The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-06

crippled and begging not to be left TO the
vengeance of the foe. Pelham's friends
must have restored the old horse TO his
owners, yet now the veteran was being
made at home here at the Chiltons. How
Fred would have gone instantly TO renew
acquaintance and reward his old four
footed friend with caress and praise, but
someone else was crossing the lawn, with
a white hand extended, palm uppermost
before her-s0meOne In white dimity,
! though Benton didn't know it from damask,
and cared nothing what IL was, save that
| the waist, at least chung 10 the queenly
! form he thrilled 10 see. The vol
luminous skirt was doing its best to balloon
without the aid OF skeleton, for crino-
/ line, being the height of fashion, was
1 contraband of war, scarce in the South as
| cinchona; but these were details of which
/ Benton took no note. There had been
/ time when he fully intended that not so
much for what she had said in her wrath
/ as for what she must have believed of him.
| this proud, lmperious, willful girl should
/ be made 10 feel that he, too, could rebuke,
/ but at sight of her and the WEAKNESS and
| lassitude with which she moved, all this
seemed vanished into the air. All that he
now Observation-Disclosures that 1t
was she, Rosalie, who, only a half dozen
rods away, lovely as ever in her dark
| beauty. yet pathetically changed, had
| thrown one arm about that scrawny, griz-
| zled equine neck, and stood softly stroking
the lean old head, softly murmuring TO the
unheeGing ear and nesting the warm velvet
| OF her cheek upon that unresponsive jowl
/ all that sweetness thrown upon a super
comparable nuzzled about her rounded
1 neck and arms in quest of lump sugar, long
since forgotten luxury. ROsalies back
was toward the intruder in blue, as, no
longer hesitant, he went striding under the
trees until almost within arms length of
! her, Pyramus, the while regarding him
with mute and placid curiosity, with neith-
! er hope nor fear. And here the soldier
stood and looked on hungrily moment at
| priceless caresses, for any touch of which
/ he could almost sell his SOUL and listening
| TO low, murmurOus words of tenderness and
| affection that. lavished on him would have
| turned grief or suffering TO instant ecstasy.
| Inc sight thrilled him, even While IL fired
his soul with envious greed. And then-and
then came further murmured words, at
sound of which his heart stormed at its
heavlng bars, and fairly leaped in mad de-
| light and passionate, rejoceful love- Ora
cious heaven, could he believe his senses.
Dear old fellow-dear old fellow Did
anybody think Id let him be sold to
strangers, after all he'd done for me-and
mine? Good old Pyramus, Good old boy!'
And all this with petting, patting hands,
with that soft cheek still nestled against
the long, brown, bony muzzle. He'd do
IT all over again, wouldn't he? He'd bring
him back-back to me-if only-I hadn't"
And then both white arms were clasped
about that prepOsterous neck, and the
dark tresses of the girl were bowed against
and mingled with the .grizzled. tangled
name of her one confidant. The lovely
face was hidden from the worshiping
eyes of blue. but only for instant. In
daring and delight and overmastering love,
with caution thrown TO the winds, and
pride and resolution totally forgotten, Ben
ton sprang forward, one low cry of
Resale on his lips. seized. tore loose
the clasp OF the clinging arms, and de-
spite amaze and struggle and breathless
protest, just as on that wondrous night
at the ola stone house, he strained the
slender, painting, swaying form to his
breast; and just as he did not then do,
rained kiss after kiss on the velvet of that
flushed, tear-wet, aStoniShed cheek; yes,
dared even in his strength and glory and
delight to turn the now furiously resisting
head upon his breast until the wild, dilated
eyes were staring into his; until the rosy,
painting mouth was so close to his CULVER
ing lips that denial seemed utterly i'm vain:
then down he swooped upon the prize. But
with one superb, supreme effort, she tore
herself from his embrace; stood one In
slant. painting, speeches., with hands up
lifted against him. waving him back: with
eyes that flashed and commanded and re-
fused to melt even at sight of the passion
and pleading and bewilderment in his face.
Il could not help it," he began. You
must know how l love YOU, and when
heard"
Heard" and up went the hands in i'm
potent wrath and protest. How dare you
listen? oh! Don't | know what" but
than the torrent of her words was stemmed
by the sight of the changing light in the
deep blue eyes. and all in a second she saw
them clouding again as in pain and amaze
they had clouded the bitter night of her
impetuous, inexcuSable attack two years
agone. Yes, and his face was paling his
lips setting. He was seeing her again as
time and again in minds eye he must have
seen her-unjust, ungratefu unreasoning
in face of all that he had done and endured
| for her and for those she loved. And then
% heaven! with pain, disappointment yet
with conviction-cOnviction that she was
after all not the Rosalie he had loved and
worshiped in spite of herself, but the Rosa
lie she really was-proud. passionate, I'M
grateful, unjust; yes, utterly unworthy-he
had dropped his strong hands and was
slowly turning-surely turning away. Now
he would go and never know how she had
suffered for the sin. Now he would go and
I 6Fnl hFu cnn hn1 e. g.
giveness and for him and for the time
when she could tell him all. And now he
had come all unannounced and had startled
! and stunned her, and heard-heard her
weak, unmaidenly words. and all, there
was the rub! would think, would surely
think that she knew he was there, and so
was only acting a part TO lure him back
oh, the shame, the bitter shame of it, But
none the less was he going. and this time
it might be for good and all. 1t was more
than she could bear. 1t was the last and
cruelest stroke OF the evil fate that had
so long bounded and pursued her. 1t broke
, the last prop of her stubborn womanly
pride, her long-tried. failing strength. and
for the first time in her daring. fearless
resolute life, Queen Rosalie threw out
nerveless, cropping hands for aid, and sud-
den as the stroke of heaven, went crashing
down.
o blessed sun that sank behind the ridge
and would net seei blessed songsters that.
. trilling their last good might. would suffer
no other sound. o wise old Pyramus to
wander off beneath the blOssoming trees
ana give pace 10 MINI WHO SprdrS, TOO late
; to seize; who knelt and. defiant of hygienic
laws, lifted the bonnie, swoonng head:
} clasped again the now plant. yielding form,
pressed kiss after kiss upon the soft un-
responsive but unresenting lips, and plead
and prayed and called on heaven and on
her until, with faint sigh, the futterine
breath returned, and then the dark eyes
slowly opened, and one moment seemed
ready again to blaze with the battle fire
of the South, but that presently took refuge
beneath the white flag Of their own, long
dashed lids and with another sigh with a
! soft glow stealing slowly up over rounded
throat and cheek and even to the snowy
; brow. the beautiful. humbled face turned
! fairly toward him and buried itself in the
! blue of the broad shoulder. Like that OF
AppomattOx, it was the surrender of ut
! ter exhaustion.
They We're standing two hours later In
the dusk of the old portico. There had beer
| a blessed yet almost solemn, meeting al
the bedside of the aging father, and all
: