, 1896-12-10
ASOLDIER'S ROMANCE

Every evening after maneuvers Mau-
rice Tournier, a young lieutenant in the
reserves, was only too glad to get back
to the house where he had been quar-
tered. From the first day that he had
been quartered in this house his be-
havior toward its occupants had been
marked by great courtesy and consider.
ation. II he happened to meet either of
the two ladies in the hall or OH the
stairs, he would always stand aside re-
specifically to allow her to pass, but
when the elder lady. won over by his
Difference. invited him to dine with
them he had always accepted the invi-
tation gladly. As q rule the elder lady
would be lying on the sofa. while the
younger would be reading aloud.
From the dictatorial tones and sudden
caprices Of the former and from the re-
signed obedience of the latter the young
officer had soon guessed that it was O
case Of a wealthy aunt and a poor niece.
The fact was that the young girl,
Louise de Lery, had been left an orphan
and totally u%nprovided for. Nine. Pri.
meau, her greataunt and the only rela-
tive she had in the world. had therefore
adopted her. Without being of o really
unkind disposition. Nine. Primeau,
who was q great invalid, had gradually
worked on and p%rofited by her niece's
gratitude until at length the poor girl
had become quite a slave. Her aunt
would not suffer any one else to do any
thing for her. She could not bear to
hear other footsteps in the room OR to
hear any other voice but that of Louise,
and for the last five years she had thus
thoughtlessly and quite unconsciously
been crushing all the spirit and all the
gayety out Of the young girls life.
Louise de Lery was now 20, and.
though she had lost the freshness of her
girlhood, the young officer thought her
very beautiful. Her eyes were of adeep,
unchanging blue. She had an aquilipe
nose, arched lips and waving, chestnut
colored hair, with just = touch Of the
gold in it that n sees in autumn leaves.
Little by little had the elderly lady
been won over by the gay good humor
and never failing courtesy of the young
officer, and 20 he had seen a great deal
Of his hostess and her niece during his
months ~sojourn with them.
He had delighted in Louise's CONVEX
sation and society and had soon discov-
cred that this girl. who had lived thus
obscurely in the shade, possessed a mind
which was only waiting for o touch Of
~uu.k;ra ~ huru& into tho most p,rSack
beauty, and there was something ro-
mantle in the idea that in this old, gray
looking dive ling, half buried in q little
old world town, he had thus come across
BY chance the pale, captive princess Of
his dreama
During the last week Of his stay it
seemed as though Nine. Primeau had
scented danger, for suddenly. and appar.
emily without any cause, her II
toward the young man had changed.
She was always cold and sarcastic when
she spoke to him, and she did not invite
him to dinner with herself and niece.
The time was getting desperately short
only three days more - and then,
through his own foolish proc%rastination,
he would forever have lost the oppor-
tunity he now had of speaking and per-
haps of winning as his wife the only
woman he would ever love.
In the evening. when the two ladies
happeaed TO be sitting out in the gar
den, Lieutenant Fournier on his arrival
took his chair, and in spite Of the ag-
gressivs expression which he read in
Mime. PrimeAu's eyes planted it near to
hers and began to talk boldly about his
departure, about Paris, and then about
his own position and can Then sud-
denly and without any leading up to it
be announced the fact that he was weary
Of his solitary life, and that he wanted
TO marry and settle down. Louise, bend
ing owe her embroidery. listened to all
the young man was saying, just as she
might have listened to II of the love
stories such as her aunt adored and
which she was always having to read
aloud.
"But your position and your income
SO II what You mention is all you
have to depend upon. you surely cannot
think Of marrying yet awhile. For your
self alone Of course it is enough,
but IL you had wife and children, why
80 Il would mean misery $50 mis-.
cry" sss And then, without giving
him time to argue the point, she rose,
and. on the pretext that she was getting
chilly, she took Louise's arm, and the
two ladies entered the house together.
Lieutenant Tournier did not sec the
young girl the next day, nor even the
next Nine. Primeau, whose heart was
Affected, had one Of her bad attacks.
ehs staid in bed for the next few days.
and the young girl waited on her hand
and foot, taking her meals even in the
Gtcksoom, little dreaming, in her per-
6oct Inconsistencies, that there was III
III whole world any single human be.
ine who felt any interest in her and
WHO NO. longing TO see her.
9axxsce Tournier was In despair. his
aspakln1s was NOW 20 near and Louise
~ tnylahle.
= G4S0a message to the servant iof
- nt1ereaA. anyfng that he was leaving
- Noald like 10 ny "Goodby." Mme.
hrea1 sunt = cold, polite message
Mgset1tng that she was too II! 70
t4ane - md not ' 9 mentioning
~ ~ give up. though.
3ho detachment was
n4D9n lt daybreak in order
~ ~ long march In the
~ A39d11v sun. The Young
~ ~ Shat be would take
fLrT@XFhA