The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-03-11
eth. IS very pretty"
eft is perfectly true"

HampdehF was the leading lady. NOW
the sutton was quite recovered, and he
meant to play joke on those in the
audience who werenot-and these were
some eight or ten, three. of them mar
ried. lie ,proposed to the heroine in
nicely read lines, and was reje';e ed by
her with a perfection that spoke her
practice. So the audience thought: and
it laughed. When the laugh had sub
sided. the hero arose from his knees.
He walked to the footlights and sighed.
"Ah! WELL" he said," have one crumb
of comfort. l am not the only man in
this place who is in the same 60
The astounded< Ardsley lool ed about
him, and he picked out the enti.e num-
ber by their faces. Miss Hampden
dropped her head in her hands and
laughed with the rest.
Between the acts, Ardsley made in
quiries, and learned the truth. He was
bitten with desire to obtain the I'M
attainable, 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"
MAY do 500"
She nodded, and Ardsley went back to
his seat.
$50 you have refused the entire
army?" he asked, as theywalked home.
"Not quite"
'Well, fair percentage of it," she adj
mitted.
"Are you going to refuse me?"
Il can't say until you are offered"
II offer myself now
"And l accept you now"
Good enough. VIII you announce
our engagement tonight at supper?"
''At the risk of being adjudged insane
yes"
''Put on this ring until I can get you
another. Your hands are not small. 1t
will fit your middle finger. Now am in
earnest"
$50 am l." she said
They werc.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 beer, in ev-
erything else. And Ardshy was equal
ly 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 wed
ding, the gods demanded the first pay
ment on their loan.
Ardsley was ordered off On a scout.
Miss Hampden was the sort of girl
who might have been expected to take
this reasonably. But she Gid not. She
chung to Ardsley and cried like any
little girl, and did not behave in the
least like a woman who had seen count
less scouts. And she let him 60 to the
wars, remembering her standing with
her arm against the wall and her head
upon her arm, sobbiLg as if her heart
were utterly broken He himself was
moved and stern. Loripg 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 re-
covered and buried, but Artsley'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 even guessed at
what had happened until 20 years aft
erward
She was the superb and spiritless wife
OF a mighty general, and she was ac-
companying her husband on a tour of
inspection in the west. They were at an
agency one day and were visiting the
tepees. 1t was the agency of the In
dams that young Ardsley had fought
two decades before, and the generals
wife was nerving herself not to show
The general was examining the trim
kets that hung on string around the
neck of a half-blind squaw.
Here is West Point class ring!" he
exclaimed.
His wife repeated her words of 20
years a-past.
MAY I see it?" she asked, coolly.
She took it in her hands and turned
1t about. She could make cut the de-
sign, though it seemed to have passed
through some heat that had melted it
There was no doubt in her mind. New
ertheless she looked inside. The heat
had not affected it there, and the in
itials were quite plain even yet.
ID. A." she said; at was David Ards
ley's ring. The fire did not touch the
letters. l understand now why they
never could tell me which was his
grave"
The general broke the string and
picked up the class ring from among the
scattered baubles. The squaw was chat
tering and whining and clawing around
on the earth. The general held the
ring out to his wife. She raised the
dark eyes that had been so bright and
happy the last time it had been held
out to her.
Can have to" she asked.
The general put it in her hand. and
the hand closed over it.
"Ihank yo,1 - she cold c., E.