Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-13
~. ID 49, .5.,s o.:

ana owe SIKH ana DARK eyes ana large
features and neck of statuesque pro-
portions. In short, he liked exactly
the things he had never fancied up to
then. Miss Hampden raised her eyes
and met his. She smiled, but it was
like no smile she had ever bestowed
on man before. He looked at her
very gravely, and her hand closed
tightly over the ring. In a moment
she was studying it again.
s'I like this. It's unusual" she said
Fl am glad you think so, as I con-
ceived the design" He expected to be
told that he was clever.
indeed" was all she said, and that
indifferently.
How cool! rather thought you'd
express surprise and give me some
credit. You are not addicted to fat
terry, it would SEEM
Il am not. But I don't think it
would have been flattering to be sur
prised that you have done it. 1t struck
me as being quite the thing you would
naturally do"
THAT is very pretty
'It is perfectly true"
1t happened. oddly enough, that Ard
sley CHANGED not to have heard of Miss
Hampden's reputation by the next
night. He was rudely awakened to a
knowledge OF it. There were private
theatricals in the hop-room, and Miss
Hampden was the leading lady. Now
the sutton was quite recovered and he
meant to play joke on those in the
audience Who We're rot--and these
were some eight or ten. three Of them
married. He proposed to the heroine
in nicely read lines. and was rejected
by her with a perfection that spoke
her practice. So the audience thought;
and it laughed. When the laugh had
subsidized. the hero arose from his
knees. He walked to the footlights
and sighed.
"Ah! WE'LL he said, Il have one
crunb Of comfort I am not the only
man in this place who is in the same
fix
The astounded Ardsley looked about
him. and he picked out the entire num-
Der by their faces. Miss Hampden drop
ped her head in her hands and laughed
with the rest. .
Between the acts, Ardsley made in
quirics and learned the truth He was
bitten with Il desire to obtain the I'M
attainahle, and he was not one to daily.
He went behind the scenes
Whom are you going home with,
Miss Hampden?" he asked.
81 fear no one will take me after the
light Mr.. Graves has put me in"
49,
She nodded, and Ardsley went back
to his seat
$50 you have refused the entire
army?" he asked. as they walked
home.
mot quite"
The entire Department."
We'll, fair percentage Of it," she
admitted.
Are you going to refuse me?"
Il can't say until you are offered"
Il offer myself now"
and I accept you now"
Good enough! viii you announce
OUR engagement tonight at supper?"
AT the risk of being adjudged in
sane-yes."
Put on this ring until I can get you
another Your hands are not small. It
will fit your middle finger. Now l am
in earnest"
so am l." she said.
They were very much in earnest the
event proved; and the garrison derived
unmixed pleasure from the total, I'M
conditional, obvious surrender of Miss
Hampden. She was as open in her in
fatuation as she had always been in
everything else. And Ardsley 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
fortnight before the day arranged for
their wedding, the Gods demanded the
first payment on their loan.
ATdsley was ordered off on a scout,
Miss Hampden was the sort of girl
who might have been expected to take
this reasonably. But she did not She
chung to Ardsley, and cried like any
little girl and did not behave in the
Least like woman who had seen
countless scouts. And she let him go
to the wars remembering her standing
with her arm against the wall and her
head upon her arm, sobbing as if her
heart were utterly broken. He himself
was moved and stern. Loring would
have liked to remind her that hearts
which were really wrung did not show
their pain. He had not yet recovered.
Ardsley did not come back from the
scout. He was in fight on what
should have been his wedding day.
Others were killed and their bodies
were recovered and buried, but Ard
sley's body was never found. There
was a tale that a fire had been seen
on the battlefield the night after the
encounter, and in the midst Of the fire
tree with a form which might have
been that of man against it. There
were Indians grouped around it. Miss
Hampden never heard the story. She
never ,,,bo I.