The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-05-12

And now Stephen was doomed to stand
by and see stranger appropriate the
object of this lifelong devotion. He had
sown, and another was to reap his labors.
Day by day all that summer long the
glamour grew and deepened. Captain
Hallett's leave of absence seemed of the
most elastic description, permitting him
to stay the entire season at plymouth.
HisHmornings, his evenings, his Moons,
were spent with Milly. Stephen sickened
at the inevitable gold banded cap which
met his eyes whenever he entered the
house, and proved his rival in possession
of the field. Milly greeted Stephen kind
ly always; but there was a sense of inter.
ruption; he felt himself a third party.
Then he tried staying away; but that
was worst of all, for his love did not no.
tice his absence beyond acareless, What
ages it is since we saw you, Stephen"
| This state of affairs of course set people
to thinking but Milly was blushingly in
dignant. ut was hard, she declared,
''if girl couldn't have a pleasant friend
without having such things said" But
her pretty poutings and protestings
made little difference, and it was gener-
ally understood that the affair, if not an
absolute engagement, amounted to IAN
understanding" whatever that may
| mean.
At last the long, lovely summer came
to an end, as summers will Scarlet
boughs famed in the forests, golden-rod
burned along the brook sides, the birds
flew, and with them Captain Hallett pre-
pared for fight. His orders had come to
report in Galveston, Texas, and his leave
takings were hurried. The last moment
was Milly's and though no one knew
the exact situation of affairs, it was taken
for granted that another year would
bring orange blossoms and wedding.
Millv's own expectations were not so
definite. No definite promise had passed
between her and her lover but she trusted
him, and waited brightly and hopefully.
Letters came and went; the scarlet boughs
burned into ashes and fell to the ground
i'll pale heaps; then came snow and the
winter. to be in its turn scourged away
by the whip of the fierce New England
spring. Still Milly waited; but not so
brightly now, for the letsArs came less
regularly than at first. By-and-by they
ceased altogether. Weeks passed with
out word. Milly, with visions of yellow
fever and Indians chasing each other
across her terrified brain, wrote and
wrote again; but no presage of the real
danger which threatened glanced over
i her, till one day, opening the newspaper,
this met her eyes:
| "At Galveston, Texas, by the Rev.
Pierre St. Cloud, assisted by the Rev.
Thomas Dix, Captain Edward Hallett,
U. S. A., and Blanche Emily, only daugh-
ter of the late Pierre ST. Cloud, of Palatka,
Florida. No cards.
Mrs. Graves up stairs heard no sound,
but when she went down Milly lay on
the sofa white and rigid, the newspaper
still clasped in her cold fingers. 1t was
long before her senses came back. Her
mother famed with anger, but the girl
hushed her with weary sob.
eve were never really engaged, you
know"
Not engaged Oh, Millyp'
But Mil1y turned her face to the wall
and said no more.
Baymouth was STIRRED to it's depths
next day by the news that Captain Hal
! lett was married to Southern lady. and
| that Milly Graves was down with ty-
phoid fever. Every one wanted to help
| to nurse, above all, to know the particu-
lars. Such masses of blancmange and
Jelly were sent in that poor Mrs. Graves
was at her wits end to know how to dis
pose of them. But no one could really
aid, not even poor Stephen, who scarcely
left the house day or night, or ate or
slept, till the crisis passed, and Milly was
pronounced out of danger.
| Out of danger, but it was weeks before
she could sit up, and weeks longer ere she
came down stairs, thin, white, shrunken
mere shadow and wreck of the bloom
ing little beauty who walked so gayly up
Love Lane at Ned Hallett's side notquite
a year ago. She was patient always and
accomplishing, but she did not often
smile. Perhaps Stephen won these in
frequent smiles oftener than any one else,
and he counted them as precious pay
ments for all time and all trouble spent
in her service.
Only once did he see her shed tears.
This was when, hoping to give her pleas
ure, he brought in the first wild roses of
the season and held them before her.
Suddenly spasm passed over her face.
she gave gasp, turned aside, and strug-
gled for composure. Stephen dropped
the flowers as if they burned his fingers
and hurried out of the room. hot anger
shot through him. "He has ruined every
thing for her" he thought. Even rose
reminds her of him. Coward that he is!
They hang man poisoning the water
springs; why not hang him? though
hanging is too good for such villain as
he"
Natures processes of cure are secret. 1t
is in their depths that wounds begin to
heal Gradually as months went by the
renovating principle worked in Milly.
She resumed her place at home, her little
duties and pleasures, and took up again
the burden of life. She was pale still, but
the paleness infolded a sweet serenity
which was no less lovely than her girlish
bloom. "Milly Graves was real improv-
ed since her disappointment, certain
severe old ladies asserted, and they were
not far from right Stephen adored her
more than ever. Two years later he told
her so.
To his surprise, she was neither aston
ished nor shocked, but looked in his eyes
with a smile which was sad and tender
and sweet all at once.
Dear Stephen" she said, this is just
like you. Do you recollect the day in
Love Lane and the rose you picked up
oft of the dust You are doing the same
thing now, but am not worth it, dear,
not worth the picking up"
"Milly," said Stephen, trembling with
cagerness, there never was day since
first saw you, and that was twenty one
years ago, when l didn't love you be-
yond any other living thing. Pick you
up, indeed! You, my Rose of all the