The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-03-24

in the distance sounded the band,
PLAYING soft, dreamy waltz music.
But what cared they for dancing aud
the hot, crowded ball room? In all
the world Tor him there was only one
woman, aud she stood, her hands
clnsped in his, her head resting on his
shoulder.
"Yuu won't forget me, darling" he
whispered, "when ! am thousands OF
miles awny, at the other side of the
world, aud letters are long in coming?
You'll remember that | AIN coming
bnck in two ycnrs ut the latest, to
claim my little wife.
"Oh, 1t can't bc renlly true, Geof-
frey, Tint you nro going to- morrow?
II il too dreadful to think Of And it's
not | that will forget / shall think
of you night and day until you come
back. But you'll most likely meet
with some lovely American girl--nll
American women are lovely, you
know-nnd then you'll forget all about
poor little Mysie Traflord. who is
waiting for you in England"
"When / nm out on the grent lone
~ prairics." he snid drcamily, al
shall Just shut my eyes and think my
self back to this night. ] shall hear
the band in the distance, | shall feel
you once more in my arms, and }
| shall smell the faint odor of the hello
trope you nro wearing.
For answer she took u piece of the
heliotrope from her dress.
"Here's little bit of it," she said.
"When you meet that lovely Ameri-
can, and wish that you were free, and
that this evening had never been. then
| you can put that little flower in an
envelope, and you needn't writo n
word to put in with it, but just ad-
dress it to me, and when | get it !
shall know what it means, ana you
will be Free"
"What nonsense, Mysiei" he said
angrily. "Why do you talk like that?
You know"
"Oh, here you arei" cried a shrill
voice. al have been looking for you
everywhere. Mr.. Cnstleford is as
cross as he can be, Mysie. He says
you promised him the last two dances.
and then you disappeared and no one
could find you; and AZ for You, Mr..
Hamilton, l think you had better
keep out of the way altogether, after
disappointing Lady May and goodness
knows who besides" Aud Gertrude,
Mysie's sister, chattered on, totally
unconscious that she was most un-
welcome intruder.
She and Mysie had been taught
that it was their duty to make good
matches, and Geoffrey Hamilton, with
no money, and just off for America,
was so entirely ineligible that she sus'
pected nothing, and ruthlessly insisted
on their immediate return to the ball
room.
Mysie looked often at the little
hoop Of pearls-the pledge of her be-
trothal-but never put it ON, except
in her own room just for few min
utes. Somehow as the days went by i,
seemed harder to speak of that even
ing to her mother, especially us her
mother had not the faintest suspicion
of anything OF the sort. And 80 d
month passed away.
Then one evening Mysie returned
from a walk and saw letter lying on
the hall table. One glance ut her owr
name and the postmark-"New York
- and she snatched up the letter, wo n
dering if any one had noticed it, then
ran up to her own room, and closed
the door to enjoy it in peace.
The fire burned brightly and looked
inviting, and she drew mp a low easy
chair and seated herself comfortably
AZ she broke the seal OF the envelope.
What was the faint perfume MS sh'
, did SO? She drew out sheet of blank
note paper from the folds of which 1
little piece OF dead heliotrope slippe.
aud fell to the floor.
'Mysie, you must come down,
! said Gertrude. 'Mr. Castleford il
down stairs, and mother says you ar,
to come" as Mysie looked rebellious
"But you must change your dress
you can't come in that. Has anythin,
. happened? You look very queer"
! "No." said Mysie, with q strang