Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1903-03-27
sseoese t3ascolgne .,9ahed ha>s ii tbs


sseotse Gascolgne ,eahed hats il tits
chair.
THE biggest mistake in by life" he
muttesed between his c,e:ehcd teeth.
'the biggest mistake
He put his hands up 10 His burning.
throbbing forehead. and wondered dim,
ly why all he furniture in the room,
seemed dancing around him. He he.
came conscious OF the roaring noise OF
loud waters and it puzzled him whence
the sound came. Then for few sec.
onds George Gascoigne saw red. Only
for moment, for suddenly with
laundering roar and crash the mans
house Of cards fell to the earth, and
with bable of empty words and silly
laughter George Gascoigne joined THE
ranks of the foolish, the men Of ! no
understanding, merry phantoms OF
their dead selves.
So the servants found the greatiwhite
sahib, the man who was to have ruled
province he who understood the
beating heart of the strange brown
land and the complex mind of it's PEG.
pie.
A man who laughed shrill ut them
and made ugly mouths, keeping his
eyes fixed on the door, shaking a
trembling finger in their fearful faces
babbling vaguely.
1t was to see this man they sum
moned Kitty-Kitty who, sitting in her
bedroom, was beginning to wonder
when the handle would turn and her
husband enter, ready indeed to throw
up her part and confess her deception
plead for forgiveness on her knees.
George, George!'
A sharp, wild cry burst from her
when she entered the drawing room
and came face to face with the appall-
ing thing who stood there laughing,
laughing, but she got no answer to her
agonized cry, no return to her frenzied
caress.
George, my darling, my husband!
1t was a lie; I never loved any one but
you! l only spoke as 1 did to make
you jealous-to win your love back to
mer'
The wretched girl flung herself on
her knees before the man, pouring out
her confession.
kitty, Kittyv'
He put his hand on her soft curls.
She caught and kissed his fingers hope.
fully,
Eyes, darling, yes" she answered,
'tell your Kitty that you forgive her"
''It's a very funny thing, Kitty" he
replied in a slow inane. voice. pointing
to dim corner in the drawing room,
''but the yiceroy is standing there bow
ing to me. But 1 don't quite remem-
Der what want to say to him, and I
know you are in hurry to catch the
train to England, so shall we run away,
dear? Fla, ha!''
To the sound of his loud laughter
Kitty faihted dead away
81 could have told you from the
first what would happen" man re.
marked a few months later to Mrs.
Chevenix. mo man alive could work
his brains as poor George Gascoigne
did without a breakdown. Talk of
high pressure and overwork--why, the
Government ground the poor devil in
its mill, ground him to chaff-and such
a man of men, too! Where is the poor
chap now. by the way?"
kitty has taken him home,' replied
Mrs. Chevenix nervously-she was al
ways nervous on this subject. "They
have got pretty little house at Ascot.
and she nurses and watches him with
most rare devotion, and the doctors
hope in time" 5a
"That he'll recover to find his career
ended and his life work spoiled" an
swered tho man bitterly. "Better to
live on merry fool"
The woman shuddered, for none
knew better than Olive Chevenix
whose hand was responsible for this
little Simla tragedy.-New York Times.