The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-29
ALICE PVINGENNES

nef lace
The guard let Jean in and closed the
door, himself staying outside,
Alice was as glad TO see the poor lad
as if they had been parted for a year
She Rugged him and kissed his drawn
! little face.
You dear good Jean." she muir
INJURED you did not forget me-
Il brought you something, he whis-
pered. producing the book.
Alice Snatched it. looked at il, and
then at Jean.
why. what did you bring this for?
you silly Jean, l didn't want this. 1
don't like this book at all. It's hateful
/ 1eSpise il Take il back
There's something in il for you. a
paper with writing on it; Lieutenant
Beverley wrote il on there It's shut
up between the leaves about the mid
die"
"Sh-s-shl not so loud. the guardH
hear you" Alice breathlessly whis-
pered, her whole manner changing in
color had been whisked from her face,
as the flame from a candle in a sudden
! draught.
She found the note and read it a
dozen times without "A pause. her eyes
/ 1eaping along the lines back and forth
with pathetic eagerness and cOncen-
tratiOn. Presently she sat down on the
| hands. 4 tremor first. then cOnVul-
sive sobbing. shook her collapsed form.
Jean regarded her with a drolly sym
| pathetic grimace, eIevating his long
/ chin and letting his head settle back
/ between his shoulders
oh, jean Jean" she cried at last
| looking UP and reaching out her arms
| oh. Jean, he is gone. gone, gOnei"
! Jean stepped closer to her while she
l SohbeI like LITTLE child
| She pulled him to her and held him
/ tightly against her breast while she
once more read the note through blind
\ ing tears. The words were few, but to
/ her they bore the message of desola-
/ ton and despair. A great, haunting.
/ hollow voice in her heart repeated
/ them until they echoed from vague dis
/ lance to distance.
1t was written With bit of lead
on the leaf of widowed fiy-leaf torn
| from the book:
Dear Alice; / am going away. When
/ you read this, think of me as hurrying
/ through the wilderness to reach our
army and bring it here. Be brave, as
you always have been; be good, as you
| cannot help being; wait and watch for
me; love me, as I love you. 1 viii
/ come. DO not doubt it. viii come, and
| / will crush Hamilton and his COM
] mand. Courage, Alice dear; courage,
! and wait for me. Faithfully ever,
"BEVERLEY."
She kissed the paper with passionate
| fervor. pouring her tears tpOn it in
| April showers between which the light
| of her eyes played almost fiercely, so
| poignant was her sense of q despair
which bOrdered upon desperation.
| Gone, gone
Jean took the offending novel back
home with him. hidden under his jer-
kin; but Beverley's note lay upon
| Alice's heart. a sweet comfort and a
| crushing weight. when an hour later
I Hamilton sent for her and she was
taken before him. Her face was stained
with tears and she hooked pitifully dis
tressed and disheyeled: yet despite al
this her beauty asserted itself with
subtle force
Hamilton felt ashamed looking al
her, but put on sternness and spoke
| without apparent sympathy:
! Miss RoussiIlOn, you came near
you have done badly enough: but wish
not to DE unreasonably severe. I hope
/ you are sorry for your act, and feel
like doing better hereafter
She was trembling. but her eyes
| looked steadily straight into his. They
| were eyes Of baby innocence, yet they
| irradiated a strong womaniy spirit
chievous light which she could neither
| Danish nor control. When she did not
make reply, Hamilton continued:
You may go home now, and I shall
expect 10 have no more trouble on youl
account" He made gesture indica-
tive of disnissal3 then. as she turned
from him, he added, somewhat raising
his voice:
And further, Miss Roussillon, that
flag you took from here must positively
| be returned. See that il is done"
She lifted her head high and walked
| away, not deigning to give him a word
'Humphi what do you think now OF
your fine young LADY," he demanded
| turning to Helm with sneering cur
| of his mouth. ''She gives thanks copi-
ously for a kindness, don't you think %
Poor girl. she was scared nearly out
of her life said Helm. ''She got away
from you, like wounded bird from q
snare 1 never saw face more pitifu
than hers"
Much pity she needs, and greatly
like a wounded bird she acts, / must
say; out good radiance if she'll keeI
her place hereafter. 1 despise myself
when l have to be hard with woman
especially a pretty one. That girls 8
saucy and fascinating mink. and as
| dangerous as twenty men, I'll keep g
watch on her movements from this on
| ana II she gets INTO mischief again II
transport her to Detroit or give hel
away to the Indians. She must stor
her high handed fooIishness"
Helm saw that Hamilton was talk
ing mere wind, vox ct praeterea nihiI
and he furthermore felt that his bah
bling signified no harm to Alice: but
Hamilton surprised him presently by
saying:
IT have just learned that Ifeutenan
Beverley IS actually gone. Did yoi
know of his departure
What are you saying. sir?'
Helm jumped 10 his feet, not angry
but excited
Keep cool, you need not answer i
you prefer silence or evasion. You ma,
want to go yourself soon''
Helm burst out laughing, but. quickly
growing serious. saiu.
Has Beverley been such q driveIins
fool as that? Are YOU in earnest2''
He killed two Of my scouts. wound
ed another, and crossed the Wabash
IN their canoe. He is going straight
towards kaskasia.''
The idiot, Hurrah for him, IL vol
catch your hare YOU may roast him
but eaten him first. governor"
You II joke out of the other corner
of your mouth. Captain Helm. if I fine
out that you gave him aid or coun-
tenance in breaking his parole"
Aid or countenance, I never saw
him after he walked out Of this room
IL