The Florence daily tribune., 1898-03-07

''Iie Is going next week." said Trr-
maine. 'iie told me yesterday be ought
TO go nov, and wished to so row. II
was Wells who forbade. nut Grafton
always liked Merriam and fIayne be-
lieves in. him. Our Florence might do
worse. Dot"
"But do you understand?' she said.
''do you realize that. just from proximi-
y perhaps, Florence may have icarIred
to care for him, while he is stiii thinking
of his lost love?''
You mean that--you think /, all
Florence and not Merriam?" he asked.
starting back, and holding her frem
him, and hooking with amaze and IN
eredulity into her eyes--stEaight icio
her anxious, fearful face "Why, Dot,
il isn't possible, Shc--he--he must
have lenrned to care for her. itcoulda't
be otherwise. Only hadn't thought cf
Fioy except us u child, and l wasn't
prepared"
Like many another father, to whom
n daughter is as the applc OF the eye,
1remaine could sec no fault, no failing
in his child. To him she was the i.;li
est, as she was the best fondcsi, most
dutiful girl in the whole army. QUE of
his favorite plans had been q take hcr
to West Point the previous summer,
and lei her. MS he said to khreclf
"paralyze the corps" Onc Of the sweet
dreams he had oftcn dreamed was &c
the evening when. with Flercncc on his
arm, he should reentcr the cid Eirss
hall, which he had twisted e,ace 1t was
bravely deched for the aslh OF August
hop. the year of his marriage. lie had
promised to take her thiiher for the
graduating ball, and had pictured her
us the belle OF the osras;na, sought
eagerly by the cadets as their Partner
fer waltz or 'tSso-stcp;" and. us IN his
eyes she was the most perfect creature
that ever lived OF moved, his cne anS-
iety was lest the boys in gray, always
susceptible, should forge that E.oy was
only u child and fall in love with hci'
forthwith. II never occurred u Kim rs
a possibility that F.oy in her tu:r ght
fan in love. But there was no Gcliclaus
visit for Florence to the Point tbatycag
The moment examina;ioas were ever
at school her mother started With her
for the far west, and Tremaile met
them at Santa lse Junction. Then. after
one brief week at sedgwick. they had
started for the captossneat, snd there
had led their uneyenttul life tntil The
coming Of Randy Merriam, PROSTATE,
with the days of another June Aad
now, while Florcace was IN tears ard
hiding in her pretty rnom shove stairs
this errnnt, erring. Invalid warrior,
with no word or sign of bcirg hims5,f
sorely heart-smitten, was detcg-aiactily
talking of going back forthwith to the
mouataih trails. Tremaine wonld net
let his be.ovod heipmcct speak, either
to FioTcrco or TO Merriam. but he fpily.
meant to say more words than org "a
Merriam himself and then he be-
thought him of palrymple. and tl,e
famous frocll that doughty major
donned whenever he sailed fefsilte
the intentions Of o'Ma!ley's dsshing
light dragnons. and this feileetlon gave
him pause. If, either By .ac1idert or de-
sign, the heart of his precious ehi,dha;l
become wrapped up in Merriam, thcn
Merriam should not ,eavc the pest With
out an explanatory Dut the-e n'as VI
time. 1t might be that thc peer fellow
was really sore smitten limsclf, psd
that the tender but uncorquercd heart
of his daughter was touched with pity
for his suffering.
TO BE coHrINuED