The Worthington advance., 1901-02-22

i
and reception; what the pudgy De
Mintham girls had worn, and how Eli
sie Ogden had looked when she heard
that So for two whole hours the
affair was forgotten.
It was Q sight of Ted's best friend
that recalled the broken bubble. She
led up to the questions in her mind
with great skill 80 skillfully she
knew that he would never suspicion
that Ted's doings were of moment to
her. .a~a ~.
Did he know where Ted was going?
She asked it with marvellous indifer-
ence-so she thought. He did not.
Would he find out? He would try.
Who could say no to those appealing
eyes? But would he tell her? If he
might with honor. ~.
So he went away on her mission,
and while he was gone it was mostly
of Ted that she thought. Why
wouldn't he go? And it was of Ted
that she was thinking when he re-
turned to her with his information.
"Why, it's no secret" said Ted's
best friend. "As near as I can make
out he's to 60 up to Woodlawn in the
morning and spend the afternoon at
the club. What's he going up there
for? Oh, I forgot to ask"
"Stupid!" This was the thanks
given Ted's best friend.
But why should Ted prefer to go
off to dreary old cemetery instead
~ ~ = l.
her? Was there some former love of
whom she knew nothing, some lost
dear one sleeping up there, who had
carried beyond the grave part of the
love which he had said was all for her
alone?
But she didn't care bit. There
was not even curiosity. Oh, no! Yet
whose was the picture he carried in
the heavy locket that served as a
watch-fob? It must be that of lost
love.
Having arrived at this conclusion
by process of such profound reason
ing as you have noted she stepped one
side to condole with herself. She had
been deceived. She was miserable,
wretched. He could not forget? Then
why had he asked her? If she had
not found him out he would have mar
ried her still loving this other. Then
he would have compared her, in un-
favorable moods, to that other one.
What an escape! But how noble of
him not to forget-and how cruel to
her!
The proper pitch having been
reached, she wrote Ted note. If he
went where he had planned to 20 to-
morrow, thus ran the missive, she
would know that he did not love her,
and she never, never wanted to see
him again. Then she wrote other
notes, canceling the beloved coaching
party. Expected indisposition was
the plausible excuse.
After this she spent some hours in
wonder. What would Ted say when
he saw the note she had written?
Would he go? If he didn't go, would
he still be noble? But would he go?
And how should she know if he did?
This last question she took into
dreamland. All night long she whis-
pered it to strange reople, who tried
to answer, but their voices were
drowned by Ted blowing on coach
horn. It was with her when she
awoke, very early.
That question!-it gave her no
peace. And what was her name, and
what had she been ike-this other
woman? She could see Ted at her
grave this very minute. He was on
his Knees, and there were tears in his
eyes.
OF course he would go. But if he
went? She ought to know for cer-
tain; that was her right after-after
the note she had written him.
So she was on the first morning
train that halted at the cemetery sta
ton. Why had she come? She did
not know. She did not even know
how she felt when she saw Ted-no
longer Ted to her, but Theodore
swing from the smoking car. She
knew that he was either very cruel
or very noble, or both.
She saw him start away. He was
going now to the place where the
love he had lost was lying. She
looked about quickly. There was a
vehicle of no kind at the station save
ridiculousiy shabby public carriage.
She hurried to this, spoke to it's driver
and stepped within. Through the
window of the carriage she watched
him stalk toward the big gates.
There were others going the same
way; old veterans in blue, with flags
and wreaths and mufled drums, for it
was the day of remembrance which
the old soldiers keep. She told her
driver to follow at distance the tall
young man carrying parcel.
In a remote corner of the silent
place she stepped out and picked her
way softly over the new grass to a
point near him. He stood beside a
neatly sodded mound that was marked
by simple headstone. The name she
could not read. On the mound was a
fresh wreath of purple ilacs.
"What queer flowers to bring!" she
thought. what is he doing now?"
Ted had pulled a book from his
pocket and was turning the leaves.
He was going to read something, and
she was too far away to hear. There
was great risk of being discovered, of
course. But what would you? So
she moved nearer.
+ This is what she heard Ted read:
Ho! get away, you bullock man, you've
'eard the bugle blowed.
There's regiment a-comin' down the
Grand Trunk road;
With it's best foot first,
And the road a-slidin' past,