The Washington weekly post., 1900-10-02
THE SHERIDAN ROMANCE.

in Manila. TIE Doric went on 70 HONS
kong without him. hut before ne eonlo
find how he stood." as he expressed Il.
the scaufiia steamed In with invatlos ana
news. Col Layton among the inNaiiuS'
Capt. Blair among the news. The ia1tsf
had been shot through both thighs IN the
dash on Bacolor the very day deserved
promotion reached him. and that evening
Maud did rot ecale down 10 dinner, ana
later would lot come down to Logan.
So he wandered about Gconsoiate-
Finally, sitting IN gloom and shado"y
nook, looking out at the lights OF that
wondrous land-locked bay, he heard Two
women talking close at hand Listeners
seldom hear good Of themselves, but he
was amazed to hear III Of Maud
We'll, she gave him every encourage
ment anyhow They were inseparabie
from the day we sighted the Azores ana
all the time she must have been engaged
TO this Mr.. Logan. l saw his sisters let
ter 10 Mrs. Brent"
"And that" said the other voice, was
the reason Mr.. Blair wouldn't come into
Manila when he had the ohance-went
out and shot instead. Now she's crying
herself sick over 1t. Her mother as mucn
as told me so-an engaged girl, TOO!
The speaker betrayed all proper and We
manly scorn of the girl who could cry fer
one man when pledged TO another. Logan
couldn't stand IT,
'You mentioned my name" said he,
rising. ''and may ask IL you are speaking
OF Miss Laytonr'
Heavens. Mr.. Loganl were you there?
/ wouldn't for worlds have
"I know you wouldn't. but all the same
you did, and said she must have been en-
gagged 10 me all the time. She isn't-she
wasn'tp'
well. your sister wrote so-and her
father wouldn't deny IT," interposed the
angel in pink pima.
possibly. because he thought Ii no
body's business-as l do. Good nlght IA
dies. If you hear anybody else SANDER
ing Miss Layton in that same way. say
for me that she was never engaged 10
Fred Logan. And very heartsore, very
mad. Mr.. Logan went of to the club,
consumed a peg and an hour In reflection,
then penned blizzard to his sister,
line to Maud, and another 20 Blair. He
had met him, liked him, and entertained
him In Gotham before the TRANSPORT
sailed He had always himself longed to
be a soldier, but they wouldn't take him
because of weak eyes. He had been
deeply smitten by Maud Layton's grace
and beauty. and had competence to
back his aspirations, but from the mo-
ment he set eyes on her pretty face on
the veranda the day Of his sudden advent
at Nagasaki he saw that change had
come and his chance had gone.
What he wrote to his sister spoiled her
Christmas; what he wrote 10 Maud
spoiled her breakfast. and what he wrote
to Blair made the surgeon in charge of
the First Reserve" hospital at Manila
say unpublishable things about patient
who would insist on finding his legs when
still in danger of losing them. Blair got
a months leave as soon as he could tod
die about on crutches. and turned up at
Nagasak before Col. Layton scented dan
ger. Logan, meanwhile, had gone to
Hongkong and caught P. & o. liner for
India and nome. Foreign travel had be-
come bore. The lady in pink pima hap
pened to De on the veranda the evening
Blair hobbied up from the landing stage.
She had been persona ingrata with Maud
ever since Logan left, but here was her
opportunity. Tapping at that damsefs
door she blithely paraphrased, very low
The captain on his erutches
Is waiting. dear. for thee.
And so it happened that in the same
dark corner where Fred Logan heard the
knell of his hopes, the lady in pink pima
held Blair in ambush until Maud shyly
appeared, then discreetly vanished and
left them to their explanations, which, If
We can accept Miss Layton's word for it.
were not too speedy, though apparently
satisfactory.
when they showed me Miss Logan's
letter to Mrs. Brent I had to believe"
said Blair, his heart humping the while.
"I-couldn't be expected to want to come
into congratulate
"You might have come in to-find out"
pouted she. not too forgivingly.
II never found out until he-until Lo-
gan wrote. That fellows a-man, every
inch of him" said the captain, stoutly
"He's-splendid! assented Miss Layton,
her eyes on the toe of her tiny slipper
Then. uplifting II might have telegraph
ed hin. toto come back if-if-"
'If what, Maudie?" demanded the SOL
dier possessing himself of a wandering
little hand that looked very white and
lonesome at the railing.
''Well-if-you hadn't come just when
you did"
And now that have Gomez"
No answer, but another hand, the mate
to the first, hanging irresolute, was like
wise captured, and a crutch let go.
"And now that / have conner" he re-
peated.
No verbal response, only a shy, swift,
upward glance; then, with a tre-
mendous ciatter, the cruteh, aban-
doned by an arm that had other
work TO do went unheeded 10
the floor. and the lady In Tina pima.
lowering at the hallway beyond, smiled
SWIFT approval and scurried away up
stairs TO be the first TO tell the climax OF
their Sheridan romance. -
copyright, 1900. Daily Story Publishing Company,