The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-20
.eyybat I seem to myself, do you ask of me?
No hero, l confess"

NH. hand had finished the last bar of
palma" Its pathetic cadences and
.,,sbing of castanets, its suggestions of
s,r-off Moorish gardens and Of dark eyes
s4,i,, under dusky mantillas, faded away
.,asth the stars. Conventional express
-.,rs Of approval broke the stiffness. Here
+tore a man rose up from one of the
,,,,s sitting on the lawn outside govern
- house. Cleans of scarlet and gold
i1.,'5tated from mess-jackets. and rays of
,...tt from medals and spurs, as figures
,ssssd and repassed over the short grass,
iroo,ned into as lippery surface by an Au-
gust sun.
awbat a glorious EVENING" sighed fat
I'D continental lady, the wife of sur
.,.,r-colonel, to her neighbor, Mrs, Com
,,ander Plumb-for both services were
well represented at this evenings ban
ouet.
ives indeed, and such a delightful
eatbering! How well the general under
stands the art of entertaining! l always
saw 70 my colonel that a bachelors house
!. the nleasantest after all. No gene
and we can all meet cheerfully and 'aa
naturel'
Mrs. Plumb looked a little puzzled, but
sne had always understood that her neigh
bor had been partly educated in Paris,
and therefore, listened with respect to.
ber occasionally enigmatical modes of eX-
preston
The surgeon colonel, who had enjoyed
with
certain step toward the two ladies'
Remark bly, slipp'ry grass y said he,
vim a laugh looking round for a char
" ga # is more comfor' able sitting than
.+.odine Not time for bed yet, Ell? Ev'n-
80 nlv inst begun, Ell? Never heard band
i9v better You're looking very well, my
dear Mrs Plumb. Sos the commander
mite a boy, he is. You should have
heard his stories after dinner-made eV-
erybody roar the general too' ueoi gu
chap-duite convused he was. But
cantt fen them to you. All! by JoVe!' the
coloneTs voice changed to one of grave
respect. here he comes. Can l get you
No thanks. I am only just going TO
fell the bandmaster that his music mas
done him great credit" answered pleas
ant, well modulated voice. OUT oI tAs
half-darkness.
The two ladies looked up admiringly at
n sbadowv form-that of a tall man, with
q long row of ribbons on his breast.
"That last air was charming, wasn't 1t,
Mrs Perrott?" said the general. And ne
bent his fine head a little as he spoke,
and drew near to the two wicker chairs.
81 am glad YOU have none of you found
n TOO chilly to sit out. 1 am always
afraid of evenings spent indoors seeming
a little long and dun. You see man
all by himself does not always know how
TO amuse people
'Oh. it has been a perfectly delicious
evening"" cried Mrs. Perrott and Mrs.
Plumb in a shrll duet
The band struck up God Save the
Queen" and the surgeon-colonel was cut
short in a humorous anecdote about
lady at POonah with whom he had once
been intimate The general addressed a
few kindly words to the bandmaster and
Threaded his way through the dispensing
groups, bestowing a CHEEKY word to one
of the guests and a friendly enquiry on
another. HIS manners were graceful and
charming. Then he stopped by chair
which lady was Sitting. She was at
most child with masses of wavy fair
hair and a sweet face. A young man
leant over her, talking so earnestly that
he might have been mistaken for a lover
instead of a husband. He removed his
elbows from the back of the seat, and
stood straight up when he recognized
the general coming through the dim light
towards his wife. f
You have never had your lesson about
the stars, after all, Mrs. Joliffe, said the
general. And it was perfect night for
beginner in astronomy If they had
not been standing in deep shadow he
would have noticed that the young lady
changed color a little.
NO, I'm so sorry. Perhaps you'll help
me another time? I'm afraid we must go
V,ott1 INIT Av,1o nd
she smiled up at her husband, who, on
drawing near to the conservatory lamps,
looked like an amiable, overgrown Elton
boy although he was nearly 3d.
It's awfuly kind of you, sir" Young
Joliffe spoke nervously and hurriedly.
We've had an awfully Jolly evening. L
assure you we've both enjoyed ourselves
immensely
Then he blushed scarlet, being dimly
conscious perhaps that his thanks were
wanting in originality and grace
am coming to call on Mrs. Jolffe to-
morrow" said the general, smiling kindly
at the pair who looked so childish and shy.
The servants We're calling the carriage
IN the hall. Commander and Mrs. Plumb
were already ensconced in their straw
smelling fly drawn by a lively and long
legged white horse. The member for the
county Sir Charles Quinton, was on the
step waiting for his well-appointed
pTougnam to draw up. The host also
stood by the entrance door, wrapping a
long white cloak round Mrs. Joliffe's
shght shoulders. When she and her boy
ish-looking husband drove off the latter
could not say enough in praise of the COM
mander-in-chief.
never saw a fellow easier to get on
win he cried, with enthusiasm. "He
1aIked to me lot about Elton, ana was so
S"Iully kind, not a bit patronising. He
h"o"s that I've gone in for running and
t'lsh jumps, and that sort of thing, and
ne IS coming to see all my cups. And he
Gays II don't matter a hang my having
l4ssed so low out of the staff college, but
mat shall be just as likely to get on
as nose asses who are given hundreds Of
H'aI KS but who can't sit on a horse or
TT rd a corporars guard. Why,
TN you're not lstening?'
say?"
w ell, he said that in his experience the
FLOWS who got to the top We're not those
VINO We're fond of reading and lectures,
ana all that kind of rot-but men who
were gentlemen, and who rode across
.Ouhtry and played football and cricket.