Evening star., 1901-03-02

Dopyright, 1900. by c. W. Dillingham; co..
Written for The Evening Star by Gen. Chas. King.
Synopsis of Preceding Chapters.
Norman Holt favorite of an old Kentucky fam,
lily, Is reprmand at West Point for dueilhe
and is withdrawn by his hgh-spirtedd 4 IA es.
His Homecoming in the winter of 1S6o Is ceie-
brated by old fashioned Kentucky Christmas
esughtef of Aop Dr Hol,s % LAWYER @ and j. Burnett
Mallov. both of Cincinnati The latter brings
letters Of pr9dufon from Lanes epsyrd but
arouses the iealousy of Norman Holt by MS at-
tenticns TO Daisy Lane Malloy separates ME. MISS
Lane from the main party during fox hunt
and at the Christmas bali the same evening at,
fects an air of proprieiorship 1istasseidl ~ Holt "
Daisy and obnoxious to his rival. Norman inGh,. ad
But ali i'll feeling is forgotten when at mlu-
night all surround Dr. Holt 10 drink the Christnas
punch which ceremony is interrupted by MID
night messenger. who announces the dangerous
illness of Judge Mcintyre; IpTestigation EeVeaas ,h
his affairs In hopeless tangle ana iue
Holt fortune dlsslpated Henry and Norman en-
ter Lanes law Office in Cncinnati NoFnah Ia,nr en
lists as private In the Ohio infantry Mailoy
through political influence IS lieutenant in the
,t 1par aPd drme en Is hG to Conduct
skirmishing party under Captain wing 10
view raid fails. Wing is captured and Norman
is accused Of treachery. Brain fever saves MN
from trial and takes him to the hospital.
Charges against Norman are disproved hy En- IN,
yart Norman reioins mis- regiment ana aus
Holt. drugred by Maifoy while picket duty
is found asleep at his post. Court, martial con,
victs Norman. who demands tnat Mdlios' NAps0
testimony convicted him. shall lead firing party
the day Of his death. Norman is pardonea
rIesutnt x"rr,n ati is accIeed hr the
Lanes Of betraying Theodore. who has deserted.
fntc the hands of secret service men Norman
wins high praise from Sheridan for gallant rally
OF troops. and when Mailoy. now major OF new
man Norman captured by confederates while
trying 10 save dispatches for Thomas. Capt
against Norman Hp Mailoy Who deserts to en-
federate army. In the battle OF Mission ihdge
Norman plants Union flag on breastwork,
though severely wounded
1T is Norman in spite of all" answered
the sorrowing woman. looking wistfully,
pleadingly into the pallid, clear-cut manly
face. as she half timidly held forth both
hands. Good God, what humility of suffer
ing there is for the mother who turns from
the wreck Of her own hopes from the death
Of all that was planned and prayed for in
her first born, and gazes upon the full frui-
ton Of effort and energy in the person of
another-her boys own friend and comrade.
On the one hand lay her Ishmael, useless
life ruined career; on the other stood he
who had so faithfully striven to befriend
her weakling. he whom they had so de-
spitefulIy treated, now a tried leader OF
men, tempered by adversely, tested through
fire and food, crowned with the honor and
acclamatlon Of his soldier comrades, high in
rank and command despite his youth, yet
not so high that. in pity and sympathy and
forgiveness, he had stifled the sense OF his
own suffering that day by day he might
succor their dying boy. With her face
bowed upon his hands. she was silently
weeping when the door from an adjoining
room opened and Daisy came slowly In
Not since the week OF Theodore's arrest
had he set eyes on her That was only
year agone, yet all the girlish look had fled
from her face. leaving it pathetic. sorrow
ful, yet inexpressihly sweet. 1t was ths
face of a woman chastened by anxiety and
suffering. one In whom gentleness. tender
ness and devotion had triumphed over
thought of self and made a ninister1ng
angel to the aging and distressed 1ne
mother had known that death would doubt-
less be the sentence of her son should he
fall into the hands of the Union army, ana
all her thoughts had been of him and MS
peril. The daughter had had to carry a
double load The knowledge that her
fathers affairs were going from bad 10
worse. that the investments prompted by
the elder Malloy had been calamitous, and
he stood between that father and financial
ruin Malloy went further still. He had not
scrupled to tell the daughter her fathers
good name was involved as had been that
of his deceased partner, Mcintyre. All this
for months the girl had had to bear, in the
determination that her mother should not
hear It, All this had Malloy been whisper
ing into her ears in furtherance of the suit
Ray wrote. Daisy looked as though she
were going into decline.
And then for long months she had known
how hideously unjust was Theodore's ac-
rusatiau against the lover toward whom her
young heart had leaned from the first-the
lover whom she had spurned at her brothers
and mothers demand-the lover whom they
had all wronged. and. according To Maiioy,
whom the father had actually robbed, for
trust money, too, said he, was involved in
the fathers speculations. What reward had
Norman received at their hands for his de-
yotion 10 her brother and to her?
IL was but few weeks after Theodore's
arrest that she learned the falsity of his ac-
cusations; Kate Ray had seen to that-but
reply to her letter. the check returned and
her slight repaid in full. II shall never
again attempt to see you. After your letter
/ doubt II | shall ever care to-" That was
the last word between them, yet it would
not have been the last, for she had nerved
herself TO write and tell him she knew the
truth Though she could not ask him 10
forgive or forget she wished him TO know
she deplored their bitter injustice to him.
No light-minded girl could have brought
herself TO such a sacrifice Of maidenly pride.
to such a pitch of self-abnegation-the pos
sibility Of being misunderstanding shame
full possibility that he might think her beg
ging for the return of his love and trust.
No-that she assured herself was gone for
ever-insulted and outraged 1t had been.
1t was the woman In her now prompting
her at any cost to acknowledge her fault
II would have been easier to say Il have
stnned against thee" to any other soul on
earth. But she had at last, after many at
tempts written her confession. and then
came the dread tdings Of his desperate
wound and capture. The story of his hero
Ism came later-kate Ray again. But that
was nothing new. What could he ever be
but brave. heroic, superb?-her knight her
soldier. her hero, her lover, aye. her dearly
loved one, though he should never know 1t,
though he should never care to know
though he would probably come back gen.
eral In the by and by and marry Kate
Sister or pretty Lou Ward (who was srnit-
ten with one OF Morgans dashing raiders),
or Lorna Walton (who wore the confederate
colors beneath her expensive bodice and
could not see what 50 many men saw in
Kate RAY.
As for Daisy, she would devote herself to
poor mother. She would nurse and soothe
and work for her. and SO, in gentle deeds
of goodness. the child had lived through
her years of penance. refusing to yield to
the pleas Of the Malloys, and the bud had
become the blossom. sweet sorFowing, un-
complaining, but far more loyabie and
womanly And such was she who with
faltering footsteps and timid yet resolute
mien came slowly forward, and Norman
turned and saw her-saw in an instant the
change the year had wrought, and the
same old spasmodic seizure fastened on his
throat and choked his utterance. He could