The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-12

else would you expect OF a man ike
Hearn? He was all ready to join his
regiment shouldn't he go?"
Still, as Mr.. Hearn had not said a word
about going. even when questioned the
night before, every woman at Ryan felt
sure there was some sudden reason, and
equally sure that Miss Marshall. if she
only would, could tell it. Very proba-
bly, the first callers fully expected to be
told that Miss Marshall was not well
and begged to be excused. That would
have settled the matter to their entire
satisfaction. But, on the contrary, Miss
Marshall, looking every bit as fresh and
cool and animated as ever, came trip
ping lightly down the stairs the moment
they were announced. She perfectly
well knew that they would be coming,
and was fully prepared to meet them.
She had heard, too, of Mr.. Hearn's sud
den departure; a brief note had come to
Mrs. Lane early in the morning, over
good cry. The visitors only succeeded
in finding Miss Marshall rs brilliant and
entertaining as ever, but more provok-
ingly inscrutable. 1t was impossible
to determine from her manner of speak
ing of Mr.. Hearn and his departure
whether there was an engagement or
not.
Nor was any one whit wiser at the
end of the week. eff she is engaged to
him." said the danes and damsels, ''she
is receiving rather too much attention
from the major, who lets no day go by
without its call, and the calls are grow
ing longer"
/ Mabel Lane, who had booked pale for
day or two, was blithe and sunshiny
as ever, SO far as Ryan society could
judge, and in the absence of any local
sensation some people were disposed to
regard the situation as decidedly dis
heartening. No woman rests content
who suspects an engagement and cannot
prove it.
Letters from the regiment gave no
clew.. Lane wrote to Mabel every day
another thing that made him culpable in
the eyes of lords less uxorious-and she
was besieged by the other wives with
questions as to what was going on in the
field. But what he wrote her of Hearn
she would tell no one, not even Georgia
who never asked.
cit has been hard ordeal for Hearn,
as any one can see," wrote the captain.
''He has aged and changed greatly. The
youngsters had planned a sort of love
feast for him, but he begged them that
~ hn no hal l., h q
really Stunned society since rejoining.
He claims that all his time is taken up
with his troop, and of course we are very
busy; but there is something behind it,
and I think you know"
She did know, and yet could not tell.
Il was her penance for breaking faith
with Georgia. The latter had forbidden
that she should tell to any one the fact
that Mr.. Hearn had indeed offered him
self and had been refused.
But Lane learned it soon enough
From the moment of his return to the
regiment the young soldier spent most
of his time, when off duty, in the society
of the captain, and one night in the full,
ness of his sorrowing heart he told his
friend of the bitter disappointment that
had come to him. He loved her deeply
had asked her to be his wife, and she
had gently, even tearfuliy, but positive,
ly, said no, it simply could not be. He
had begged her to give her reasons, and
she refused. She assured him of hel
faith, respect and esteem, but pointed
out to him that in every way possible
since the trial she had striven to avert
the declaration which she frankly con
fessed she could not but foresee He was
, forced to admit this, and could nc
longer press her for reasons, since she
had plainly discouraged his suit. Yet il
was hard-very hard.
Lane simply could not understand
; sis there any one else?" he wrote to Ma
bel, and Mabel said she was sure there
was not; but she was equally sure Geor
, gia meant no. Mabel herself was ever
more perplexed than the captain, since
Georgia had gently but resolutely for
hidden any further mention of the sub
ject between them. And now, with the
, utter inconsistency of her sex, pretty
Mrs. Lane was all eagerness to discover
and demolish the barrier to a match
which month ago she would have op
posed because it seemed inevitable.
: Then came a joy in which Mrs. Lane
: for the time being forgot her perplexities
, Capt. Fred obtained a seven days leav'
from the regiment and flew as straigh
to her arms as a circrutous railroad rout
: could carry him. He greeted Miss Mar
shall as cordially as ever, but he did no
| call her Portia as he had intended, be
cause Mabel warned him in letter tina
, it served to revive associations which
were not all joyous. "Icalled her Porti
long before she met Mr.. Hearn," wa
i Lanes stout reply; 'but if she doesn'
S like it, that's enough" Maj kenyon
9 was hidden to dinner the evening of hi
homecoming, and of course many Q
i the garrison people happened in, and S
there was nothing but general chat
, But two evenings later, when the majo
was sitting in the big armchair and dis
coursing on some of his favorite hobbies
he preached anew the matter of Judg
9 Hearn's letter urging his son to quit tn
: service.
!. "Have you never heard Hearn's ar
~ swer, MAJOR" said Lane. ''He read
to me before sending it, and thought
so good that kept a copy. Here it is.
Miss Marshall was sitting at the tabl
under the bright lamp as Lane began t
read. Mabel noticed that she leane
forward, shading her eyes with he
hand.