Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-02-16

4
eyes, like good little girl being dressed.
Collecting his fortitudc. with more low
kissing, he took the unmanngeablo head-
| goar by each side, as he vaguely remGm-
bcrod having seon nurses do 1t, and settled
| IL on her hair.
THAT feels right" she said. snow, II
| you could ito the strings"
| She poked out her chin to mako IL onsy
| for him, and so stood patiently, while no
| fumbled with the ribbons IL was so, no
remembered, children stood under the
same conditions. For all his kissing. he
/ found the work as hard as he feared.
| "D-n the thiuRsl" he muttered at the
second failure to make u bow.
| Mover mind, " she said soothingly, with
her chin still patiently tilted and tho most
bcwitchlng air Of innocent surrender In
tho world. 1T doesn't matter very much.
NAY, I'll do II, III try again." he an
swercd, with warming determination, and
he set to fumbling onCo more In tho
midst Of 1t the cuddy door opened. and
there stood Curtis In amused amnzoment
1.-THE prisoners ARE all ashore, SIR" he
announced, and tho boat is alongside
again"
IAN right, my boy" muttorod the old
| gentleman, quite absorbed In his work, for
he did not leave II at his sons entry, nor
| did Lucille move, being by no means sorry
that her pursuer should SEQ she had pro.
tector and was ON terms Of Intimacy with
1 him.
| "D-nit" said Sir Devil again. LOOK
| you here, Dick. Come and lend q hand
, You ara better at knotting than mo. Let
him have try, my dear. My son will do
1t In n minute
Your son" sho cried, starting from
! lao asi,n OIL
the other with her old look Of helpless re-
proach, "Oh, II isn't fairl"
She had been duped; tho Inst hope was
gone; tho refuge she had found was but a
trap, after all
"Ehl What, whatr exclaimed tho puz-
zlod old gentleman, with his eyes rowing
| for an explanation
Tho look of amusement WINS gone from
his sons face, and u was sad and stern.
! As for Lucille, the child was sorrow
stricken woman again and as cold MS tho
lieutenant
"You did not tell me you wcro his fa-
thor, she said In freezing tone
But l am, and Am proud OF 1t, too"
he replied, with desperate effort nj a
bruozy ohUerinoss to restore fair weather.
dick lac went on, "tho lady Ii to como
home with MS 20 be- nurscd, Why didn't
heard Of such n thing In all my life."
you arc very kind, " she said, with no
sign Of thawing, but
Nay, wo'll take no back word" Sir
Devil broke in. wen not DO refused
Dick, you must persuade her to come home
| with us"
with us, sirl" answered tho lioutcnan,
| in II level voice, though IL wus easy to SEQ
/ tho pain In his face, 1t won't be with
us"
ETH Gnd, my boyl Why mott"
/ 81 cannot come home, sir"
/ "D--n II, Dick, not oomu homol Why,
! what Will Georgia aud Suphia say, and
| you AK good as come to life againi Not
como hoinol Why, what's to prevent it,
I mani"
There's many things, sir. IT'S quite
impossible, | must report myself at
Portsmouth Immediately. There's the
court martial for losing my ship you
| know"
/ But you can como homo by tho way, my
boyY"
| No, Indeed, sir. l must report myself
to tho admiral without delay. | don't
want to loso chance OF employment"
What Shan't we SEQ you at allS"
Tis difficult to say. sir l shall apply
]
from tho inquiry"
| Well, we'll Dick. I suppose It's your
! duty snid tho old man humbly. "You
! know best but It's 10 great disappointment.
You must como and comfort mo- my
dear, ho went ON In q broken voice to
Lucille. Indeed you must now"
| To his new appeal she mnde no show OF
refusal
Nay, sir, " she said "'rls you that
comfort me"
There was ray Of "A smile on her face
that could only have bGon lit by some
kindllng spark of affection for hor new
/ protector, and she hold out hor hand to
him In some emotion.
| Curtis took tho action ns II IL was meant
for himself rather than for his father and
yonturod in n throb Of hope to prove how
far his self donial was accepted
May l assist you to tho boatp he said
looking wistfully at hor with his steady
| eyes.
mo, no, " cried Sir BevIl Offering his
hand with an old world gallantry. "She
| IL my pri2n now. "
| only ask TO man your prize, SIR" snid
tho lieutenant. with playful dir, which
| was hard enough to achieve. and far away
| from his real mood
| "Wcll, we'll answered tho old gentle
| man, but you don't deserve II, Dick for
parting company at tho first chancol'
| He dropped her hand and she knew
Curtis was standing cxpcctant, II was
hard for her TO toll what 10 do, being now
pulled oycry way. There was tho sense Of
tho Injustice she had done him to make
her kind, and against 10 her old rehellious-
ness and resistance TO his influence, which
tho Idle smile Of tho prize had stirred
again. Then she saw In him tho son VI
her bencfactor, and then tho man sho had
clothed with the horror OF her mothers
fall, aud who had boon alone with her up.
on the sands, and withal there was no de-
nyinE he mndo brilliant figure of u man
In tho modest riding suit his father had
borrowed of tho dragons,
"A priso can only obey orders" was tho
answer her confusion OF sentiment preoipi.
| tAtud.
| Thorn was playful, half pctulant little
thruR with II a. she came mud put tho tin
OF hor fingers domurely upon Curtis arm.
He poor follow, felt "a now creation tin.
Cling through him
As they walked she was conscious that
AN increasing effort was necessary to keen
hor hand whore it was Tho whirl OF CON
hinting sentiment still confused her, and
now was added a hating suspicion that 10
| moi ln