Evening journal., 1900-02-22

('I have just come to tell you that |
love your
a rather quaint little body. and-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 il was Major
Lansdowne l could understand your
championship, whereas the Lascelles
boy-Really, Cousin Jane, where cin
your eyes beT'
I Almost as she spoke the door opened
aud "Maior Iansdowne" was an
nounced, then Capt. Freke.' and %
few moments later Mr.. Lascelles.'
The last conner was relegated TO
Mrs Ogilvie's tender nercies. Appar-
emily Stella was too much occupied
with her other guests to have word
TO spare, and the little man sat beside
Mrs. Ogilyie. slipped his tea ana
talked.
Presently he rose to go.
"This is a long good-by." he said.
very gravely; you know we are or
dered to the front-to-morrOw l go
north to see my people, and on Thurs
day We sail"
Mrs. Ogilyie saw stella's face grow
deadly pale; she saw, too, that young
Lascelles had noted it, and that he
glanced toward Major Lansdowne.
"Do believe me-" he said in his quiet
gentle way, that II l can shield him
for your sake in any way IL shall he
done"
4 An expression OF complete bewilder-
ment on Stella's face. noted by Mrs.
, Ogilvie, was quite lost upon young
Lascelles, whose eyes seemed sudden
l " to have grown curiously dim.
4
d Across the bare brown veldt a soli-
3 tary horseman made his way. "Rath-
er a good horse" he had said, which
was hardly doing the animal Justice.
1t was the feetest 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
tination, would save the lives Of hun
dreds of his fellow-soldiers.
Just then an agonizing pain In his
! hand, another near his head, where q
; bullet grazed his ear and sent tile
I warm blood over his face. turned hin
Il sick and faint.
i Every moment he seemed more anf
:, more TO lose control over his limbs
n one hand and guided it with the other
d pulled himself together with su
preme effort of will, and at last rod'
into N. He tainted as somebody
helped him Off his horse, but his worl
N was done.
"a In her pretty drawing-room at Ex
- Minister sat Mrs. Ogilvie and Stella.
y The morning papers had just arrive'
! and they had rushed to open them.
- Stella suddenly laid down the pape
y and burst into tears.
Oh Mrs. Ogilvie crossed the room an
1h nut a pair Of very kindly, motherl
nt arms round the sobbing girl.
Is what is it. childT she whispered
p Stella pointed to a name in the lis
he of the Seriously wounded" 1t wa
that of Lieut.. Iascelles. of the SeN
be enth Regiment.
or Mrs. Ogilvie's eyes held n questiO
which Stella answered. Il love him,
she said "and have loved him fo
ages-and now he win never know"
"Never know That was not Mr.
q Ogilvle's idea at all-and the next pal
-, sencer. shin to "the front" carried I'll
gu two ladies on board. bound for CO
On tain town in South Africa, where
= hero Law wounded, but mercifully NJ
,,, unto DEATH"
III What passed at that first meetin
ut who can tell? How Stella went int
that hospital ward, and he, seeing h'
coming. could hardly believe the ev
+. dence Of his own eyes.
of Il have come" she said simpl
he "just to tell you that I love you, thi
n have loved you all along. and thi
90 I can't live without you"
n The nursing sister Is won't to decla
- that it was mysterious thing Il
~ rapidity of Mr. Lascelles's recover
nm dating from that visit. and soon a
I, ,as ter he was invalided home ON sic
A., leave
IN During the time he was in Englal
Us ~. there came a day when England
s sn Queen distributed to her bravest 81
~ diers some little iron crosses with {
vi words "For valor" thereon. and {
leu one whom she specially singled o
.ay to speak to him words no man won
lhe care to forget so long as he lived W
are no other than little LaScelles, It
me Duffer of the Regiment "-Lond
as Nfnrnfprr aodp