Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1896-03-27
HIS PREFERENCE.
BY TOM GALLON.

BY TOM GALLON.
Can't. John Walker sat alone i'll his
quarters, reading a trembliuSiy
scrawled note that sent old memories
surging thicl<ly through his brain, and
dimmed for an instant the gleam oil
his fearless blue eyes, and caused his
strong teeth to close moro ticrcely on
the stem of the briar-wood pipe. Seven
long years had gone by since last nc
had looked upon that wrltlng-sc'en
long years wherein he had stubbornly
fought down-alilze in the glare OF
barracl1 square, and in the fierce din
and strife of Afghan skirmishes--th
bright memory of u woman's face, the
vanished touch of Woman's white
hand. Now, the writing was with him
again, to take up the old lost thread,
and teach him how vain thing had
been his dream that he could ever let
it drop from ont the tangle Of his life.
He read the letter softly to himself as
he sat there:
my DEAR OLD JAcK-The thought has
come upon me-now. as lie here, with the
night swiftly coming on-that must write
to you-that I must see you. III you vii!
come to me-if you will look with those
dear honest eyes into mlne-lf you Wall
hold my hand, and tell me that you have
learned to forget and forgive all the mud
dle-aIl the dreams: if you will whisper
that you have learned to pity the dreamer,
| think I can be happy, even now. But
YOU must not think that love him the less
it is never that. I want you both TO be
friends; and l want to talk to you. Tor the
last time. It cannot matter now, dear
Jack; I am dying. viii you cosne?-EVA.
Capt. John Walker crushed the note
in his hand, and sprang up. with sob
snothered in his throat.
"Dying-Eva dying! my little Eva!
Aud she wants to see me. L wonder
where that mooney idiot OF husband
is: writing more of those eternal lyrics,
that will never be published, save by
the medium of obscure subscription.
It's lucky thing the fellow had money
of his own, or they would have starved,
long since. And she's dying! It's too
awful--it's-Here, Childers-get my
things together; I'm going to town.
And look out the next tran--and ask
Lieut.. North to see me at oncc-and
hurry up
The man of war had taken up the lost
and broken thread Of seven years back,
merely to find that it travelled out in
his fingers after all, and left his eager
hands empty. For he had came to the
woman as her tired eyes were closing
On the great mystery men call life
the mystery she was but dimly and
gropingly beginning to understand, as
something whose drift she had not
seen before He had stood, silent, and
hatfield, and helpless, beside the one
woman who had ever brought any
softer rays of beauty into his stern life
had stood there, in awe and despair
of that relentless, unseen power which
was slowly creeping in to snatch hen
from him. And when the end
had come, and he had loosen.
ed her fingers from his own, and
had kissed the calm lips that never.
more should breathe his name, and had
staggered from the room, Capt. John
Walker treasured in his heart the re.
membrance of pair of wistful, dying
eyes-the touch of a futtering, weak
handsome half-dozen broken sen
tences-and added them to the mem.
cries of seven long years before, and
was grateful.
But now, he stood in another room
looking out moodily through the long
French windows, at an old-world gar
den-thinlling, perchance, of how Otter
that dainty figure, now so still in Tho
darkened upper room, had fitted
through it during the seven years that
were gone. The afternoon sunlight
strcamed in full upon him as he stood
there, whilst, On the further side of the
room, in the shadow, there paced rest
iessly to and fro, with hands ciaspe(
behind back, and head bent, the figure
OF the Observation-Disclosures Kears.ey. A
tall, thin man, with STOPPING .shoul
ders, and long hair falling untidil,
upon the collar of his velvet coat;
man who had doubtless at one time
been handsome. Even how, his features
H"SAO hAiO, etAh iCS uAeLI Dut tueI tx
preston was marred by a look of peey
ish ill-humor, that had furrowed the
high forehead. and left deep indenta
tions about the rather large mouth
When he spo!<e-as he did now, with
out stopping in his restless movement
to and fro-his voice was high ant
rasping, with a peculiarly Irritating
drawl in it's tones.
Zone can scarcely gr;ssp the true ant
inner meaning of tia J." he said. slowly
without looking at the upright figur.
by the Window. 81 am not cruel; ar
only just, when I say that there was
little in-in common between us. She
was good-allti-and gert!e-as the
trite saying goes; II an sorry; Il
had not known that she was SO ill.," He
stopped in his restless walk, and looked
half inquiringly at the other, whose
back was turned towa-ds him. per
chance, the world, in it's blindess, might
dub me selGa.,-"
II fear so, >luttered Walker.
sBut. to one who works for ,osteri+y