The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-11

gan to weep.
Please to go" she entfented
II will 20 said Angua. but !
shall can again. | viii prove 10 you
that ! am speaking the truth, What
If / did think you Eleanor, nov
know you are Esther. DO you sup
pose can forget those letters, that
made me h@rPy in the long Watches
in an uncOugcuial mess. You are
Esther 10 me; and Esther you shall
remain
lie SAID an this a bit too much in
the strain Of defamation, but he was
in earnest; he felt he must persuade
her.
"Do GO please" she said
You would better go" said the pref
ty one.
81 viii go now" he soid. 81 hate my
self,for hurting YOU"
II am not hurt" she said proudly.
"Ah, am then" he said, going out.
The pretty Miss Driscoll followed.
ITS ridiculous" she said at the
door "She ought to have known we
were only flirting"
"Only fiirting!" said Angus.
"Why, ] was engaged then"
"Ah, you are Eleanor. / had forgot
ten, Esther wrote that Eleanor was en-
gagged. / am very glad,-do tell her
that have thought only of her. And
-" he paused. "She was the little
girl whom l played with so long ago.
that bully little girl. And she wEote
that letter"
And then he laughed.
"Why she was the Esther,-after all"
He brushed by the pretty Miss Dris-
coll, and entered the room again. She.
stood there, dry-eyed now.
Its ridiculous" she said, land I'm
dreadfully impolite. Do stay,-at least
for a cup of tea"
Il haven't time" he said brusquely
Haven't time?" she asked, in sur
prise at his manner.
after the way you have treated me,
Miss Driscoll.
You know | wasn't to balme for the
mistake
"Oh, bother the mistake" he cried.
"There wasn't any,-It was Esther, the
old Tomboy, | was thinking about; it
was the Esther who wrote those letters,
don't YOU see. And you threw me
over"
You talk that way because Eleanor
is engaged" she said.
not now engaged to me" he said
ITS ridiculous" she said, family.
Its horrible" he said.
"Oh, is it?"
Besides. I'm only here for the day.
| Just had that time; and then I'm
going back to the China station, ! shall
have no more letters" He relied on
her ignorance of naval usage.
skNn1, r4a CanipOr ~ she asked
family
What difference does it make? You
don't care"
IF it were not for that mistake; if it
WEREN'T don't care whether it was
a mistake or not" she ended, whether
err you are fibbing or not,-I'll make
you mean what You say now"
You needn't" Angus said, laugh
ing-'for you have"
Now, strangest part of all, she really
had; and they lived happy all the
rest, that is all that has been so far
"of their lives" And ] know what
| am saying, for I have this true story,
now don't say it's an old one,-from
a certain charming lady who loves
dearly to gossip a bit,-may she for
give me!-and who would report the
least symptom of what is phrased
domestic infelicity." / can believe it,
for strangely the plain Miss Driscoll
has become the pretty Mrs. Mcfarland.
But all naval marriages are happy,
authorities say. And some naval ladies
are charmingly fiirtatious when their
husbands are way,-charmingl de-
voted when they are near. But Mrs.
Angus Mcfarland never fiirts; and l
have said she is now quite pretty, "a
few years so changes some women!) -
and she could fiirt, if she wanted to.