The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-08-12
The Conquering Hero.
BY ELIZABETH Q. WINTER.

smoothly and slipped it inside her
corsage, where she could feel it rise
and fall beneath the hurried beating
of her heart.
"I'm glad he's late" she repeated;
'T'm very glad he's late" And then
she looked at her watch and found it
was not quite half-past ten. ooh, he
isn't late, after ALL must have been
very early-I will go and find An
nette and the child" And as she rose
there was the cracking of twig under
a hasty footstep, and Kate Selden
stood face to face with her husband.
He was very pale, and his lips looked
paliid and drawn with the effort to
keep from trembling She had flushed
deeply when their eyes met, but now
the color ebbed away from her girlish
face, and she said, confusedly:
81 am so glad!-I mean, not to keep
you waiting. You see am here first. :"
"You are very good" he said; "but
you are always good. You got my let
ter?"
"Oh, yes, or I wouldn't have known
you were coming here" She moved
backward step and was very glad to
drop into the old rustic seat. cit is
very generous Of you, Sidney, to agree
to everything, and particularly about
baby"
''lt is all can do, now---to try and
please you," he answered, weakly;
and the perspiration was like dew on
his brow. He took off his hat and
stammered something about its being
lawfully hot"
eyes; perhaps you have walked fast
it is very warm, and you look tired.
Won't you sit down?" She moved a
little further away to make room for
him, and he dropped into the place be-
side her. e..
"We used to say there was just
room enough for two," he said, with
smile, and she turned her head
away-perhaps to pluck a rose, for she
snapped one off short and then threw
it away.
cam I to see baby today?" he
asked, after few moments of awk-
ward silence, 81 haven't seen him,
you know, since
ooh, yes" she answered, hurri ed
ly, and, looking about, "there they
are, he and Annette, yonder in the
woods; they are coming this way. Oh,
Sidney" she cried, suddenly turning
toward him, chow could you? l can
never, never forgive you!'
81 could never dare to ask your
They were almost the very words OF
Pauline and Claude. She remem-
bered in moment that it had been
the first play Sidney had taken her to
see after they were married; and how
often they had laughed at that pair Of
lovers, each dying to forgive and be
forgiven, and neither daring to say
the right word She used to think
she could never be so foolish as that,
and now--it was getting very awk-
ward, for this was far more serious
matter, and she knew that she could
never forgive. What woman could?
And then she heard the laughter
and shouts of little Sidney, who had
just caught sight of his father, and was
now running wildly to welcome him.
It was fortunate interruption to q
scene that was nearing a painful cli-
max, and she was very glad to take a
step or two toward the laughing boy,
who was already flying across the
bridge, followed by his nurse; then
there was crash, a shrek; the side
of the bridge was gaping outward; the
maid stood wringing her hands; and the
golden curls, that had foated for q mo-
ment above the rushing water, were
gone. y :
1t was so sudden, SO inexplicable,
that the frantic mother could not real
ize at first what had happened. When
she did, the air resounded with her
agonized cries, and it was the nurse
girl who was the first to see that Sell
den had already reached his child, just
in time. .ssa ~
"Courage, ma'am, courage" the
girl whispered, while she supported
her mistress. s'See-he is safe! His
father has him--look, look! the dar-
ling has his arms about the masters
neck, an he's hugging an kissing of
him lust as if nothing had happened at
alli~
The girl assisted her mistress back
to the little rustic seat, and when the
father and child had reached the young
mother, little Sidney was already
Laughing with delight; and as be put
one dripping arm about her neck. he