The Press., 1899-02-02

w
remedies. / hope some poor creature
may be helped to health by reading my
story."-MRs. Col. q. p. RICHARDSON,
RHINELANDER, VIA,
him. No The dc ctor merely reports
him seriously i'll. - The officer on duty
comes to stand by his bedside and note
down whatever message Tommy may
choose tn send to mother or sweetheart
| waiting for him at home. Then, few
hour later if on land, Tommy is buried
| i'll coffin the price of which govern
ment stops out of his pay, or if he die
OIL board ship. with soGle shot tied TO
his ankles. 0verb ard he is dropped. to
sink out of sight and join that weird
company of shrouded corpses which
stand uprilst. drifting and swaying in
| the currents of the sea. half way he.
tween the bottom and the surface of the
ocean
On reaching the sitting deck W here
rhe sick. the wounded and the dying
lay the orderly stopped beside the berth
of Private Robinson.
USUALLY the officer i'll command knows
nothing 1f the man who,e dying words
| he has to report but rs it. chanre0
| Ahsheton had heard something Of Pri-
vate Robinsons career He knew that
Robinson was "a gentleman ranker -
| one OF those good looking, reckless un-
| lucky fellows against w hom fortune
seems to have spite.
AS AsshetOn came to the side of his
| berth the dying man stared up with a
curious expression of defiant despair
| Above him. beside him. all around the
deck lay other sufferers listening aud
watching to hear what 1.-THE poor beg
gar" had to say.
1t was hardly the place for con
| Edences, and Assheton felt fully the en-
| barrassment Of the position Robinson
however, had reached the time when
| the world recedes into the background
| of ones consciousness and what has to
be done must be done at once or left
| forever unaccomp1ished
| He feebly strove to take something
from under his pillow.
"Can | reach that for you?'' asked
| Assheton gently.
"Ive waited too Long," said Robin,
son. II int nded to send this bat K my
self, but somehow l put it off from day
to day. Icouldn't bear to part with it. "
He stopped minute as he succee led in
lifting up an envelope, then he contin-
ued, Il want to send this back to her
and tell her that though she sent me to
the devil loved her to the end" He
added, as AssnetoR took the envelope
containing the photo from him, 1.-THE
address iswritten on the back of It. -
| SIS there nothing else | can do for
you?' said Assheton huskily.
Nothing. Thank you, sir, replied
Robinson, and Assheton felt he was dis
missed.
He turned away in silence and left
the hospital deck.
AS he again passed through the dan
GERS the waltz was fastening to its con-
clusion, and the laughing, talking COM
pany were dispensing in search of ices
and comfortable seats.
Phyllis Welsh was still sitting where
Assheton had left her.
"You weren't long, - she said, smil-
ing. "What did Tommy want to tell
you? Do tell me all about it?''
Something iii her words grated
against Assheton S feelings. He sat down
and replied slowly:
| "He asked me to return photo to a
girl, and tell her that, though she
played him false. he loved her to the
end. -
"Oh!" cried Phyllis. How interest
ing it sounds! Have you got the photo
there: Do show it to me?''
| lyon must not ask me to do that
said Assheton gravely
| But Phyllis was not accustomed to
have her wishes unqualified. She leaned
forward and looked up with her Won
derful dark eyes glowing. will you
your she urged.
"Of course if you insist - hesitated
Assheton
81 do insist. | must see what the girl
is like. Some common, vulgar creature,
[ suppose that the poor fellow idealizad
into piece Of perfection.
Probably, a@sented Assheton dryly,
taking the envelope from his pocket and
producing the photograph.
With eager curiosity Phyllis bent
| over.
For the space of a second she stared,
rigid with astonishment and disnay,
| then enchanting, "Give it to mech,
give it to me!'' she tried to snatch the
photograph from Assheton
It was too late. Assheton, with blank
disgust, had already recognized the
beautiful likeness.
"Give it to me, " she sramE.ered.
'Certainiy, replied Assheton. "It
| was what l promised to do"
He dropped the photo into her hands
and strobe away.-Temple Bar