The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1893-07-05

! don't know that ! Sigye 2 F2gnt TO.
Knows that he's entsngled some way
with one of the girlsove- at the fort.
Some of the boys guess he's married to
her. know he sendsher money often"
Then, having planted the seeds of mis-
chief, he bowed himself out.
AS he left the little parlor he muttered
to himself: "All's fair in love and war,
and this will be both if Jack doesn't keep
his ugly face ont of my way. I'll have
that woman if ! have to go through a sea
of hes, and it's we'll / struck in time, for
she looked pretty haggard when ! told
that yarn. l wonder if she's idiot enough
to care for that fool of a fellow when
there's better men round" He had not
thought him a fool once when he staid
behind their party at the risk of his life
to spend days and nights nursing him
through a brain fever, but one forgets
favors in love and war. Then in pur-
suance of his tactics he sought an early
opportunity of putting a thorn in his
rivals side.
Don't the course of true love run
smooth, eh?" he said mockingly at their
next meeting.
II don't understand"
You're conveniently stupid, old boy.
Well, never mind, / was a little soft that
way myself till | found out in time by
great good luck that / wasn't first on the
field"
Jack turned very red, wondering for
one wild moment if he was thought to
be the fortunate one who had made the
innings. The next remark enlightened
him. "a pretty woman like that doesn't
go long without some one getting Il
mortgage on her. Daisy Lane was en-
gagged before she came out here. It's 80,
but please don't speak of it yet" It was
true, as Mordaunt said to himself, and a
huge joke, for of course she was engaged
before she was married, as poor Jack
might have guessed if he had not been
too crushed by the blow to see the point
of such wit.
From the fort. 20 miles away, had
come an ~:nvitation to most of the set
tiers to celebrate the glorious Fourth by
a ball and the first grad display of fire
works that part of the country had ever
seen. The collections hal been very
m~unifcent. and he amount OF patriotic
finder was so large that two wagons
were required 70 transport the wei!
boxed packages flom the train. There
was great enthusiasm among the invited.
Every wagon in She settlement was sup
Piled with hoard seats, ard the big stage,
which was me of the fort properties,
was borrowed for the convenience Of
Mrs. Lane and the only other two wom-
en- in the place whose position entitled
them to an invitation. Jack was to drive
the coach, in which Of course Uncle Jer-
T. had a place. Lily was now so we'll
that her mother arranged to leave her to
the care of a trusty Irish woman. The
entertainment was to begin and end ear
". for only on condition of returning the
same night would Daisy be persuaded to
leave her child.
When the morning of the Fourth came,
Daisy, for the first time since her arrival,
was at the station when the train came
in, and Jack and Mordaunt, sauntering
up, saw with astonished eyes her pretty
little figure lost to sight for a brief space
in the fervent embrace of a buster
clothed young man who stepped from a
car. Mordaunt had tact enough to turn
the incident to account, and calmly re-
marking, The chosen one, | suppose"
walked off, leaving JACK a prey to woe.
The newcomer was widely introduced
as DR.. Bruce and made one OF the party
driven that night by Jack, who had no
heart to join the merry conversation OF
his passengers.
The bali was delightful, the fireworks
magnificent, but Jack wes thankful when
the farewells We're said. Thera was q
srayaess il the sky which remotely prs:
.aged dawn as they reached home, and
al but Jack promptly retired to snatch
such short lengths of sleep IS remained
TO them. He, after caring for his horses,
sat down upon an inverted barrel just
within the stable door and gave himself
up to dreary thoughts, which were o
invaded by the consciousness that the
freshly rising breeze was carrying q