Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-01

ter. they talked OF the future In this
respect Young men. whatever exceptions
| these may be. are very sentimental. They
| are at once Imaginative and reticent.
Unlike girls. neir bashfulness is internal.
The opening Of their hearts. even in a
measure. to each other in this respect
At this time key were occasionally get
ting letters. The>e had of course gone
| through the hands OF <he censor and their
yirginity thus destroyeSs but the craving
| from home or elsewhere, was ssch that
every letter received became 10 q measure
common property. Even fyom intimate
| letters from their own woMankind parts
| were read out that had any colorado
bearing on private matters few days
before one of the men had letter from
his wife who was in Capetown; letter
which. though it was nothing but a let
ter CT affection from loving wife. was
before the day was over read by every
man in the place. 1t had puzzled the
husband at first. for though it was in his
wifes writing. the manner Of 1t was not
hers. 1t was much more carefully writ
ten than was her wont. Then it dawned
on him that it had a meaning He thought
1t over. till In flash he saw 1t ALL 1t
was written by her. but she had copied
1t for some one else and signed it. The
passage of the letter that now most in
terested him read:
Il do SO long to see you. my darling.
that If ! do not see you before, I am
going to be asked to be allowed to come
up to Pretoria and see you there if /
may, if it is only glimpse through that
horrid barbed wire netting that we hear
of. You remember my birthday Is on
waterloo day; and l am promising my
sci self as, as my birthday treat. glimpse OF
1t did not do to assemble together. for
the eyes of the jailore were sharp and
an organized meeting of the prisoners
was suspicious and meant the tighten
/ IN hv,
will. his fellows. telling them what
he thought and always imploring them to
maintain the appearance Of listless in
difference which they had among them
culated to avert suspicion. Some did not
at first understand the cryptic meaning,
but the general belief was that 1t was a
warning that the capture of Pretoria
was expected not later than the 18th of
June. This created enormous hopes.
Thenceforth all the talk in private was
as to what each would do when relief
came.
| Today the conversation was mainly
about Athlyne's affairs. He had been un-
folding plans to his friend Capt. Vachell
Of the Yeomanry and the latter asked
him suddenly:
ried?''
"What!-Me married. Lord bless YOU.
man. no! Why do you ask?''
L gathered SO from what you have
been saying Just now. Don't be offended
at my asking. but have special pur-
I'm not bit offended; why should 1
be? Why do you ask me?''
That's what / want to tell you. But.
old chap. this is a delicate subject and 1
want to clear the ground first. 1t is
Look here. vachell. this is getting in
teresting. Clear away" The other hest
tated and then said, suddenly:
you never went through q ceremony OF
marriage or what protested to be one
pardon for this
Honestly. vachell, I'm not that sort
Of man. ! have lots Of sins on me-more
than my fair share perhaps-but what
| ever ] have done has been aboveboard -
The other went on with logged persist
| ence:
You win understand when I explain
| why ask. but this 10 your matter, not
tiers still more cemplicated--that is. OF
| course. II there should be any complica-
ton you may have overlooked or forgot
&c GOOD God. man: a marriage is not a
| "Oh, that's all right with a real mar
riage or even with a mock marriage il
man didn't make practice OF it. But
there might be some woman with whom
| one had some kind Of intrigue or irregu-
lar union who might take advantage Of it
to place herself in better position Such
things have been, you know. old chap"
he added. sententiousiy. Athlyne laughed.
Far r be 1t from me to say what won-
her pretty head: but don't think there's
any woman would. who would ever
think she had the right to do that with
me. There are women. lots of them 1 am
| afraid. who answer the bill on the ir-
regular union or intrigue side: but I
should certainly be astonished II any of
them ever set out to claim right. Now I
have made a clean breast of it. Won't
you tell me what all this is about? The
other looked at him steadily as though
to see how he took II. as he answered:
| There is. / am told. woman in New
York who Is passing herself OF as your
wife,
Athlyne sprang to his feet and cried
out:
What
That's what took 1t to mean. BY the
way'-this was said as il II was a sudden
idea-'I take it that your mother Is not
alive. had 1t in my mind that she died
shortly after you were born?"
"Unhappily that Is so!''
There is no dowager countess?"
Not for more than thirty years. Why?"
The letter says Countess OF Athlyne
/ took 1t to be your wife,
Let me see the letter." He held out
his hand. Vachell took from his pocket
the only private storage a man had in
4
| handed to his comrade, who took from 1t
torn fragment of a letter. He read it,
then turned 1t over. AS he did so his
eyes lit up; he had seen his own name
He read 1t over several times, then he
! looked up:
! Have you read it,"
Yes. l was told to do so?''
| IAN right! Then we can discuss it to-
gether." He read 1t out loud:
so Athlyne is married. At least take
1t for so. for there is a woman in New
York. / am told. who calls herself the
Countess of Athlyne. / know nothing OF
her only this: casual remark made In a
gOssipy letter.
Now tell me. Vachell, can you throw
any light on this?'
mot on the subject. but only on the
| way 1t has come to you. I had better
tell you all I know from the beginning -
Athlyne nodded. he went on:
While we were in the trenches at Volks
Spruit waiting for the attack to sound
Mellon and 1 were together-you remem-
Der Mellon of the Connaught Fusiliers?'
well. We often hunted together"
ITO he continued tomnrroU