Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-11-23
HIS HOME COMING.

'Cruel, Nellie, dear--Nellie, you little
demonl Why, / wouldn't touch hair of
your head, barring the bit want to cut
off to carry with me to India, and you're
teasing the life out of me with your con-
trariness and making it much harder for
me to go than even you dream OFF,
And what do you want to 60 for leav
ing your home and your regiment that
you were so proud of, and the people that
know you, and the girl here Miss Nellie
breaks down with a little sob, and it is all
Teddie can do to remember his promise to
her father and keep his two arms from
going round her.
''And the girl-what?" he says huskily.
For the life of him he can't resist that
much.
That was brought up with you and has
been sister to you all your life chokes
Nellie o Malley.
"Ill tell you what it is, Nellie " the
poor young soldier says, pulling himself
together and speaking much more severely
than he really feels, '!you must try to un-
derstand my position, and then we'll say
no more about it, If you please, once and
for all. My uncle's dead-heaven rest his
soul!-and he's left the old place to me,
but it's up to the chimney pots in debt,
and unless let it to this English fellow
I'll never be able to clear it all my life.
Them if 1 don't exchange for india l
can't keep my place in the service at all,
and besides, Nellie, with the old regiment
quartered at Thomastown, it would be
mighty hard for me to see another man
fishing my salmon and shooting my birds
and sitting in my chimney corner every
day of tho week, with his great ugly face
looking over the pew at you ON Sundays!
I couldn't do it, Nellie, not even to remain
near-near the friends I've known ever
since was a baby. So that's all about it,
and you mustn't make it harder for me
than I can bear--do you seer
1t was good thing that Aunt Ellen
called them in to supper at this moment.
Nellie had one of her teasing fits on her,
trying by this means to hide her heart
break at Teddies departure, and her per-
versity tried poor young Blake sorely He
had promised her father, the rector. that
he would not by word or act reveal his
feelings toward her. They had been chill
dren together, almost brother and sister,
for nearly 20 years, since Teddy first came
to Moyliscallan, and this state of things
must be maintained, Mr.. O'Malley decid-
cd, till Teddie' s fortunes should bear closer
and more satisfactory inspection. Perhaps
few years of Indian soldering, while
the old castle was let to rich English
tenant might put the said fortunes OH
their feet. Meanwhile, lingering in the
old rectory garden was a dangerous occu-
patton, and Aunt Ellen did wisely to ring
the supper bell out of the window,
Presently the parting came. TWAS Sun
day evening, and the rectory kept early
hours. Supper was over and the O'Mal-
leys were making their. farewells to Ted
die, the almost son of the house. for he
had to get back to Thomastown that night
and start for England next morning.
''There's something want to take with
me, he announced stoutly before them
all, "a lock of your hair Aunt Ellen, and
another of Nellie's. You know you two
are the only womankind friends have or
ever have had. Give me each a bit of q curl
and I'll have them put in a locket together
and wear it on my chain, and you won't
be sorry to think I've got it when I'm
away from you.
He looked at the rector as he spoke. 1t
was all open and above board, and the old
gentleman nodded and reached down u
pair of scissors from the mantelshelf, which
he handed to his sister. Aunt Ellen cut
her little lock carefully, as befits lady OF
five and forty, whose hair is still abundant
and ornamental, if not so bright as it has
been. Nellie whisked her bunch of curls
over her shoulder and shipped off thick
brown ringlet Teddie twisted them to-
t,, uail
feeble attempt at joke: They'll go with
me everywhere and bring me back to
Moyliscallan. Don't let me find you We
been, either of you, flirting with Strang-
ways while I'm away or putting him in
my place.
Then he kissed the two ladies as he had
always done on great occasions, at New
Year or on birthdays, ever since he was 3
years old shook hands with the rector
twice over and hurried away off to Thom-
astown, and thence to india and, oh, dear.
it was dull at Moyliscallan without himt
Five years later Captain Edward Blake
was coming home on sick leave. 1t had
been ''near squeak, " as he said himself.
That wound on the head at the Burroo
pass affair had set all Europe talking
about him, but had nearly done for him
all the same. Then came weeks of fever
and the weary journey to Bombay; the re-
lapse on the road, which, but for Mrs.
Diamonds nursing, must have finished
him; the almost miraculously accom-
plished move on to shipboard, which the
doctor allowed was an experiment of kill
or cure.
And now he was steaming home as fast
Al II n Il =
day some fresh sense Of power in mind or
body was reborn in him. One day he could
arrange his own pillows, the next he could
read a few lines of The Times. A little
later he asked Mrs. Diamond if she could
find him paper and pencil, as he wanted
to write a note home" Life was worth
living again with Moyliscallan drawing
nearer day by day. Mrs. Diamond was a
little widow lady who, since her hus-
bands death, had been keeping house for
a brother in the civil service. This
judge, as she called him, had fallen u
victim to the charms of an 1S-year-old
schoolgirl, fresh from England, and Mrs.
Diamonds services were required no lon
ger. Coming down country she had Stun
bled upon Teddic Blake fever stricken and
virtually alone, and it was undoubtedly TO
her care that he owed his recovery from
the relapse, which had been worse than
the original attack. She had deferred her
own plans to the convenience of the patient,
had superintcnded his transfer to the
steamship from the Bombay hotel, which
she had hardly dared to hope he would
leave alive, and was witness Of his con-
valesccnce on board ship as day by day his
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