The leader., 1905-02-25


COME UNTIL LATER"
them; says l mustn't put foot on the
encampment ground while they are
here"
Florence stood aghast. Such cruelty
from parent to child had never been
dreamt of in her philosophy. Tears of
sympathy stood in her brown eyes, and
she stopped down to embrace her friend,
silently stroking the auburn curls Not
to see the soldiers! She could scarcely
control herself.
Never mind" she said, soothingly,
maybe he will change his mind"
Agnes shook her head.
WELL" ventured the other girl, s'you
might slip off and go with US; he'd never
know" But again Agnes shook her
head
Florence soon left the house; she must
give vent to her feelings by expatiating
on Judge Wells tyranny in the hearing
of her own indulgent parents and her
other friends. And even this was not
sufficient for relief; later she found it
necessary to relate the whole story,
with many little touches, to every young
officer and private with whom it was her
pleasure to carry on an innocent firta-
ton Agnes, languishing in her old
ancestral home, was to her like the
beautiful castle-imprisoned heroine of
the old-fashioned three volume novel.
The first one to whom she told the
tale made her very angry by laughing
before she had finished. He was hand
some young lieutenant, and on intimate
terms with Florence, because he was a
distant relative of her cousins aunt-in-
law.
81 beg your pardon for laughing,
Cousin Florence" he said, "but you see,
l am only beginning to realize tenth
part of the alteration you dear girls
lavish upon uniform; but to show
you, however, that really sympathize
with your heroine, intend to pass by
her prison tomorrow that she may
feast her hungry eyes on my brass but
tons"
When he carried out this generous
impulse Agnes was reading under a
large rose vine; he walked slowly to
give her time to enjoy the buttons while
he admired the flowers, among which
she was the fairest blossom.
Excuse me, miss, but may inquire
the way to camp?" He could think OF
nothing else to say, his usual GOODNESS
being lost in the mazes of the young
girls attractiveness.
Agnes stood and pointed towards the
west. 1T is less than a half mile, she
answered
THANK you. All, now see the can
vas; l might have seen it before but
for the sun in my eyes, and-the flowers.
We don't have them like this in our cli-
mate; you-you never sell any, do you? %
Certainly not; you are perfectly well
come. /" And Agnes gathered for him the
gorgeous roses.
81 came out this afternoon to shoot
pheasants," said the young man, getting
deeper into the mazes; but i haven't
been very successful. :
The flower she had just plucked fell at
her feet .Pheasants! Why, they never
come till later"
'Is that so?" replied he, vaguely,
thinking only o the girl and the flowers.
THANK you; thank you.
She watched him as he departed, his
broad handsome shoulders, his shapely
head, with its wavy black hair; his mill
tary tramp, tramp, was music to her
ears; and in her memory there fingered
the expression of his dark eyes as he
looked at her while he admired the dow
ers.
He's lovely!" she thought, with girl
ish enthusiasm; but what q pity he has
so little sense; a soldier. and not able to
find his way in sight of the camp; and
oh. my! to hunt for pheasants In Aug
ustl''
When Lieut.. Charles 9. King reached
his quarters laden with Judge Wells
choicest flowers be was greeted with 4
yell and clamorlng questions. Where
have You been2 What have you got?s
i've been hunting he said graVeIy.
s'and I've brought back q lot Of pheas-
ants.
This remark was loudly appIauded;
but to their astonishment the young of
dceF looked annoyed. and he presently
walked away IN dreamy fashion It did
not take them long to discover where ne
had been, and most Of them felt inclined
ID follow IL MS footsteps For Il was not