The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-01-10
CRISSCROSS LOVE-.
By GRANT ALLEN.
copyright, 1895, by Grant Allen
By GRANT ALLEN.
1895, by Grant Allen.l
CONTINUED

When he went down he found Freda
Trevelyan already seated before most
hospitable teapot. You must have lived
in hot climate at least once in your
life in order thoroughly to appreciate
the art of tea drinking. One would say
beforehand that nobody would care for
hot drinks with the thermometer at 30.
Experience proves the exact contrary.
The hotter the weather gets the moro
hot tea does humanity absorb and the
better does it love it. Phil threw him
self into an easy chair and looked, if
not engaged, at least engaging. He was
considered the handsomest man on the
Boolanuggur hills, and he certainly
locked it that afternoon. There s moth
ing to make man look and talk his
best like pretty woman. 1t was what IS
euphemistically described as "the cool
season. at Bombay, and the windows
of the veranda we've flung wide open.
The view over the sea was beautiful
and refreshing. Phil could even hear
the gentle plash of the waves on Mala-
bar point, and though that deceptive
surf is by no means SO cool as it looks
and sounds, yet it was delightful to his
ear after three long years spent away
far inland He enjoyed that after
noon more than he had enjoyed any
thing for months and months. Poor
Aggie's chances of a whole lovers heart
seemed to fade and pale at each success
sive half hour.
For Miss Trevelyan, it seemed, was
simply charming. She talked SO admira-
bly, And besides she was so frank. She
had heard beforehand of course that
Phil had come down to Bombay to meet
his future bride, and when a woman
knows mans already monopolized she
treats him as if he were married-that
is to say, she talks to him like a rational
creature and not like an animal special
ly created for the sole purpose of f1irta-
tion The consequence was that before
half an hour was over Freda Trevelyan
and Phil Gilman were laughing and
chatting together as if they ID known one
another for half their lives instead OF
for just about 80 minutes.
''And your BRIDES coming out on the
pause. "How soon do you expect her?"
''She was telegraphed from Port Said
this morning." Phil answered, with a
consciousness of profound hypocrisy, for
he felt the subject was really far more
interesting to Miss Trevelyan than he
himself could pretend to find it.
GLOW anxious you must be for the
steamer to come inp' Freda exclaimed,
with fervor. t'I'm SO glad yop came
here. It's so n;co to feel you must both
be SO happy.
"Oh, very nice indeed" Phil answer
ed, hesitating.
''Have you her photograph" Freda
put i'll. II should 80 much like to see
her.
eyes, I've got it up stairs-in my
portmanteau somewhere" Phil answer
ed unconcernedly. "I'll bring it down
when I go up. It's SO awfully kind Of
you to want to see her" I"
Cup stairs in your portmanteaY I"
Freda cried, smiling establishment.
"Not in your breast pocket! And to be
married in a fortnight! Oh, Mr.. Gill
man, that would never do for me! I'm
afraid you're a terribly lukewarm
lover!"
"Oh, not lukewarm, heps,H Phil
interposed, with an answering smile.
"Only you see it's like this-we've been
engaged five years and little bit more,
and by the end of that time one begins
to get-well calmer and more philo-
sophie"
Freda shook her beaptiful head
"That won't do,' she answered
again. 81 hope my lover, if I ever get
one, won't talk like that. never could
stand it. I shall require him to be des-
perately, wildly in love with me If he
tries to be philosephie, why, bell have
to go elsewhere!"
Phil was just on the point of answer
ing. "Ah, but if a man was in love with
you that would be altogether different"
but politeness, to say the truth, rather
than loyalty to Aggie, prevented him
from yoicing the thought that was in
him.
"Besides," Freda went on, "if you
were very much in love-at least as
count it-you wouldn't have said you d
bring her photograph down when you
next went up. You'd have rushed up for
it at once, that very moment, and ex-
hibited it with pride and joy and conf
dence. And you wouldn't have said it
was kind of me to want to see her,
You'd have taken it for granted every
human being was dying to behold her
beautiful face, and you'd have consider
ed it great favor to me to show me
her portrait.
Phil laughed in spite of himself.
"You re qnite right, he said frankly.
"That's just how ] felt-some four or
five years ago. But one can't keep it up
to that white heat, you know-at least
not
eat least not, when?" Freda put it as
he hesitated.
"Well, at least not when you don't
see the girl you love for five years or
thereabout," Phil answered, with rare
candor.
"Oh, Mr.. Gilman" Freda cried,
"I'm afraid you re very fickle!'
"No; not fickle," Phil answered,
growing hot and red. He couldn't bear
to be called perfdious by such beautiful
lips. He couldn't bear such lovely eyes
to look SO reproachfully across at him.
Then he leaned forward gravely. miss
Trevelyan, he said, with some earnest
ness, lyon mustn't think of me like
that. / really cohldn't bear that you
should imagine me wanting in dHez=