The age-herald., 1898-11-20

were drawn aside little, and he beheld a dark, threatening cloud In the clear, bright | sky.
 But Rose says June-she thinks that wi 1 not give her any too much time to get ready; though I can't see what there is to l do," continued Frank, "except find a min- I ister and 1t will not take me long to do l that"
 "of course you don't see. Men never de-" laughed Rose "Mother, could l pos sibly be ready before June?" No, dear, certainly not" "oh, you engaged people can't talk of 1 anything else," said Fred. 'I move we :! turn the subject into another channel, and not exhaust this one at one sitting" 1 So the happy Thanksgiving dinner pro- l ceeded with pleasant conversation, and l much merriment.
 | That evening before Frank left, Rose sat down to the piano and sang some of those l sweet old songs too seldom heard nowa- 1 days, that her parents loved so much to l hear.
 Frank thought, as he listened to her vo'ce, that nowhere else in the world could be heard such music The happy day ended, as they all must end. and time sped on, hastening the day ] that the young couple looked forward to with such expectations. 1 The winter had almost passed without
  ! beating history to say that Frank Burton ] was a frequent visitor at the Hamilton l home, or that many happy hours were | spent by the two young people. About the middle of February came the awful shock which was felt around the globe like electric thrill and which
 startled the people of all lands-the de- | struction of our gallant warshp by the i hand of a treacherous foe. l The war cloud darkened, thickened and
 finally broke in fury. Regiment after regi- ment of brave soldiers lad their all on their country's altar, and marched forth bravely to an unknown future-many to
 death.
 , Frank Burton's regiment was unexpect- | edly called out one day in May, and or ! dered to Tampa with the expectation of 1 going to Santiago
 At any other time Franks blood would
 have quickened in his veins at the chance | to go and fight for his native land, but now | his heart sank at the thought of 1t.
 "Only month from the time set for our
 wedding!' he said to himself. "Oh. why
 did we put it off for so long. I feared
 something would happen"
 ! It was with heavy heart he went to see
 Rose that evening, for 1t might be the last
 time.
 The last fiery red of sunset had softened
 to the faintest pink as he stood waiting an | answer to his ring. As he was ushered
 into the luxurious drawing room he took
 in all the familiar objects with a more ten | der gaze than ever before.
 "Why Frank What is the matter?" ex-
 claimed Rose, upon entering the room.
 "I have come to say goodbye faltered | Frank.
 "What do you mean?" she gasped. "That must leave you and go to war" | "Oh, Frank, is it really true?'
 And for a moment it seemed as if a show 1 CT would darken the usually sunny sky of Roses face, but she recovered herself-she must not make it any harder for Frank.
 He was suffering enough already. They
 must both bear up and cheer each other.
 They talked long and earnestly that
 evening, and tried to appear cheerful.
 Mother, father and Fred were made &C.,
 quainted with the news, and came in to bid
 the young soldier Godspeed.
 As was her usual custom at family gath | erings. Rose went to the piano before they
 separated. This time it was Franks fav- l orite song she sang, but at the end of the
 first stanza she stopped-she could sing no | more.
 At last the farewells were ended and with 1 tears and smiles.
 That night as the moon peepedl in at a
 certain window it saw a tear-stained face 1 raised to heaven in silent prayer. l Days passed. letter came from Frank
 from Ch:ckamauga. A week later from 1 Tampa. They were to sail for Cuba the 1 next day. Then a silence of three weeks. | One morning Rose was startled by the | shrillness of the postman's whistle and not waiting for a servant to answer, rushed to l the door herself. A letter in a strange l hand was given her. A fearful thought | darted through her brain. Trembling like 1 tender plant before hurricane, she tore | open the letter. It was written by a com l rade of Franks for h m from hospital in | Siboney. Frank had been severely wound | ed in fierce struggle between our forces and the Spaniards but was rapidly recov- 1, ering now. In a weeks time he was able 1 to write himself and in two weeks more was with his regiment again. He had been | promoted three degrees for unusual bravery | in that fierce fight in which he nearly lost 1 his life; and he had received his wound when the conflict was nearly over. Not while fighting the enemy, but while carry | ing dying comrade to a place of shelter l from the whizzing Mausers. 1 Days heightened into weeks-weeks grew 1 to months-two months not word from 1 Frank Every account of battle was scanned eagerly. Every long list of wound l ed and dead read over from beginning to 1 end. Sometimes there were some "miss- l ing'' names "unknown'-could Frank Bur | ton be among them?
 l Roses letters commenced to be returned l to her with mot called for' written upon | them
 Rose tried to keep up and seemed to be l the same bright, cheerful creature she had | always been but a look of pained distress | settled upon her face; the smiles com menced to fade.
 1 At last the war was over. News came of | the soldiers return. A few more weeks l and the first dark-faced heroes arrived. In vain the lines were scanned for fa- miliar face among them. Every c-rival of