Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-10-22
BRETHREN.


"Its you that's cruel, Teddie
Blake "
''Cruel, Nellie, dear-Nellie. you
little demonl Why, l wouldn't touch
a hair Of your head, barring the bit
i want to cut of to carry with me 10
India, and you're teasing the life cut
Of me with your eontruiness an 1
making it much harder for me to 60
than even you dream OFF,
And whai 10 yutt raat to SO for?
leaving your home and your regiment
that you were proud Of aud the peo-
pie that know you aud the girl"
here Miss Nellie breaks down with a
little sob, and it is all Tedtie can dc
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 OMallev.
''I'll tell You what it is, Nellie, 'the
poor, young soldier says, pulling him
self together and speaking much more
severely than he really feels, 'you
must try to understand my position,
and then we'll say no more about it,
il von please, once and for all. Ny
uncle's dead (heaven rest his soull,
and he's left the old place 10 me, but
its up to the chimney pots in debt,
and unless | let it to this English fell
low I'll never he able to clear it all
my life. Then, if l 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 Thomas
town, it would be mighty hard for me
to see another man fishing my salmon
and shooting my birds and sitting il
my chimney corner every day Of the
week. With his great ugly face look
ing over eleF at you on Snndaysl
| couldn't 10 Il. Nellie, not even TO re-
main near As..s the friends I've
known eversinee was baby. So
that's all <hogt it, and you mustn't
make it harder for me than / can bear
do you see?n
1t was a good thing that Aunt Ellen
| called -th eps sn ats.sssasssner at this mo,
ment. Nellie had one OF neI srasla-a
fits on her, trying by this means to
hide her heart-breRk at Teddie's de-
parture, and her perversity tried poor
young Blake sorely. He had prom
isel her father, the rector, that he
would not, by word or act, reveal his
feelings toward her They had been
children together, almost brother and
sister, for nearly 20 years, since Teddie
first came TO Moyliseallan, and this
state Of things must be maintained,
Mr.. O'Malley decided, till Teddie' $
fortunes should bear closer and more
satisfactory inspection. Perhaps q
few years OF Indian soldering, while
< old castle was let to ich Eng
lish tenant, might put thAx ] fortunes
the old rectory garden - danger
,,tis 80, patton, and E!!e1 ID
wisely to ring the supper bell out ol
the window.
Presently the parting came. 1t was
Sunday evening, and the rectory KEEP
early hours. Supper was over, and
the O'Malleys were making their fare
wells to Teddie, the almost son of the
house, for he had to get back TO Thorn
astown that night and start for Eng
land next morning.
'Ihere's something 1 want TO take
with me, he announced, stoutly, be
fore them all, "a lock of your hair,
Aunt Ellen, and another of Nellie's.
You know you two are the only wom
ankind L have or ever have hal. Give
me each a bit of curl, and I'll have
them put in a locket together and
wear it on my chain, aud you won t be
sorry to think I've got it when I'm
away from you"
He looked at the erector rs he spoke.
1t was all open and above board, and
the old gentleman nodded and reached
down pair Of scissors from the man
telshelf, which he handed to his sis
ter. Aunt Ellen cut her little lock
carefully, as BELTS lady of five-and
forty, whose hair is still abundant and
ornamental, if not so bright as it ha,
been. Nellie whisked her bunch OF
cnrls over her shoulders and shipped
off thick brown ringlet. Teddie
twisted them together in his pocket
book and said, with feeble attempt
at a joke: "rhey'll go with me every.
where and bring me back to Moylis.
callan. Don't let me find you've been,
either of you, flirting with Strange,
ways while I'm away, or putting hin
in my place. "
Then he kissed the two ladies, as he
had always doneo on great occasions, al
New Year or on birthdays, ever since he
was three years old, shook hands
with the rector twice over and hurried
off to Thomastown and thence to In.
dia And, oh dear it was dull at Moy.
liscallan without him.
Five years later Captain Edward
fal~ a.