The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-04-10

| thinking in vague way that it was Christ
mas Eve, and that she had better ring for
her maid to gather together the scattered
beads and that Boughton had gone, and that
she had lost her temper and forgotten her.
self utterly.
There was rigorous wind a-romp in the
narrow Railways and the locust trees with
out, and in the distant corner the kitten
was still scrabbling about with one Of the
fallen beads. It was quite still save for
these noises, and the sound of the wood
fire, which was busily threading snow.''
She stood there until the room seemed
receding in golden haze, and then she
turned stifHy, and, Shopping down, began to
pick up the blue beads from the floor. The
kitten, seeing her kneeling, scampered up,
expecting frolic She lifted the pretty
little brute to her white breast and held it
thus while she went on in her laborious
search.
Judith did not see Phil again unit, ....ee :.I..ee
years afterward, when she was twenty-one,
and the civil war had broken out in all its
horror He was Colonel on General IS
staff, and happened to be encamped near
Charlottesville, and Colonel Page asked
himself and the General to dinner. The
latter declined for some reason or other
but, much to Judith's amazement. Boughton
came.
She watched him dlsmount from his
horse, looking through her closed window
blinds, and her heart emulated the action Of
poor Trumpeter's diaphragm on the memor-
able occasion three years ago. She saw
that he had broadened q great deal and was
browner-very much browner-in fact,
quite dingy as to complexion, and that his
r.. -1.l<t
Then she turned slowly away and went
down stairs. She had thought good deal
over her toilet. laying out the four gowns
in her possession on her narrow bed.
Among them was the creamy one with the
little blue bow at tho bodice. She was as
slender as ever, and could have worn 1t
very well, but she tossed 1t aside decidedly
She finally clad herself in gray SERGE
which had originally been a vivid pink, and
belonged to one of her great-aunts. A rosy
tinge was still diScrrnible here and there in
the folds, and aftei the fashion of that in
gray cloud at sunset. She put on little
tucker of old lace, which, alack, had been
''done up'' with bluing, but there were no
bows, nor beads, nor bronze shoes this
time. As for herself, she looked precisely
the same as she had done three years ago.
save that there was rarely any red now
adays in the brown OF her eyes.
She went down slowly, coming to halt
on each shallow stair of the oak staircase
She was not at all sure of her reception.
Would he stare grimly, and be very icy to
hera Or would he merely ignore heE2 Or
would he indulge in covert sarcasms, that
only she could understands
She made up her mind at last, however,
and turning the knob of the drawing room
door, entered abruptly and noiselessly
The Colonel was established in his red
leathern halfway house, with his gouty foot
on stool, and Boughton sat astride of one
of the various spindle legged chairs. with
his arms resting on Its back, and his chm on
his arms. He got up when Judith entered.
and came forward to meet her, holding out
both hands.
"Well, my Lady Tongue" said he, with
the smile she remembered.
There was not a trace of bitterness, of
sarcasm, of coldness In his voice. 1t was
absolutely natural. if trifie mischievous,