Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-04-01
LOVE TRIUMPHED.

AC - - AVA ~ AIAAL AAAAA/s
Her father and his father had been
brothers in arms for 20 years and chums
since their school days.
"When Mary has done with her govern
ess, and your boy has seen u couple Of
years. service, we will marry Them, said
Colonel Give to General Verrinder.
Their wishes were communicated in duo
course to the young people concerned.
And, humanity being by nature contra
dictory, the inevitable result Of all this too
palpable paternal planning and manou-
vering was that, when they met for tho
first time since early childhood, tho young
man and the girl at once conceived a mu-
tual aversion to each other.
They called Frank Verrinder Dandy in
his regiment, and she hated fop. She
was high spirited, independent damsel,
who rode and tramped the rugged Cornish
country about her home In all weathers.
She mentally accused him Of effelninacy.
He regarded her with languid disfavol
and suspected that she had a temper. The
old men watched with dismay the threat
ened collapse of their cherished scheme.
One morning Colonel Clive took tho girl
to task for her conductive worst course
he could have chosen probably, for she
was not a young lady to DO coerced. She
was waiting for her horse to como round
from the stables.
"Mary," no said, "you pretend to care
for me little bit, don't your"
"You dear old dad, what a question ~
She patted him on the arm with her silver
mounted riding whip.
"Thcn why don't you show it, my dear,
by being little moro civil to FrankF'
81 am civil to himP'
care your said the colonel, with a
Pickering smile. II don't like to CONTRA
dict young lady, but am under the i'm
preston that you were positively rude to
him last nightp'
"He was irritating-very. | am sure
was right, and, anyhow, he shouldn't
have contradicted me fatty" She paused.
"Was rude?" she queried.
Tho colonel nodded.
She threw careless arm about him and
leaned her head back against his breast.
"Dad, I'm afraid I'm little beast"
she remarked pensively, with her eyes on
the glow between the tears.
"Scarcely beast, think.
Only wee bit thoughtless and willful.
child. You should try to remember he
is our guest, and it is your place to make
him welcome"
"I'll be nice to him, to make up for last
night. I'll ask him to forget what I said
and ride with mo-"
Mary crossed the hall with the swift
gait Of O woman Of perfect health and pro-
portions and opened the library door. In
q big saddlebag armchair on the hearth
rug reclined Dandy, with cigarette be-
tween his lips and unutterablo boredom
In his face.
"Going out, Miss CliveS" he querled,
throwing away the cigarette and rising to
his feet.
"I've come to tell you, she began, with
a gulp, "that I'm afraid was rather rude
last night, and to say that I'm sorry"
ooh, pray don't mention it, Miss Give!
It's SO wholly unnecessary"
They looked at each other.
II am going for ride" she said jerkily.
$50 concluded from your dress. Is 1t
wiser It'll rain in half an hour. You'll
be caught"
II thought-er-would you care to 40
company meS" She spoke almost nervous
ly.
IT thinknot. Th-a-nks!" he responded.
81 hate getting wet for nothing, you know.
1t seems foolish.
She had made an advance to him, and
he had rejected 1T. The light of battle
shone in her eyes,
''Ono would think that you were piece
Of sugar that would melt she cried. II
wonder what you would do If there were a
war and your regiment were ordered to
the front9 believe you would exchange. "
"Do your he said plaoidly.
YES" she painted. ''And If 1 were a
man, and any one rs good as called me a
coward, would never speak to them
again.
"tAny one and she or he,' not them.
It Isn't grammar" he corrected gently.
II shouldn't go too far If were you. I'm
sure we're going to have Storm
She SO far permitted herself to forget
her manners as to slam tho door.
MARY, will you marry mep"
"No, thanks"
He had asked her to share his life in the
Same tone as he would have asked her for
a valse
1t was couple of weeks later, and the
following day his leave would expire.
II hope" he sad slowly, ''you don't
think that l was impertinent or dense
enough to assume for an instant that your
answer would be different. The governor
wished me to propose to you, and the dear
old chaps been so good to me all my life
that should be an ungrateful cad II had
refused to obey him"
"You needn't apologize, she retortod
with soorn. Believe me, labored under
no delusion respecting your reason. 1t
must be great relief to you to have 1t
safely over, as 1t is to mo-"
Perhaps 1t was because she was so re-
lieved that she wept stormily in her room
as she dressed for one Of her customary
cross country tramps. Women are COM
plex creatures.
Dandy's behavior, too, was somewhat
incomprehensihle. He sighed as the door
closed behind her and strolled about the
room whlstling nThe Coster's Sersnade'
out Of tune.
The ssrensds came to an end In dismal
minor - The general and his host entsrsd.