The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-12

II had been three years since Robert
BRA mleigh had flung away from vonda
q piahhardt in a pet because she had
danced a schottische with Harry Prior
that he had thought belonged to him.
4 They were both young and both proud,
4 en- that somehow the expected reconcil-
iation had never taken place. The
! Spanish war had broken out and Bran
n leigh had. enlisted at once. He, had
h called on Vonda just before he had
4 left for the Philippines, but his time of
coming had been unfortunate in that
he CHANGED upon a roomfuI Of visitors
and found himself unable to make his
4 adieux in private
4 For three years Vonda had waited to
hear from him, but the expected letter
had never come. and now she must
make UP her mind whether she would
marry Harry Prior or not. She had
never cared for him in the way she
had cared for, Robert Bramleigh but
then she liked and respected him thor
oughly. He was a good fellow, we'll to
do. and shes knew her family were
eager for the match. 1t was unlikely
that she would ever find a man more
worthy, and there were financial rea-
sons why she ought not to burden her
father any longer than she could help.
Besides, Rob Bramleigh had never
told her in SO many words that he
loved her. She had known it, to be
sure, but that belonged to- her dead
past, the romance of her life that had
faded to a wistful memory. Why had
he never written? Why had he delayed
to speak so long? Oh, if he cared for
her, why had he been cruel! She re
membered the words of a poem she had
once read and liked:
20. words of love that are unspoken,
You do US grfevous wrong; fasa
For hearts grow weary, yea, and
broken,
If silence lasts too long" se''t
Her heart had been weary with three
years of waiting, and-must waiting
have no end? Or ought she not rather
to pick up the broken threads of her
life and weave them into new strand? ?
She sat hesitating betwixt will and
will not, her maiden heart making a
last stand for her first love. I'll z.ss
The girl made charming picture in
her white summer dress, With the
udStlGS Vi CO4OI dOOQt lCI Wdlol dlQ
neck. She was fair, with a. fine oval
outline of cheek and chin. and tint of
the wild rose blooming in her face.
1.-the activity and grace spoke in ey-
cry movement of the free body. and
the young man coming briskly up the
walk was not slow to appreciate 1t.
His eyes fed eagerly and hungrily on
her, and a Chill foreboding of, impend-
ing failure clutched at his heart - His
manner might be blithe, but his heart
whispered that tlieAgirl was not for
him; reckless young soldier in the
Philippines held it in the hollow of his
hand to crush or make glad.
The girl came forward rathenwshyly
to offer him a hand of welcome. He
took the little hand in his large, brown
one, and held it for a moment, while
he looked up from a lower step into
the sweet face with the gray brown
eyes that met his for an instant. The
dye mounted to her cheek as she dis
engaged her hand and led Harry Prior
to a seat in the porch behind the Glenn
ats vines that rioted over it.
And what is my answer to be, Won
dap t' 2 fsfS ar2
Unconscious1y he squared his shoul-
ders and braced himself for the blow
he feared She looked at him and liked
him. better than she ever had before in
her life. He was so manly and so hon