Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-04-08

&c watching the passers-by upon the
street and to biting at cube OF sugar
meditatiyely.
III you wiz accept matters that way
we can have q very good time. If yor
don't. l have warned you, and the con
sequences, il there are any, must be Oh
your own head"
Lancaster laughed rather weakly.
accept the TERMS" he said. 1t is I'm.
derstood that this is only Irritation
Which he explained to Dorothy at
much length, but which she would MOI
understand and was so unreasonable
about as to break her engagement
Lancaster was deeply deeply aggrieved
and rather more deeply relieved. But
it made one fact plain to him-that he
was seriously in love with girl who
frankly told him he was no more tt
her than score had been before, thar
scores might be thereafter. And r
was all in vain that he tried to change
her.
II warned you quite fairly she re
minded him. bending forward to stroke
the glossy neck of his black mare. II
was the mare that, of old, Dorothy hac
and on which she had almost lavished
the overflow of her affection for Ian.
caster Il warned you" Miss Leeds
repeated, land nobody has suffered but
yourself unless she glanced at him
with quizzical little smile-"unless
there was another girl"
There was another girl" be ans
wered.
.-t4r ~. a 4oI1
ly.
THAT was to have been expected
Most problems of the heart are in the
rule Of three
lie frowned angrily. and his lips
curved in contempt Are YOU absolu.
tely heartless? Have you no pity fol-
her?
Not great deal. If you were the
sort TO desert her in fortnight for a
girl who made not the slightest effort
to win you. | think. upon the whole,
that she Is rather well rid of you"
Lancaster was biting his lips, and he
was very angry. "She is better wo.
man than YOU he said.
''That may be. But STILL she laugh
ed, good naturally, do you think
am bad enough for you to be passing
judgment upon meE'
Il do, for you are doing the thing
cold-bloodedly. and IL" he said des.
pondently, have lost my head"
She smiled into his eyes. You don't
want TO do that. 1t is such hand
some head. Lose your HEARTH is not
worth nearly SO much" :
He turned in his saddle and faced
her. Il am likely to lose more than
that he burst out suddenly. Il am
likely 10 lose my life
"Oh, come she said; you are not
contemplating falling on the point of
your saber or drowning yourself in the
bay or superinducing galloping con,
are you? | have had men do
a great number of things for me, but
never quite that"
Il am not contemplating doing any
of those. l may be a good deal of a
fool, but not enough for woman who
cares nothing for me-"
yet that has been DONE she sug,
gested
What meant was-and what u
intended to tell you when | asked you
TO come to-day was-that | am going
to the war"
course, Is your regiment ordered?'
mot yet. | am especially favored.
when do you leave?"
"The day after tomorrow And now
am going to ask you to promise me
something
They had reined in their horses by the
dynamite guns and sat looking out
over the whitecapped blue sea.
so that it is something that | can
promise"
''Not that. 1 shall leave that until !
come back-if | do come back. II |
do not-in short, If l am killed She
gave little shudder. He saw that she
did and repeated, IF / am killed.
shall leave orders that my most treas
ured possession shall be sent to you"
do you mean this mareT
II mean the mare 1t would make me
as happy as it would seem
meant to be to know that if l die you
will have her and will ride her and be
kind to her for you are fond of her
too"
Miss Leeds knit her brows and CON
sidered. And if | should notY' she
said
"She shall not go TO any one else. /
will have Dartmoor shoot her on the
day that he hears my death confirmed.
Miss Leeds switched at the skirt of
her habit. is there no one else who is
fond of her also?"
mo" he answered.
But the other girl you told me off,
There flashed back upon Lancaster
memory how Dorothy had been wont
to stand with her arms around the
arched black neck and her cheek
against the warm soft nose; how the
mare had followed no other but him
self Then Miss Leeds turned the sun
of her questioning eyes upon him. They
were serious now. and their gentle
light scattered the mists of memories
She only valued the horse for the
masters sake, and the master is nc
longer anything to her. "Will you dc
as | askF'
A little ironical smile, the smile of an
easy going cynicism, curled her lips
Unto the victor belongs the spoils
Yes, If anything happens to you l vii
| fake the horse. But YOU must rot bt