The evening times., 1897-12-21
ked the women who carried themselves

ilkeu ire women WHO Carried tEemkelN es
haughtiiy. ne liked tall women, re liked
straight bI"ci- hair and olive skin and
DARK eyes and large features and neck
or statuesqIe proportions. In short, ne
liked exactly the things he had neser
faneied up to then. Miss Hampdcn raised
her eyes and met his. She smiled but IL
was like 10 smile sfe had ever bestowed
on man before. He locked at lor very
grayely, and Ter hand closed tie htIy over
the ring. Ia nomsEt sfe was stud ying
it again
Il like this. It's unusual" she said
Il am glad you think 70. as torcei,rd
the design He expected to be told that
he was clever.
Indeed was all fEe said, ard that in
differently.
How cool! rather thought you'd
express surpriso and give ne scme oiedit.
You are not addicted TO flattery, it woulti
SEEM -vt
Il attn not But / don't think it would
have been flattering TO lie surprised that
you have done it 1t struck n al icing
quite the thing you would naturally do
THAT isyeTy pretty"
1T is perfectly true
1t happened, oddly enough, that Ardsley
CHANGED not To have heard OF Miss Hamp
denis reputation by the next night. Hewas
rudely awakened To a knowledge OF 1t.
There were private theatricals in the
hop room, and Miss Hampden was ,he
leading lady. Now the suitor was quite re-
covered, and he meant 10 play a joke On
those In the audience who were not nd
these were some eight or ten, three OF
them ma rried. He proposed to the her line
in nice!y-read lines, and was rejected by
her with perfection that spoke her
practice. So the audience thought; and
1t laughed. When the laugh had subsidized
the hero arose from his knees. He walked
to the footliShts and sighed
'ah, wel,'' he said, II have one crumb
OF comfort. 1 am not the only man in tlis
place who Is in the same fix
The astounded AIdsley looked about him.
and he picked out the entir re number By their
faces Miss Hampden dropped her heal
in her hands and laughed with the
rest.
Between the acts Ardsley made inquiries
and learned the tIrth. He was bitten with
a desire to obtain the unobtain ina BILE, nd he
was not one TO daily. He went behinI ire
scenes.
Whom are You going home with, Miss
Ia mpdeL?" he asked.
Il fear no one wiiltake me after the light
Mr.. Graves has put NE in.''
May l do so?"
She nodded, and Ardsley went back to
his seat. =.
so, you have refused the entire army"
he asked, as they walked home.
Not quite.
The entire Department.
well, fair percentage of it." she ad-
mitted.
Are you going to refuse me?-
II can't say until you are offered"
II offer myself now."
"And accept you now."
Good enough! Will you announce our
engagement tonight at supper?''
AT the risk of being adiudged insane
yes"
Put ON this ring until 1 can get you an
other. Your hands are not small 1t
win fit your middle finger. Now, 1 am iu
earnest. :"
80 am l." she said.
They were very much i'm earnest the event
proved; and the garrison derived unmixed
pleasure from the total, unconditional,
obvious surrender OF Miss Hampden. She
was as open In her infatuation as she had
always been In everything else. And
Ardrley was equally infatuated. He took
back the class ring and gave her a diamond
which coSt him three months pay. They
were altogether happy. So, Just a fort
night before the day arranged for their
wedding. the gods demanded the first pay
ment on their loan.
Ar,ikley was ordered off on a scout. diss
Hampden was the sort Of girl who might
have been expected to take this reasonably.
But she did not. She clung to Arlsley,
and cried like any little girl and did not
behave in the least like woman who lad
seen countless scouts. And she let him
go to the wars remembering her stan ling
with her arm against the wall anil her
head upon her arm. sobbing as IL her he lrt
were utterly ybroken- He himself was moved
and stern. Ioringr would have liked TO
remind her that hearts which were really
wrung did not show their pain. He Ii. d
not yet recovered
Ardslcy did not come back from the
scout. He was iii fight on what woull
have heen his wedding day. Others were
killed and their bodies were recovered and
buried, but A rdsley's body was never found.
There was q tale that fire ha ID been sten
on the battlefield the night after the
encounter. and in tte midst of the Ire
tree with O. form which might have In en-
that of u man against 1t. There were In
dams grouped around it. Mrs Hampden
never heard the story. She nerer even
guessed at what adhappened untiltwenty
years afterward.
She was the superb and spiritless wife