The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-11-24
SELECTED STORY.
CAPTAIN Blake's Home Coming,

tie demonl Why, wouldn't touch
hair of your head, barring the bit /
want to cut off to carry with me to In
dis, and you're teasing the life out of
me with your contrariness and making
it much harder for me to 60 than even
you dream of "
And what do you want to go for?
leaving your home and your regiment
that you were so proud of and the peo-
pie that know you and the girl" here
Miss Nellie breaks down with a little
sob, and it's all Teddie can do to re-
member 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 re-
sist that much.
"That was brought up with you and
has been a sister to you all your life,"
chokes Nellie O'Malley.
"I'll tell you what it is, Nellie"
the poor, young soldier says, pulling
himself together and speaking much
more severely than he really feels,
"you must try to understand my posi-
ton, aud then we'll say no more about
it, if you please, once and for all. My
uncle's dead (heaven rest his souD,
and he's left the old place TO me, but
it's up TO the chimney pots in debt,
and unless let it to this English fell
low III never be able to clear it all my
life. Then, if don't exchange for In
dia, can't keep my place in the SER
vice 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 in
my chimney corner every day of the
week, with his great ugly face looking
over the pew at you on Sundays! l
couldn't do it, Nellie, not even to re-
main near near the friends I've
known ever since was baby. So
it harder for me than | can bear-do
you see?"
1t was good thing that Aunt Ellen
called them in to supper at this mo-
ment. Nellie had one of her teasing
fits on her, trying by this means to
hide her heart-break at Teddie's de-
parture, and her perversity tried poor
young Blake sorely. He had prom
ised 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 twenty years, since
Teddie first came to Moyliscallan, and
this state of things must be maintained,
Mr.. O'Maley decided, till Teddie's for
tunes should bear closer and more sat
isfactory inspection. Perhaps few
years of Indian soldering, while the
old castle was let to rich English ten
ant, might put the said fortunes on
their feet; meanwhile, lingering in the
old rectory garden was dangerous &C.
cupation, and Aunt Ellen did wisely to
ring the supper bell out of the window.
Presently the parting came. 1t was
Sunday evening, and the rectory kept
early hours. Supper was over, and the
O'Malleys were making their farewells
to Teddie, the almost son of the house,
for he had to get back to Thomastown
that night and start for England next
morning.
"There's something l want to take
with me-" he announced, stoutly, be-
fore them all, Ga lock of your hair,
Aunt Ellen, and another of Nellie's.
You know you two are the only woman
kind l have or ever have had. Give
me each a bit of curl, and I'll have
them put in lOcket together and wear
it on my chain, and you won't be sorry
to think I've got it when Pm away
from you"
He looked at the rector as he spoke.
1t was all open and above board, and
the old gentleman nodded and reached
down a pair Of scissors from the man
telshelf, which he handed to his sister.
Aunt Ellen cut her little lock carefully,
as BELTS lady of five-and-forty, whose
hair is still abundant and ornamental,
if not 80 bright as it has been. Nellie
whisked her bunch of curls over her
shoulders and shipped off thick brown
ringlet. Teddie twisted them together
in his pocket-book and said, with a
feeble attempt at a joke: "They'll
60 with me everywhere and bring
me back to Moyliscallan. Don't let
me find you've been, either of you,
flirting with Strangeways while Pm
away, or putting him in my place."
Then he kissed the two ladies, as he
had always done on great occasions, at
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 dearl 1t was dull at Moy-
liscallan without him.
Five years later Captain Edward
Blake was coming home on sick leave.
1t had been "near squeak" as he
said himself. That wound on the head.
at the Burroo Pass affair, had set ali
Europe talking about him, but had
nearly done for him all the same. Then
came weeks of fever and the weary
journey to Bombay; the relapse on the
road, which, but for Mrs. Diamonds
nursing, must have finished him; the
almost miraculously accomplished move
on to shipboard, which the doctor al
lowed was an experience of kill or cure.
And now he was steaming home as
fast as the p. & o. line could do it, and
every day some fresh sense of power in
mind or body was reborn in him; one
DAY he could arrange his own pillow,
the next he could read few lines of
the paper. A little later he asked Mrs.
Diamond if she could find him paper
and pencil, as he wanted to write a
note "home." Life was worth living
again with Moyliscallan drawing nearer
do