Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-01-15

but there is welcome his eyes plead
for that would mean to him far more
than any other. How wistfully he stud
les her facel How unmistakable are the
love and worship in every tonel How
quickly the garrison sees it all, and
how mad the garrison is to see whether
or not 'tis welcome to herl But Alice
Renwick is no maiden to be lightly
won. The very thought that the garTi-
son had so easily given her over to Jer-
rold is enough to mantle her cheek with
indignant protest. She accepts his at
tentions as she does those Of the young
er officers, with consummate grace. She
shows no preference; will grant no IA
vors. She makes fair distribution of her
dances at the hops at the fort and the
parties in town. There are young civil
ians who begin to be devoted in society
and to come out to the fort on every
possible opportunity, and these, too, she
welcomes with laughing grace and cor
diality. She is a glowing, radiant, gor-
geous beauty this cool autumn, and she
rides and drives and dances, and, the
women say, firts and looks handsomer
every day, and poor Armitage is begin
ming to look very grave and depressed.
"He wooes and wins not, is the cry.
His wound has almost healed SO far as
the thigh is concerned, and his crutches
are discarded, but his heart is bleeding,
and it tells on his general condition.
The doctors say he ought to be getting
we'll faster, and so they tell Miss Rem
wick-at least somebody does-but still
she relents not, and it is something be-
yond the garrison's power Of conjecture
to decide what the result will be. Into
her pretty white and yellow room no
one penetrates except at her invitation,
even when the garrison ladies are spend
ing the day at the colonels, and even if
they did there would be no visible sign
by which they could judge whether his
flowers were treasured or his picture
honored above others. Into her brave
and beautiful nature none can gaze and
say with any confidence either "she
loves" or "she loves not. Winter
comes, with biting cold and binding
snow, and still there is no sign. The
joyous holidays, the glad New Year,
are almost at hand, and still there is no
symptom of surrender. No one dreams
of the depth and reverence and graft
tude and loyalty and strength of the
love that is burning in her heart until
all of a sudden, in the most unexpected
and astonishing way, it bursts forth in
sight of all.
They had been down skating on the
slough, number of the youngsters and
the daughters of the garrison. Rollins
was there doing the devoted to Mamie
Gray, and already there were gossips
whispering that she would soon forget
she ever knew such beau as Jerrold in
the new found happiness of another one.
Hall was Herewith the doctors pretty
daughter, and Mrs. Hoyt was matron-
izing the party, which would, of course,
have been incomplete without Alice.
She had been skating hand in hand with
a devoted young subaltern in the artil-
lery, and poor Armitage, whose leg was
unequal to skating, had been ruefully
admiring the scene He had persuaded
Sloat to 60 out and walk with him, and
Sloat went, but the hollow mockery OF
the whole thing became apparent to him
after they had been watching the skat-
ers awhile, and he got chilled and
wanted Armitage to push ahead. The
captain said he believed his leg was too
stiff for further tramping and would be
the better for rest, and Sloat left him.
Heavens, how beautiful she was,
with her sparkling eyes and radiant col
or, glowing with the graceful exercise!
He sat there OH All old log watching
the skaters as they flew by him and
striving to keep up all impartial inter
est, or an appearance of it, for the other
girls. But the red sun was going down,
and twilight was on them all OF sud-
den, and he could see nothing but that
face and form. He closed his eyes mo-
ment to shut out the too eager glare OF
the glowing disk taking its last fierce
peep at them over the western bluffs,
and as he closed them the same vision
came back-the picture that had haunt
ed his every living, dreaming momFnt
since the beautiful August Sunday in
the woodland lane at Sablon. With un-
dying love, with changeless passion, his
life was given over to the fair, slender
maiden he had seen in all the glory Of
the sunshine and the goldenrod, stand
ing with uplifted head, with all her
soul shining in her beautiful eyes and
thrilling in her voice Both worshiping
and worshiped was Alice Renwick as
she sang her hymn of praise in unison
with the swelling chorus that foated
through the trees from the little brown
church upon the hill. From that day
she was Queen Alice i'll every thought,
and he her loyal, faithful knight for
veal or woe.
Boom went the sunset gun far up on
the parade above them. Twas dinner
time, and the skaters were compelled to
give up their pastime. Armitagc set his
teeth at the entirely too devotional at
titude of the artilleryman as he slowly
and lingerinsly removed her skates and
turned away in that utterly helpless
frame Of mind which will overtake the
strongest men on similar occasions. He
had been sitting too long in the cold
l. 4 Il