The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1900-06-06

while he held n commission
"Yet you we're friends?"
''Friend--aye that we were from
our schoolboy days we were chumsl
When Ralph was sent to the Crimean
war threw everything 10 the winds,
enlisted In the regiment and went,
too, and we fought in many q fierce
battle together, hut one thought kept
us up through all, dear little Mignon,
the wears daughter. All, what happy
old times they were at the vicarage
"Mignon was an only child; her
father, our coach. Ralph's and mine
| What merry little tea parties we had
just we four; the scent OF mignonette
everywhere; the garden, the windows
and the rooms Of the old house wero
full of mignonette, all mignonettep'
My glance wandered to the flowers
blooming at my feet, as tried TO pic.
ture the little scene put before me.
"And Ralph loved Mignon as well
as l." he pursued, Though neither OF
us knew the others secret. Well,
those happy days came to an end.
Young Stanley left us to study for the
army, while remained to stagnate in
my fathers Office in town.
"How I envied Ralph's luck. Not
that 1 grudged him any good luck, but
my lot in life did seem hard in com
parison TO his. As the time passed
my restlessness and discomfort in
creased. Despite my attachment to
Mignon, my humdrum, monotonous
existence was 80 hateful to me. SO.
when the war broke out and Ralph
was ordered abroad I made up my
mind TO go, too, in the ranks Of the
same regiment Here was an oppor-
tunity not TO be lost Of leading more
glorious life; TO fight for my country,
my people aud for the love Of old
England,
"How 1 dreamt OF tho home coming
after the work was done. Death had
no place in my mind. How I antic-
ipated the meeting with Mignon, with
the love light that I-poor fool-im-
agined she felt for me, shining in her
soft blue eyes. / thought l would
pour out my heart and tell her / had
come back to claim her, never TO part
any more. Ahl il had but knownl"
He smiled again in his melancholy
way, and continued:
"fes, If had only known that she
cared for Ralph should have been
spared many heartache in after
years.
The old soldier gazed abstractedly al
his mignonette, and, doubtless, lived
over again that memorable campaign,
while l wondered IL the cross on his
breast had anything to do with his
tory. He answered my glance.
81 am coming to that now, lady.
One bitter November night, or rather
morning, we awoke to find the enemy
bearing down on us in overwhelming
numbers before our camp was astir.
The men, however, soon reused and
fought shoulder to shoulder amid the
roar aud din of cannon, which mad
dened alike man and beast. After
awhile became conscious only OF one
thing-a figure few yards ahead oi
me fighting for dear life. / can see
the look ON his face now! 1t was
transfigured, shining with dauntless
courage that quailed not before the
onslaught of the Russians. / be.
lieve, at that moment, Ralph lived in
every fiber of his being. He gloried
in fight-no one more. He was sur.
rounded and cut off from the rest OF
us by six or seven Of the enemy,
double his size. Suddenly he stag
gered and fell; then / found myself
struggling aud crushing through
countless forms aud brandishing steel
until reached the stricken figure.
There he lay, so white and still, with
his brave young face upturned to the
leaden sky. My arms went instinc
lively round him, and as turned ant
faced the lot of them-perhaps it wai
fancy-but change seemed to com,
into their eager, glittering eyes, al
they Involuntary fell back n space Of
two. 1t was only fer moment. The,
aga'n pressed forward, and no doub
the pair of us would have been quick
ly cut into mincemeat, but for an un
expected diversion created just ther
by the arrival of the Inniskilling Ora
goons. With their aid the Russians
were completely routed, and in til,
confusion Of their retreat and flight
managed to carry Ralph back safel.
to camp.
"And you escaped unwounied9"
"No, unluckily, lady, 1 receive,
some very bad cuts ON my head an,
back, which brought about my dis
charge from the army as being inf
for active service. When l had some
what recovered Ralph told me tha
Mignon had promised to become hi
wife, and six months later they wer
married."
"Did Mignon ever know that yo'
cared for her?" asked rather huskily
"Yes; many years after, when the
came to see me here, l think, as the
carried away some of my mignonette
they both guessed 1t for the frs
time"
A bell near by changed out the te
hour as he finished speaking, so. wit
close clasp of the hand, my old ma
aud parted.