
shirt sleeves, and with his gold laced forage
cap set jauntily on one side.
Tom Byng, over a solitary pipe in his
own tent, that evening" reflected rather rue
fully that Miss Smerdon's letter was still
unanswered. Circumstances had pre- ented
him from comforting with Hugh Fleming
in the first place; and secondly, Hugh, out
of sheer malice propense, had not o lly de-
clined to be pumped, but, worse still, could
not be induced to talk the thing over
whenever Byng brought the thing fairly
orward, Hugh either changed the sui ject.
or at once turned the subject round to his
! own love affair, and that, once started, he
had so much to say tnat his auditor was
more likely to grow weary than to get
word In. Still, that letter had to be writ
ten, two mails had already gone out, and in
mere ordinary courtesy he could no longer
delay sending reply. Though Nellie Lyn-
den, Frances would of course be aware that
his injuries offered no excuse fer his silence.
What was he to Saw He loved this girl,
but he could not forget that she had laughed
at him and fiouted the regiment. Few peo-
pile like to be laughed at, cad ridicule has
made more bitter enemies than ever good
sound abuse has done. There are men who
would sooner lead the forlorn hope, than be
| the laugh OF the town FIR three days. and
the woman who forgives a man for placing
her in a ridiculous situation shows a mag
nanimity scarce to he CuJted on. Pens,
ink and paper lay before him, and still this
! man, who had never hesitated an instant to
| risk his life Tor the capture of a spy, could
not make up his m nd to write few lines in
reply to a pretty girls kid inquiries after
| his health.
Here goes" he said at last" she's
laughed at me once, she shall have no op-
portuuity to laugh at me again, as, if al
lowed an atom of sentiment to appear she
certainly would"
Dear Miss Smerdon," he wrote-"Very
many thanks to you and Mrs Smerdon for
your kind enquiries Yol have. OF course,
! heard by this that my being returned
wounded was a mistake, and l can assure
you that ] never was in better health and
spirits than am just now. It thu work
out here is it hard at times. there is at
oil events, plenty TO eat AMI drink-two
very important things when campai gning
and we have underg one none Of tina bitter
experiences of those who were rere the first
winter. Although rot wrapped in cotton
wool" and taking our share OF the hard
knocks, we are as whole doing woudrous
well. With kiudest regards to
yourself and all at Twmbarlym yours sin
cerely. "THOM Us BYTG."
Camp before Sebastopo. July 81"
When Miss Smerdon received this terse
reply to her letter she flushed to the roots of
her hair ground her little white teeth ana
cried with very shame and vexatiou. She
had never felt so humihated in her life.
She-as proud girl as ever stepped-in the
madness OF her passion, had stopped to tel
u MAN sue lOVeu MIN. w no could put any
other construction upon such a letter as she
had pennedl How she wished sh had never
written! How she wished her letter had
been Jelly cold as Nellie had laughingl y sug-
gested. What must lie think of herr All
he had his revenge nov! Here were her
own bitter jill es thrown contenptuously in
her face She pictured him with almost a
derisive smile on his lips as he posted those
curt few lines in reply to her own too effu-
sive episle
Shame on her She had told her secret
ag lin and again in that wretched note. No
man on reading it could doubt that the
WI tier protfered him her love-and at that
thought Frances buried her face in her
hauds-unasked What had she done
Forgot her very sex, offered herself as wife
aud been reje ted. 1t would have been bet
ter for her. she thought, Il that Russian
bullet hal gone trifle los err and then SIZE
could have wept openly over his death, and
have been spared the netheTmosJ misery.
ALI, no, heaven help her, she did not mean
that; God watch over and save him, and
send him safe through the perils that sur
rounded him. although he never could be
anything to her now.
1t comes hard upon woman TO have the
precious spikenaId of her first-love rejected
and Frances Smerdon's had gathered in
strength from the very efforts she had made
to repress it,
She said no word to Nellie of the letter
she had received. 1t had been brought VI
to her room early in the morning, and there.
fore Miss Lvnden had no positive know
ledge on the subject, but she soon saw l.
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