Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-25

~ % Indeed, Jack, you
must not be so careless another time" she said
to him when he came to ask after her. "Do
you know you've never yet chosen q really
comfortable and wholesome spot2 That even
ing in the Coliseum was nearly the death Of
me, and you gave me malaria down in Surrey.
Don't do 1t again, please, until / say ready"
Lord John looked at her, burst out laughing,
and fell more in love with her than ever.
I'm afraid am always too far gone for de-
liberation, Mary" he answered, sweetly, "but
III try to lay it out more hyglenically next
time. It's great shame you have to give up
| the review. / wanted you to see Henry"
Lord John was the only person In the world
who called her Mary, besides her grandmother
and she rather liked him for it To ell the rest
| she was Hyacinth.
How quiet the square was! OF course all
London had gone to the parade, and at the frst
roll Of the drums she began to wish that she
had bundled her throat up and gone herself,
after all, and she dropped her book and ran to
| the window craning her neck to look down to
| the park. Yes, she could see them very well-s
| the red coats, the white helmets, the arms
flashing in the sun and the arching heads Of
| the horses as the Guards paced by. She threw
| open the window and stepped out upon the
balcony. The square was quite deserted, but
! the crowd stood black along the street whore
the troops were Passing, every man aud woman
Cheering, the handkerchief and hats duttering
| and waving. and, Oh, the swell Of the music -
Goodbye, goodbye" she whispered, with an
exultant sob. And still the solid ranks marched
on, huzza upon huzza greeting them all; aud
now regiment OF blue-coated cavalry wheeled
into sight, and Miss Myrtoun narrowed her
eyes to see more clearly. Il am sure those
are Harry Ainslie's men," But the faces were
only blur In the distance, and one officer just
| like another as they sat erect in their saddles.
And this was the end. The last drum and ffe,
the last flag, had gone by, the crowd began to
nj an linn ,rx1a, -
| came back into the room.
That horrible, horrible soudan!" che nur.
INJURED, closing the window.
She was trembling little with sxcitem emit
and fatigue Of standing and threw herself
| down among the cushions Of q lounge for a
rest, and doze il might be. She picked up
her book again and almost forgetting herself
| In the ever enjoyable trials OF Burgo and Lady
Glenoora. was idling and quoting deliciously,
when the rich pervasive strain Of band was
borne on the air once more, and this time IL
was playing THE Girl Loft Behind Me-" The
dear, dear old tune! She could not read for
quickenIng her ears to hear it It came nearer
and louder; gay and brave 1t sounded, yet
with heart-breaking note in 1t. 1t was pass
Ing the very square now and she sat up to
listen. And at this moment, through all the
1ubilant trumpeting, she caught another sound,
| the ring of horses feet coming down the street
and stopping at her door. She sprang to look
out, but could not see for the balcony, and
paused. startled. who can it be? know no
one who would come now" The butler bowed
! at the threshold.
"What is it, MAXWELL"
Capt. Ainslie asks II yoa can see him for .
Capt. Ainslie2 Oh, yes; show him up at
once, Maxwell" And she stood waiting and
wondering while the jangling spurs came up
the stairs and Capt. Ainslie entered.
He was splendid with gold lace and plumes,
| glittering epaulets and ORDERS and bore him.
self superbly; but his face was lividly pale and
his fingers trembled where they gripped his
| sword hilt Hyacinth took In the gallant
show OF his appearance and would have well
coined him with some laughing fattery if his
pallor and strange intentness Of manner had
not struck her dumb. He closed the door and
came straight toward her, while she watched
him with round questioning eyes, like child's,
Standing very close he seized her hands, and
bent look upon her which was sharp and
strained with emotion and yet piteously en-.
treating.
II am going away" he said. in a harsh.
hurried voice. Wont you give me q kiss,
Hyacinth, before go2"
Give him kiss! Miss Myrtoun was young
deed-and some Of her friends had said Of her
that she would stop at nothing, but
the truth was that never in her life since
she could remember had she kissed any man
but her grandfather and her uncle James.
There had been no brothers nor cousins to
claim her caresses as a familiar right. and to
lovers who implored for them she had been as
cold as stone. And now who was this bold
young officer who dared beseech for such
favor! He was Jack Ainslies brother. She
had vague membranes Of play with him
In old childish days; she had seen him Of late
here and there at reviews; in ball rooms, q
tall silent fellow, and had never spoken a hun
dred words to him in her life A kiss! She
wondered that she did not break from him in
aragc. But she did not; she left her hands in
his, and made no movement Of reproach, 1t
was because she was in a gentle mood that day:
because he was going away, and because he
loved her-his eyes we're telling her that, and
the touch OF his hands. Ainslie drew his
breath hard while the girl gazed ut him, hesi-
tatng She saw the anguish in his drawn face;
sudden memory Of the boys lonely mother
less life came to her, and the tender cadence of
the melody enwrapped her very soul; she raised
herself little on her tiptoes, and held up her
beautiful mouth frankly and freely to him.
With broken, passionate exclamation, the
man clasped her in both his arms and set his
lips to hers IN q kiss SO prolonged and so i'm
perative that Hyacinth swayed under it, Then
he whispered, hoarsely, "God bless you for
were accommodation he must force his every
norve and fiber to, he turned and left her.
But Hyacinth did not see him 60, aid only
heard confusedly the stamping Of the horses e.
for she was standing In daze, her eyes brm-
ming with tears and the room was dim to her.
She put up her fingers softly to her lips, a
burning tide Of color flooded her cheeks and
forehead. and she buried her face in the cush-
ions Fainter and fainter the music was diving
Ill the distance.
you're not looking we'll; you're feverish,"
her grandmother said when she came in. 1T
isn't good for you to be moping here all by
yourself"
And was kiss such An uncanuy thing that
it should have the power to haunt ono like
ghosU Hyacinth did her best to exercise Ii
with scorn and indifference but il was no use;
the ghost would not be laid, and came creeping
back just as she thought she had rolled stone
upon 1t heavy enough and commonplace
enough to keep it down. And the stone would
be something like this:
1T WAS q perfectly natural thing to do.
Grandmamms knows him very we'll and he
was lonely Mt going away, and he recoliected
me when was . little girl, and ii was very sis-
| terly and kind OF me to kiss him goodbye :"
Then the ghost would steal little nearer, the
girls dropping eyes grow luminous, and
through closed lids she could see him enter.
| and would hear the deep vibrating voice again.
and then-oh, then came the heaven an d the
| shame Of it, for she would feel his lips and his
enfolding arms. . slow little smile would
tingle at her mouth, and Q glow suffuse her
very being. Instantly she curled her lin st
| herself in the glass:
$50 you were only waiting for somebody
with epaulets and spurs to ask you for q kiss.
you common little thing! You've got the soul
OF a nursery maid. I'm sorry can't cut your
| acquaintance" But the scorn in turn vonld
merge into n c0mnan ion allo <hor.Lt - ~