Middletown transcript., 1906-05-12
A HALT UNDER FIRE
BY GELETT BURGESS

grown sad. It's almost theatri-
cal-it's the subject of a hundred
c heap lithographs-but | can't
bear it! Ny nerves tingle with
it, for it means only one thing
for me-one night! We were on
the water in a boat alone, and off
somewhere in the darkness a
woman in a summer cottage was
singing "Robin Adair.' The song
is part of it all, and | can't bear
to hear that, either /! 1t IS one of
the tricks our memory plays US
when it selects something abso-
lutely insignificant and passes
over so many obviously impor-
tant events. But the song and
the moonlight'on the waves stand
out in my past with the yividness
of fash-light photograph, and
they mean only one thing-him
He did not reply to this for
some time, but at last he eau
tiously advanced, But your en-
gagement was broken. Doesn't
that prove that your love was
not perfect?
No, she said; l shall never &C
knowledge that. Every great
love must be a tragedy, it seems
to me. 1t is so In poetry, in the
drama, in all art; and so 1t is in
life, think. That's why, if you
insist, I shall marry you. I don't
want to think of it any more. I
want to feel just warm and quiet.
The Honorable Charles Brax-
ton remained silent.
They'll say I married you from
pique, she said, as if to draw his
fire.
And that will be true, too he
No: l couldn't feel that way.
The story is closed forever
closed to me. 1t ended tonight,
when got my letters back from
him.
You put me in d hard position,
he said. l love you, and l want
you, and you are willing to ae--
cept me, yet you make me feel
as if I were taking advantage of
you if I marry you.
Let US have it over now, said
Miss Frayne. I'll go in and get
my letters, and you shall read
some of them. You must, be-
fore we decide, and if after that
you still want me, I'll marry you.
1t would be cruel /! he said. You
have no right to show them.
They are really no longer yours.
1t is as cruel to me, too, as we'll
lis to him
And as for me ? she questioned.
He said nothing, and she left
him, and entered the house. When
she returned her face had lost
the tense expression it had worn
before.
| have made a mistake, she
said, and l can't show you the
etters. It's very strange When
his package came by mail this
afternoon, | thought of course it
vas from him, as I had been ex-
oecting my letters, and I didn't
even look at the writing. II
bear to then. But it !
sn't his writing at all | won, |
Ter what it is! Have you a
Inife !?
She cut the string and the
Vrappings, and disclosed a squar-
box in white tissue
'aper. Why, it's music. box
he said, smiling. 1t must be
ome joke.
She wound the handle, and set
he box upon the railing. 1t set
lp a thin, tinkling melody, inter-
persed with the customary runs
nd trills of the metallic comb, SO
ull of flourish that the tune
ould not at first be recognized.
hen it burst into the song
Robin Adair."
The Honorable Charles Brax-
on gave a quick glance at Miss
erayne, as she fell into her chair
nd gazed out across the moon
it water. Then, raising his hat,
le bowed gravely, and left her
Ipon the veranda, alone with
he little instrument still singing
IS sprightly tune Her rein
orcements had arrived.
Many Of the live stock commission men
the stockyards engage buyers to select
tock to fill their orders. either for home
T foreign consumntion Thesa hn,ars