The herald., 1897-01-19

marching orders have come. You, or
course, are charmed, but" looking at
him with her kind. motherly eyes, we
shall all greatly miss you, and hope you
will come back to us safe and sound.
He thanked her for her kind wishes,
and occupied himself with hanolng
around the tea and cakes. AS he ap-
nroached Miss Woods with a cup of tea
some SUDDEN movement caused the pan
Gle to slip down. over his broad nanu'
where it lay looking mysterious ana re-
markable. heavy circular band of gold,
entwined with a thin snake
Ethel Woods, feeling tha eyes OF .her
companions upon her, took her courage
in. both hands, and, locking up in his race
in her most coquettish manner, s'ne salo.
ooh Captaiu Drummond, what
strange bracelet 1t surely must have
YES. it has history" replied the
captain, coldly. II think tins is your
cup of tea"
.Oh, but, Captain Drummond, may
we NOT hear the story?" continued the
o,,f,acious ouestioner COR is it one OF
betrothaL and is that in place ob
ring?" IN. =,
trothal' still more colby.
1T surely must be some kind OF ten
der love token?" pursued the girl
The blood rushed into the young man ;
cace and then ebbed slowly away ied'-
ing him extremely pale. -
you are right Miss Woods" he said.
with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. L
wear this bracelet in remembrance OF the
deepest and tendlerest love l shall ever
know in this world"
With that he took a courteous leave OF
his hostess, bowed to his tormentors'
smiled at me- and was gone.
nv, niOht T met the captain nU
q hall. and, instead of dancing waltz,
for which we were partners, ne asked
me if I minded sitting it out in the con-
servatory
What Go you think of tine impertinent
effrontery of that girl we met yester-
day." he began,
I replied truly Vnoguh, that L never
felt more ashamed in my life.
..Would you like to know the history Of
thiso" he said, pulling down the myste-
rious bracelet from its place of conceal
ment.
AS was to be supposed, really burned
to hear the story, and said so.
you shall hear it, he replied; but
I don't want it blazoned abroad for ev-
cry empty headed fool to discuss. 1t is
a sacred subject to me.
Nearly ten years ago / was enabled
to save the life of a Zwangl-no matter
how, it cost me nothing-he attached
himself to me With the ndenty OIL d uoS.
He never left me Gay or night; IL we
were in camp, he slept outslce my tehe'
il in barracks, under my WINDOW four
walls and roof We're always abhor
rent to him. The colonel and all the offi-
GERS were indulgent to him, ana ne loi-
lowed my fortunes in peace and war, IN
sickness and in health, for more than
nine years just as the Zulu war broke
out we had expected to be drafted home,
and I often teased my faithful frlend,
and told him that he must come to Eng
land with me- and not only would he
know the discomfort Of a roof, but, oh.
crowning indgnity! he would be COM
pelledi to wear clothes.
'He shook his head sadly and with
dlespondent air
why, Zwan,' I said, you surely
would not let me go without you?
NO he said, no, shall never leave
you of my free will, but my eyes will
never see England; it is written
He looked at me so mournfully wi.n
a strange, Gar-away look in his soft, dark
eyes that it gave me a curious eerie
feeling, which l could not easily shake
off
well. as you know. we did not come
home: we took part in the Zulu war.
ZWan never left my side, either in pros
perity or a6versity: then came the day
at Ginghilovo--toward the end of the
battle my horse was wounded, and as a
second charger was brought up and my
foot was in the strrup, ] became aware
Of a huge form leaping toward me out
of the smoke and aiming an unerring
assegai full at my breast; at the same
instant some one rushed between me
and my horse and clasped me In his