Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-25

outlet never penetrated farther than the
muscles. The wound became iniamed,
but now the bullet is extracted. He has
only to get up his strength, and this
day six months you II probably see him
winning every big race. as usual
''Thank Godt' cried Yelverton from
his heart, and the cry was warmly echo
ed round the table.
"This is news indeed to me-" said
Yelverton ''Ihaven't seen him for ten
days, and though he never complained
saw he had no hope of recovery what
ever. Hurrah! Do you think Sir James
told him.
He said not. He said Kilmurray was
too tired to be told anything after the
examination, and his mother was i'll
and resting. He had to go out Of town
yesterday, but meant to go and tell
Ronny today.
The eyes Of Yelverton and Lesley met
in fash that said:
IF Sir James had told Ronny the
truth the day before yesterday, should
we have got that news from Cynthia
today:''
And Lord Mal;ncourt's heart was
heavy. He knew Lesley's face well by
now and what it had cost her to make
that announcement with the supreme
carelessness she did.
81 wish she had less pluck, - lie said
to himself as he glanced round at the
Indifferent men, the picturesque COM
fort Of the beautiful old dining hall,
through the open windows of which
came the brisk September air, land the
mans fool" he added to himself saw
agely. Heroes seem to be pretty poor
stuff when it comes to matters of COM
mon sense. "
In the hall later Lesley, seeing off
the men, got q cruel word i'll her ear.
Il hope you are satisfied" said Vel
verton. lyon have just spoiled three
lives, for you don't surely imagine Gym
thia will be happy"
''Of course she will be happy" said
Lesley, with her proudest air, land so
shall l, she added, walking away from
him in a way that made a man who did
not know the subject Of conversation
decide that really these country girls
had q consummate cheek about them
that a town girl could not hope to imi-
tate.
But the check was all gone when
Lesley, escaping to her bedroom, saw in
, looking glass the blue eyes, the little
white face, that was to be always her
own now, never Ronny's.
How had it come, this love for him:
She did not know We do not know
how life comes, how it goes, how the
sun rises, but it is there. Beyond her
own face she seemed to see Ronny's
sunburned one, with gray, goldfish eyes
and the brown mustache that she once
told him was his stock in trade, but
which conld not hide the lines of his
beautifully drawn, firm mouth, and he
had a cleft in his firm, clear cut chin,
and no man can escape his fate with
women if no have that
The fair brown of his curly head
would have made a much better con-
trast to her own dark locks than Gym
th,a's chestnut one would do. In
her white robe it suddenly struck Lesley
that she bore an odd resemblance to La
dy Hamilton's famous picture as Gree,
for there was the same long limbed,
being more than commonly tall
Suddenly she covered her eyes for
shame ut her selfishness. Il = The
great, the glorious news about Ronny's
recovery had been forgotten. He would
pass through the antechamber of suffer-
ing to the full life beyond that he loved.
He would be able to indulge the one
great passion that had hitherto filled
his existence, and what was Cynthia or
Lesley or any other woman in COM
parison with that?
And, for her own Part, to stay here at
Malincourt, with the dear old dad who
was better to her than any lover ever
could be, was by no means an i'll por-
tion. and when Bob and the rest of them
realized that she meant to be an old
maid perhaps they would let her alone
altogether.
That part of Cynthia's letter relating
to Yelverton did not enter into Lesley's
thoughts at all. She supposed the old
Stourbrldge woman must have got the
idea into her head when she dined at
Maiincourt and written off post haste
to her crony. Lady Appuldurcombe but
it never occurred to Lesley that her sup
posed engagement had preceded Ron
Dy's.
And then she sat down and wrote to
Cynthia. MAY you both be happy"
she said, 'you and Ronny" That was
all. If a tear fell as she folded the sheet
and she was too blinded to see it, did
Ronny, to whom those two lines were
handed next day, guess its origin:
And Ielverton wrote: 'Ronny,
you're fool Why couldn't you waltz"
And not word more. And Ronny puz-
zied greatly over this, and for what
seemed to him an eternity no sign of
any sort came from Malincourt
no BE CONTINUED