The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-02
SOLDIERS ROMANCE

| ASOLDIER'S ROMANCE
Every evening after maneuvers Maui
rice Tournier, young lieutenant in the
reserves, was only too glad to get back
to the house where he had been quar-
tered From the first day that he had
been quartered In this house his be-
bavior toward its occupants had been
marked by great courtesy and consider.
alton. If he happened to meet either Of
the two ladies in the hall or on the
stairs, he would always stand aside re-
specially to allow her to pass, but
when the elder lady, won over by his
| Difference. invited him to dine with
them he had always accepted the invi-
tation gladly. As rule the elder lady
would be lying on the sofa, while the
younger ono would be reading aloud.
From the dictatorial tones and sudden
caprices Of the former and from the re-
signed obedience of the latter the young
officer had soon guessed that it was
case of wealthy aunt and poor niece.
The fact was that the young girl,
Louise de Lery, had been left an orphan
and totally unproyided for. Nine. Pri-
meau, her greaGaunt and the only rela
tive she had in the world, had therefore
adopted her. Without being Of really
unkind disposition, Mme Primeau,
who was great invalid, had gradually
worked on and profited by her niece's
gratitude until at length the poor girl
had become quite slave. Her aunt
would not suffer any one else to do any
thing for her. She could not bear to
hear other footsteps in the room Or to
hear any other voice but that of Louise,
and for the last five years she had thus
thoughtlessly and quite unconsciously
been crushing all the spirit and all the
gayety out of the young girls life.
Louise de Lery was now %, and,
though she had lost the freshness of her
girlhood, the young officer thought her
very beautiful. Her eyes were of deep,
unchanging blue. She had an aquiline
nose, arohed lips and waving, chestnut
oolored hair, with just touch Of the
gold in it that one sees in autumn leaves.
Little by little had the elderly lady
been won over by the gay good humor
and never failing courtesy of the young
officer, and SO he had seen great deal
of his hostess and her niece during his
months sojourn with them.
He had delighted in Louise's CONVEX
sation and society and had soon discov.
cred that this girl, who had lived thus
obscurely in the shade, possessed mind
which was only waiting for touch Of
sunshine to burst into the most perfect
beauty, and there was something TO-
mantle i'll the idea that in this old, gray
looking dwelling, half buried in little
old world town, he had thus come across
by chance the pale, captive princess of
his dreams.
During the last week Of his stay it
seemed as though Nine. Primeau had
scented danger, for suddenly, and appar-
emily without any cause her manner
toward the young man had changed.
She was always cold and sarcastic when
she spoke to him, and she did not invite |
him to dinner with herself and niece.
The time was getting desperately short
only three days more and then,
through his own foolish procrastination,
he would forever have lost the oppor-
tunity he now had of speaking and per.
haps of winning as his wife the only
woman he would ever love.
In the evening, when the two ladies
happened TO be sitting out in the gar
den, Lieutenant Fournier on his arrival
took his chair, and in spite Of the ag-
gressive expression which he read in
Nine. Primeau's eyes planted it near to
hers and began to talk boldly about his
departure, about Paris, and then about
his own position and means. Then sud-
denly and without any leading up to it
he announced the fact that he was weary
Of his solitary life, and that he wanted
to marry and settle down. Louise, bend
ing over her embroidery, listened to all
the young man was saying, just as she
might have listened to one Of the love
stories such as her aunt adored and
which she was always having to read
aloud.
"But your position and your income
*%* If what you mention is all you
have tc depend upon, you surely cannot
think of marrying yet awhile For your
self alone y of course it is enough,
but if you had wife and children, why
y y it would mean misery Y y mis-.
cry" *** And then, without giving
him time to argue the point, she rose,
and, on the pretext that she was getting
chilly, she took Louise's arm, and the
two ladies entered the house together.
Lieutenant Tournier did not SEQ the
young girl the next day, nor even the
next. Nine. Primeau, whose heart was
affected, had one of her bad attacks.
She staid in bed for the next few days,
and the young girl waited on her hand
and foot, taking her meals even in the
little dreaming, in her per-
feet Inconsistencies, that there was in
the whole world any single human be-
ing who felt any interest in her and
who was longing to see her.
Maurice Tournior was in despair. His
departure was now so near and Louise
was invisible
He gave message to the servant for
her mistress, saying that he was leaving
and would like to say "Goodby." Nine.
Primeau sent cold, polite message
back, regretting that she was too i'll to
see any one and not even mentioning
her niece
Maurice did not give up, though,
even after that. The detachment was
to leave the town at daybreak in order
to spare the men the long march in the
heat Of the midday sun. The young