Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-05-25

love you.")
rather quaint little body, and-o other
things of which nobody suspected
him, or perhaps this story would new.
er have been written.
But to return to Stella.
"Now," she said, IF II was Major
Lansdowne | could understand your
championship, whereas the Lascelles
boy--Really, Cousin Jane. where can
your eyes beY'
Almost as she spoke the door opened
and major Lansdowne" was an
nOunced, then capt Freke," and a
few moments later "Mr. Lascelles."
The last conner was relegated to
Mrs. Ogilvie's tender mercies Appar.
emily Stella was too much occupied
with her other guests to have a word
to spare, and the little man sat beside
Mrs. Ogilvle, slipped his tea and
talked
Presently he rose TO go.
"Thls is a long good-by," he said
very gravely; you know we are or
dered to the front-tO-morrow | go
north to see my people, and on Thurs
day we sail"
Mrs. Ogilvle saw Stella's face grow
deadly pale; she saw, too, that young
Lascelles had noted It, and that lie
glanced toward Major Lansdowne
'Do believe me-" he said in his quiet
gentle way, that If l can shield him
for your sake in any way it shall be
done"
An expression Of complete bewilder-
ment on Stella's face, noted by Mrs
Ogllvie, was quite lost upon young
Lascelles, whose eyes seemed sudden
ly to have grown euriously dim.
Across the bare brown veldt a soli-
tary hOrseman made his way. "Rath-
er a good horse" he had said, which
was hardly doing the animal justice.
1t was the fleetest in the regiment and
had won many a race before young
Lascelles had bought it.
Inside his coat lay the dispatches,
which, did they ever reach their des-
tipation, would save the lives of hun
dreds Of his fellow soldiers.
Just then an agonizing pain In his
hand, another near his head, where a
bullet grazed his ear and sent the
warm blood over his face, turned him
sick and faint.
Every moment he seemed more and
more TO lose control over his limbs,
bhi iO NihiAiNh lllN OiNt > liiuiif Win
one hand and guided it with the other,
pulled himself together with sn.
preme effort of will. and at last rode
into N. He tainted as somebody
helped him off his horse, but his work
was done.
In her pretty drawlng-roOm at Ex-
minister sat Mrs Ogilvie and Stella
The morning papers had just arrived
and they had rushed to open them
Stella suddenly laid down the paper
and burst into tears
Mrs. Ogilvie crossed the room and
put pair Of very kindly, motherly
arms round the sobbing girl
What is it, childT' she whispered.
Stella pointed to a name in the list
of the seriously wounded" 1t was
that Of Lieut.. Lascelles, of the Sew
entb Regiment
Mrs. Ogilvie's eyes held a question
which Stella answered. II love him,
she said "and have loved him for
ages--and now he win never know"
"Never knOww That was not Mrs.
Ogilvie's idea at alI-and the next pas
senger ship to "the 'front.' carried the
two ladies on board, bound for "a GER
tain town in South Africa, where a
hero lay wounded, but mercifully not
unto death"
What passed at that first meeting
who can tell? How Stella went into
that hospital ward. and he. seeing her
coming. could hardly believe the evi-
dence Of his own eyes
II have come" she said simply,
"just TO tell you that love you. that
I have loved you all along, and that
] can't live without you"
The nursing sister Is wont to declare
that it was a mysterious thing the
rapidity Of Mr.. Lascelles's recovery
dating from that visit. and soon az
ter he was invalided home ON sick
/ leave.
1 During the time he was in England
there came a day when Englands
/ Queen distributed to her bravest sol
diers some little iron crosses with the
| words "For valOr'' thereon. and the
one whom she specially singled out
| to speak to him words no man would
care to forget so long as he lived was
no other than little Lascelles, "the
| Duffer Of the Regiment London
Morning Leader.