The Bottineau courant., 1905-01-27
gloved hand TO- the, floor. Hair !.

IS
gloved hand TO. the; floor. i..I. Half an
hour later man picked 1t up, and
discovered between its; pages 9 bunch,
lof withered violets. He glanced about
to see that no one was looking, and
then he placed the flowers in an in
side pocket. His name was Todd. He
was leaving the: golf. club for Ascot.
AS the train moved out he saw his
future brother-in-law SPEEDING toward
the links as If gliding on air. He was
thinking Of Lord Lughton's reply when
he, Todd, had wished the other "luck
In the afternoons match" Lughton had
said:
Thanks, old boy! See you later.
I'm in q paradise At for the gods!"
Todd wondered what he meant. He
was soon to know. Afterwards he
wondered how It was that he had not
understood. The races had COM
menced when he reached his destina-
tion. He was Just in time to get a
lift on "a friends drag. The friend
happened to be cousin of Miss Re-
becca Bruce. The first thing he said,
after. they had settled in their re-
spective places, was:
Heard the. news, Todd? Becky's
engaged to Lughton!"
Todd had not heard. He smiled half
ironically as Becky's cousin went on:
+ ''Lughton's an awful good sort! I'm
tickled to death about it! You know
Becky s. life hasn't been bed of roses,
and she is such a little trump! I'm
awfully fond of Becky"
Y The man understood the young fell
lows enthusiasm. No, life had GER
tainly not been bed of roses for the
girl who was to- make the most bril-
liant match of the season. Todd knew
that. The poverty-stricken man
smothered sigh as he turned to his
companion and asked:
"Is she here, now?"
Eyes, she's with my mother, owe,
| there. l promised to take her for g
turn and get her away from the crowd
She's tired. BY the way, Todd, she
has to 60 back to town to-night-on
that Special You're taking it, too
aren't you?"
| Eyes"
''Will you look after her on the way
up?" ~ ~. ....'. 49,
with pleasure"
Thanks, old man. don't believe
she's we'll, but she says she's all right
and-I suppose she ought to know"
| eyes, she ought to know"
Todd thought of the violets, :and
put his hand in his pocket to assure
himself of their safety. They were
there
The Ascot "Special"s was nearing
Waterloo as a girl tossed bunch q
withered violets to the winds, anc
then turned to the man sitting opo
site her. - !, -
1T is better that they should go witt
oil the rest, Rex!"
eyes, perhaps so. Becky. Strange
that I should have found them. I rec
1 ognized them at once as being those
had sent you."
Should you have sent them, Rex?"
why not? 1t was for the last time
Becky! Do you remember how we uset
to build castles in the air, and talk o
the violets and roses we should hav'
when" -,- --..
Don't, Rex. It was not to be. We ar
both poor. We have nothing. am CRATE
full to the man who has been loyal to m,
through everything. I mean to be loya
to him from this time forth for ever
more!"
"You think that might have given u;
my profession, given up everything-oh
Becky, I'll do that now. If you say tn
word!"
But the girl was not listening Sh'
was thinking Of the woman Rex Todt
was going to marry.
The man went on:
Becky, we're nearly there. For tn
last half-hour we have talked of wha
might have been."
1--WE have. 1 am sorry. Let us talk nov
| Of what is to be-"
Becky, can't give you up!"
''Stop, Rex! Will you make me regre
that my cousin sent me back in-youl
care?"
IT see. It's all over. Becky, for the
sake Of Auld Lang Syne, tell me, is there
anything l can do to please you aftel
this?"
Eyes. Be good to Madge. You're lucky
to have won her."
Some one met them on the platform
and called out:
Hello, good people. where've you
Deen-to the races?" '--~s '.'>' '
| The girl smiled and answered: eyes.
The man touched his hat, glanced
| back at an empty railway carriage, ant
muttered: -
Been in a FOOLS paradise!"-Lady''
Realm.