The suburban citizen., 1900-01-20

empty drawlng-room when the Adml-
raj returned. Somehow the afternoon
seemed very long, after the two we'll
mounted figures dropped down the
road together and were out of sight.
Sereta among the flowers pricked her
fingers more than common. Sam
uel, L should think the Admiral would
like a change" she said fiercely when
she had cut all the pink buds aud
walked carefully around the curved
beds to begin on the red.
Samuel stared as if he had been
challenged by the burning bush,
''The Admiral? Miss Sweeta, the Adj
mirals a py'rennial. Most of the
men that come here is just blown
away seed, half-sown or wind-sown--
come up first in one garden then in
another. The Admiral's rooted like a
red laloc; he don't need transplantin'
now; more likely strange soil would
kill him outright"
It was disappointing that the con-
versation at dinner that night should
have taken strictly technical turn
it ran, nay, it fairly few, on naval
equipment, tactics and man@uvres,
till the sleepy hostess withdrew unno-
ticed. Left all to themselves it burned
out with big guns toward morning,
when tEo stranger opened attack on
the old subject of the AdmiraPs iso-
lation, urging the necessity of renewed
contact with men, the charm of old
scenes-while the Admiral listened as
if to far off music, and finally said,
half-musing, entirely unmoved: 81
am like that dear fellow Stevenson,
Roger, my boy. I, too, have lived
and loved and closed the door. ;"
"But surely the Welt-geist is not
dead in you, Admiral. Gray hairs do
not make moss-grown wits; there's not
man in the service to match you"
Thanks" interrupted the older
man, briefly. "Welt.lust ist vorbei.
If can avoid Welt.schmertz here in
the overgrown corner of my pasture
fastness, don't let envy of my peace
poison your happiness. lam too old,
and Sereta--"
"Ah, yes, Sereta---" broke in the
youngster; "she is at the other end of
the peth. You and she are like the
two last petals of the daisy rhyme we
used to say our fate by-'passionement
pas de toutp You live in your
library and your thoughts; she lives
in your shadow and the companion
ship of that hyercritical old gardener!"
'Your voice betrays irritation,
Roger" said the Admiral, blandly.
Samuel did not forget himself, I
hope?"
"No-that is, I tried to talk with
him bit about slips this morning-I
was admlring his yellow lilies-but he
took no interest in my botanical re-
searches. That is neither here nor
there, however. Your ward has eyes
that no rose bugs can appreciate, and
nature that would whiten up some
of the dark places of earth consider
ably if properly applied She ought
to see less of herself, aud more Of"
He began to say people of her own
age, but ended worse by adding, '"Ihe
things her mother would have given
her fun and dancing, and"
"Stop," cried the Admiral. "God
forbid such fate as her mothers was
for her! Thus far her feet have trod
in angel innocence; she is happy as
boy, high-minded as a saint. She has
never tampered with her emotions,
nor felt tho wasting reaction from
pleasure. She doesn't know her
heart, except as she knows her lungs
by name. She is youth, graceful
and unspoiled, classic as a Greek.
You cannot make Folly Of her; the
marble is already cut on straighter
lines.
For a time things went on in the
old routine; except that the Admiral
smoked more and talked less, no one
would have guessed anything had
happened. No one saw the battle
fought or took account of self-in-
diligence slain, or carried drink to the
dying convictions or softened the
going Of well-loved preferences; but
after many days aud nights the
campaign ended as suddenly as it be.
gan, and the Admiral was every inch
a commander still as he went to find
Sereta with surrender on his brow.
It was bedtime, and he found her on
the terrace bidding the stars good
night; one of her many quaint OBJ
servances of childhood.
There was a touch of pagan wonder
on her upturned face as she stood
til ere; he stood beside her and
breathed last long breath OF COM
pIete content. "They lock down on
many heart and country tonight,
he began; "think of the Alps--they
must love such tall peaks best because
they are nearest--and then the sea