The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-27

steel himself against the apparent ind;f
! ference OF Polly. he fancied that she
might have melted 4 little from her ice
after what had gone.
Gould he have looked into the heart Of
this Southern girl what a delicious sur
prise would have warmed him through.
:or with all his ardOr 70 be gone there
was a pang at the quick that this living
present was fated to become an embalm-
ed regret Poor Polly, raging at herself,
I had struggled 10 speak but was tongue
tied by dread of some unconscious be-
| trayal. 4 novel emotion had grown in
/ few tragic hours. swiftly as the Hindoo
| juggler's mango. and. sweet as il vas in
| the run of her young blood. she ehoked Al
! the thought as an insult To pride and
| duty. To look at her troubled features in
| the glass made her palm Jingle 10 slap
the face OF the image In her torment. and
then she would CULVER at the thought Of
! the gallant fellow and moan that she was
an ungratsful wretch
| Uncle Jonas, bursting with intense a1-
miration for this special Yankee. was
srunting over his hoe in the garden and
hailed Wentworth. modify pacing the
| lane:
TIE done glad dat all de Unioners isn't
ait yo' uns up lax awgs alta eohn t'Oder
day. Fo Gawd. but Mars Wat hisself
c'udn't a Gruv back dose vile seastesses
wat tried to rob de Brundase place lax
/ yo'. Meh ole mars gone now, an Miss
] Polly she heart-broke. Wy Mars Iank,
she cry an cry an cry. / see her wen she
dunno. an / un'stan' meh young mistis
lax meh own chile. she cried LAX baby,
tn. wen you'd wandehed of in De lane,
crazylike, dat night. an she nussed yo'
on 'er buzzum an 'eld yer aid wen We
brought yo' back on de rails. Vas, sir.
OATS wat she du' do she allus calm 20
one ub de Yankee dawgs. 70 she jes
cracked wild her sran'pa's DEATH
This indiscreet babbe. which Uncle Je-
mas proceeded 10 expand. filled a gap in
the young mans memory, which amazed
him and sent a thrill of inoTedulous pleas
ure through his veins Could the imposs!-
BILE have come TO pass? The fancy was a
shock that almost dizzied him, and so all
that afternoon he sat on the bank by the
shining water under the well-remembered
oak brooding over the thought.
Polly had just received a letter from her
brother, sent by an orderly from Rich
mOnd. by the way" he wrote. II have
succeeded. with Gen. Stuart's help. in per-
awkward guest into the Federal lines. You
may expect an ambulance at almost any
moment, for fear he should not be able
to ride He will come up here and go down
the river TO Harrisons Landing under flag
of truce"
You must see Mr.. wentworth at
once" said Aunt Pamela. IAN, Polly, you
must be gracious an tell your thanks 10
our 5enefactor, for you've been very cold
to the poor. deah fellah."
The crisis had come which couldn't be
shirkcd. and Polly faced it with trembling
knees, which belied her essentially fear
less temper. Wentworth had heard the
clank Of Il scabbard and instinctively ex-
pected news. He had risen from the bank
as Polly slowly approached. Eamadryad
turned to passionate, Quivering woman
hood.
My brothah writes" she said INSTEAD
ily, that you must be ready to go to
Richmond, TO be sent through the lines.
Mr.. Wentworth, An, oh, ] want to say
how good and brave you've been, an
don't think I've been ungrareful. But you
know-f s'pose twas very wicked-how l
used to hate. an it was hard to"
That's all right, Miss Brundage. I
can understand. Please don't worry
about it. It's not very easy 10 say things
sometimes. Ny God, no, And for me-
he was warm and cold ct once-'parting
takes something out OF life II things
We're different, l could speak, but l must
be silent Tom raised his arms and
reached out as If he would clasp a vanish
ing hope. The swift gesture sent an
agonizing pain through his half-healed
side, and he staggered. Instantly the girl
fTN.r IL
her shoulder as she had done once be-
fore. and the world was gone to her in
one great swimming thought
Tom pulled himself together and looked !
into the glorious gray eyes which looked /
into his without disguise, and heaven /
opened in their shining
Polly. Polly" he burst out may say
Polly now?'
A little ripple of mischief ran over her |
face and shaped her mouth into a muir
INJURED 'Yes" which seemed Ike a kiss.
Ten years after the close Of the. war the |
accustomed gathering Of fashion and cul- I
ture was assembled at the first night" Of
the Academy exhibition in New York A
distinguished-looking couple were look I
ing at picture hung far above the lire I
a place fairly deserved, for Il was can !
vas painted in the oldfashoned academic !
method, with little merit but that of pre- /.
tentious correctness. Il represented a /.
group in Roman armOr standing over a /
PROSTATE body, with galleys riding at an /
Choir off shore. The lady glanced indifer- /
emily at her catalogue and then pointed, !
with ring or irrepressible laughter. 10 /
the title. Maj. Wentworth laughed, too. i
with no less mirth, and then his hand 4
felt for hers in that crowded thTong with 4.
a tender pressure, for these were married /
lovers
IF 1t hadn't been for the fall of Pom
pev. honey" said the lady meditativelv. !
You probably wouldn't have been Polly |
Wentworth"
The next day people wondered that so
poor picture was ticketed sold" while /
so many of its betters still awaited their
fate.
Copyright 1907