The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-01-03

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two were to meet once more and be
happy forever. To be sure, when the
letter was finished, Phil read it over
once or twice, leaning back in his bun
galow lounge, with critically dissatis-
fled air. Its ardor seemed rather want
ing i'll spontaneity, he fancied. 1t had
no longer the genuine impassioned ring
of four or five years ago. But what
would you have? If one can't quite rise
to the height of such an occasion of
ones own mere motion, one must try to
gush gently, for the lady's sake alone,
with literary aptitude. A man would
lie hardly whole man, Phil supposed,
if he consented to let woman see he
had begun to forget her.
However, what the letter lacked in
loverlike ardor it fully made up in bust
poor; they could hardly have afforded
to send Aggie out to him. So Phil had
arranged for all that-arranged for it
generously. He inclosed a check for a
most substantial amount. He hoped it
would suffice to pay Aggie's passage
and begged to be permitted to set her
up in proper Indian outfit. She was
to meet him in Bombay, where she
could stop at the house Of common
friend q daren't say mutual" much
more sensible word, between you and
me, because some silly, superfine peo-
pie raise microscopic chronological OBJ
jections), and there she was to be mar
ried day Or two after landing. Phil
fattered himself that his check was a
tolerably expansive one. If he didn't
love Aggie quite as devotedly as he
used to do, at least she should never
discover the change by pecuniary symp-
toms.
Now, strange to say, when Aggie Os-
wald received that letter, though she
broke it open all Of a-hutter to see
whether Phil wanted her to come out
delighted with the news it contained as
she knew she ought to be. On the con-
trary, she took it down to her mother,
half crying.
"What is it, darling?" her mother
asked.
And Aggie, trembling violently, hand
ed 1t to her to read. When her mother
had read it Aggie laid that fluffy head
ON her shoulder and sobbed aloud.
"Now it comes to the pinch, mother,
she said, quivering, sit seems so hard
to go, SO hard to leave you and sail
alone so far across the sea. Five years
ago it didn't You see, it's so long
since ! saw dear Phil he seems almost
like a stranger. 1 can't bear to think
I've got to leave you all and go away
5000 miles to stranger-even though
I love him. He may be SO awfully
changed, you know. His photograph S
quite altered And he may think me so
different now from his own ideal of
me.''
Her mother gazed at her in speechless
surprise. Five years are not nearly SO
long at 60 as at three and twenty.
"But surely, Aggie," she said, "you
wouldn't be so ungrateful to our dear
Phil as to throw him over now and re-
fuse togo out to him-he who has been
true to you so long and behaved SO gen.
erously! 1t would break his heart, poor
fellow? 1t would just break his heart
for him! Think of him there, telling
and moiling and saying and scraping,
out in India SO long, and dreaming of
you all the while and writing every
mail to you'll Why, Aggie, what can
You mean? You gould never refuse
him.''
"Refuse himl Oh, dear no, mother u
Aggie faltered out, quite shocked her
self at the bare suggestion. II didn't
mean that. I meant-I only meant I
didn't feel quite so glad, now it's actual
ly come, as-I always used to think I
should. l begin to wonder now what
Phil will be like after fiVe years, alb.
sence. I've pictured him to myself just
as he was when we saw him last. I'm
trying to picture him now as five years
will have made him."
Mrs Oswald gave sigh of distinct
relief. It would really have been terri
BILE If Aggie had lost five years of her
life-and the best years, too-on this
clever young fellow in the Indian civil
and then thrown him overheard. At 80,
after such a long engagement, her
chances Of placing herself would pe Sc
riously impaired And though she had
other opportunities, and was made
much of everywhere, yet Philip was
really very eligible young man-and
a deputy collectorl Mrs. Oswald set
herself forthwith to check, by every
means she knew, these vague misgivings.
Aggie must not be encouraged in heE
doubts about Phil. She must be made
to feel she was in honor bound to go
out and marry him.