The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-22
DOLLY,s MISTAKE.

y
| get astray at Dartmoor." &
my dear aunt, when once Tiger goes
of, he never loses sight Of the hounds,
so unless the whole pack goes astray shall
be all right"
Dolly Lacy was fascinating little wo-
man, full of pluck and daring, Of love and
gentleness. Men adored her as a woman
and delighted In her as a good comrade
who never fettered them in the field or
fused at them If they smoked in her
drawing room One man did more than
adore and delight in her, and that was
Arthur Talbot, a captain In the-regiment
of which Dolly's husband was the colonel
He betrayed himself to her one day, and
after that there was nothing for it but for
him to exchange. He had now been in In
dia for five years, and Dolly had been
widow four and had never heard again
from Captain Talbot.
She was staying now with her uncle and
aunt, an old admiral and his wife, and the
reason she had volunteered to visit them
just now was this: She had seen that four
companies Of the Red Rangers, under tho
command of Major Talbot, were to arrive
in Plymouth in a trooper that was duo in
about week, 80 she had come down with
her hunter, Tiger, and the trooper had ar.
rived, and still she had neither seen nor
heard anything of Major Talbot.
There were dozens of men from the diff
ferent regiments In the garrison, and once
or twice she thought she saw him. Once
She could have sworn to the turn of his
head, Once again she caught feeting
vision OF man who might have been Ar
thurs father, the likeness was SO strong.
Oddly enough, this elderly likeness of her
life was interested in her
Who's that woman on the brown bayP"
he asked Of another man.
1.-The woman on the brown bayp" re-
peated the local informant. "She is the
daughter or the niece or something of the
old admiral"
who's the old admiralf" the elderly
likeness of Talbot persisted, while lady
with high polished forehead who was
riding with him interposed.
My dear, what can 1t matter to you
who either the woman or her uncle is?
What time they are finding the fox! / /
think have had enough of this kind of
sport. / shall go home You won't mind
coming, will you, dearS''
II think not I've not-had run with
the Dartmoor hounds for many q long
day. You can take Jenkins with you. / |
shall follow"
They soon went away at racing speed, |
Dolly, in the excitement of being well up |
to hounds in strange country, forgot the |
elderly likeness to her lover, forgot every |
thing, in fact, save that Tiger was carry. |
ing her rippingly. A bit of bright emerald
green flashed into view. Tiger rose to 1t |
as If 1t had been hurdle, jumped short
and sank to his hind quarters in one of
Dartmoor's most paralyzing boys.
Dolly slipped from her saddle into a
whirlpool Of mud that presently touched
her to her waist. Tiger olambered out
and was galloping wildly backward and
forward, flinging his head up and whinny-
ing with all his might to call attention to
the dire distress of the rider.
See that horse galloping by usp' the
local informant asked presently of the ED
erly likeness of Arthur Talbot. Hes
riderless, by Jove! The woman you were
asking me about must be begged"
He caught at Tigers rein as the latter
swooped by, and the little horse after o
kick and plunge or two, Jagged and hung
back in the opposite direction.
"Let the horse lead us, said the man
who looked like Arthur Talbot, but older.
For heavens cake, make haste, man, or
we may be too late.''
Probably we are, !" the other man said
coolly. Mrs. Lacy isa well plucked one.
She'd hold on to the last When she sin.
ped from Tiger, she was probably near the
finish"
MRS Lacyl"
Eyes, old Burroughs niece. Didn't I
tell you she was pretty widow, rich and
Tree as air and as sweet as the freshest air
that blowsp"
Tiger, released, galloped back to where
be had left his mistress. She was up to
her shoulders now, half dead with terror
But In moment Arthur Talbot recog-
nized the sweet panic stricken face and
'he tiny hands that were beating the air
N such futile, frantic fashion.
"DollyP' he cried. He was off his horse,
holding out his arms to her. She felt her
elf drawn out from the embrace of the
5rasping mud. Saturated with mud as
he was, she flung her arms around his
leck as her feet reached firm ground, and
With little whimper Of intense happiness
he sobbed out:
MY own darling Arthur, I'm so
ramped. Do hold me tight. 1 thought
ou were by me just now when you came
o the meet, but was puzzled by the ugly
voman with the bony forehead who called
ou dear I'll tell you, I'd willingly be
logged again tomorrow to be saved by
on, she said gayly. you must come
ome with me now and be introduced to
ny uncle, Admiral Burroughs, and my
unit"
1--WE have always been the best friends,
nd my esteem for your
Best friends-esteem she INTERRUPTED.
II dare not feel or express any stronger
ceiling. There is barrier
IA barrierp No! My husband died !
'ur years ago. There is no dishonor now c
, your loving me. Nothing can come be. I
yeen u.s. e
Excepting Mrs. Arthur Talbot" he
ut in confusedly. dolly, L was mad
18th love for you, frightfully hard up, and
lie and her dollars came in the way
She is the woman with the forehead I
Joke of as bony." f
"She Is" v
II am sorry you pulled mo out of the n
og, Major Talbot" t
Then she waved her hand to him and t
de away leaving him with the pleasing r.
Election that he had spoiled the life of a E
oman who had been weak enough to love /
I'd be faithful to him through five long, II
istaken years.-Exchange