The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-12-22

! Law yOuI ana return ut YOUR
convenience. The colonel will let you
go after awhile. "
And then Kitty resumed her SWAY.
II shan't dance one step with you until
you take that dreadful thing off," said
sho, Indicating his dangling saber and
| utterly ignoring his protest that, ~.
| officer of the guard, it was IN csscu'i.l
part of his uniform and equipment. IL.
| only response was that ho was to re-
member that he was then OH duty TO
her. "Tako OF that sword, sir, and hur.
ry about it, for there goes tho band "
And so, unslinging the nCavy weapon,
ho handed 1T subnlisSivcly to his i1npe.
rlouS qucon, who promptly slowed it
away under the wooden scttco against
the wall and then, courtesying to her
| partner, indicated to him that at last
he was at liberty to lead her to the
| dance.
And now, smiling, joyous and once
moro thrilling with mischiovous do
| light as sho bore her sulky priHo across
tho room, Kitty camo suddenly upon
the major, standing incoming and prcoc-
cupied, gazing apparently at tho por-
trait Of Colonel Farrar, yet, as was
| equally apparent to tho littlo knot of
laughing lockers on, seeing it not at all.
Kitty was Oh the point Of accosting and
| bringing him to himself; but, with eager
| whisper and gcsticulations, AnOry, Mar
tin and others called her to them.
Don't wake him." they murmured.
"Do let Aunt Lou have that comfort.
Sec, she's coming to him now" And,
as what Kitty most wanted at that mo-
ment was au opportunity 10 restore her
| interrupted dominion over her angcrcd
| lover, and as no was blind and donf TO
| anything but the consideration of his
own grievances, personal and official,
| Wayne was left to become tho central
object of interest, while Kitty drew her
| deposcd officer of the guard to distant
| cornor.
Wayne was q study. That ho was
struggling to recall some important
matter was evident to all who had long
known him, and for tho time being he
was lost to all consciousness of sur
rounding sights and sounds and had
| fioatcd off into that drcamland Of rem
| lniscence in which only he was thorough
! ly ut home. One or two of the ladies
who wcro ut the mOmont resting from
| tho dance stood leaning on tho arms of
! their attendant nvalicrg and watching
| with them tho result of T.ucrctia's s tim
, id yet determined approach. Almost
| tjptooing, as though afraid that her
noiseless football might rudoly awaken
him, she wus stealing TO his side. and
| presently they saw her lay her hand up
on his arm and peer trustinWly up inyo
his face. Thinking only Of him and tor
| him, She, too, then, was almost uncou.
scIous of any observation, kindly and
| good nuturCd though it was
Unwilling to interrupt too suddenly
! tho current of his mcditarions, she hcsi-
t"tcd before speaking. .h-n, half tim.
! iOly, she suggested, - Lu Ike the pic.
ture, major"
Slowly his gaze camo doy II from the
flag drapcd portrait, and - rh his
| eyeglasses Wayne bcniREauty "dcd
hcr. Finally his wandcrHg w
| Cd, and he aroused himself to af,,.. ."v
answer TO her repeated question. "}t
makes him look too DID," no said. ~
can't bear anything that looks Old, dom
| you know" Then, dimly conscious of
something ho might hnvo put in fan
happier form, ho quick ! s;rovo TO re-
/ call his words. "I-I dOn't mean wo-
men, of coursc-I like Old women. You
know liked you 90 years ago"
You left mo togucss it, tncn," mur.
INJURED she, vaguoly grateful for even
this admission and desirous OF encourage
ing avowals even thus late and luke
warm.
"Yos," ho went on, "you know, it
| To L., l., ,e.t.
wo danced together ut jefferson bar
racks? That was every day Of 20 years
ago"
"Ah, well" answered Lucretia, "you
know it is SO very difficult to reckon
from, because that was tho Goth of Feb
ruary, and that coming only once in
four years, you''-
"Ha!" Wayne laughingly interrupt
ed and then suddenly fell back again
into his old incoming way. "And yet,
you know, thore was something want.
ed to ask you that night, ana / was 80
confoundcdly abscntminded'-
ooh, very" said she, "for you men.
toned that there was something you
wanted to ask mo, and Two been wonder
ing what j could be for 20 years.
''Do you know" said he dclightedly,
$50 have I, SO have l." And here ho
leaned beaminglv over her. and his evo-
| glasses tell oil and dangled Mt tho end
Of their cord. cit was only tonight" he
went on, cit camo to mo that it was
something connected with this ring
my class ring, you know. It's odd
can't think what it was. Why, your
hand is trcmbling" Coyly sho upraisod
it to meet tho coming ring, and then
again he faltercd.
81 remember, was holding tho ring
just like this when somebody called to
me that I'd better hurry
Eyes" she said breathlessly. "In-
deed you'd better hurry" But he was
still wandering in the past
"It seems to mc--oh, they'd sounded
officers call, and that meant tho devil
to pay somewhere, don't you know "
But Lucretia was willing now, despond.
ent again, for still ho went on: "You
know, fancicd until tho very next day
that I'd left tho ring here" And, suit.
ing the action to the word, he slipped it
on her finger. "And yet tho very no.
day, when 1 was on scout, found i
found it here" And with that he agail
replaced it ON his own finger. Lucroii.
face was sight to see. There was
instant Of silence, and then, falling la
note the expression OF her face. loolIn.
mto the am rcccsSos or the pH-
again wandered off,