The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-05-20
The Great
7ontine
BY
HA WILEY SMART
Author Of Broken bonds.' Bound To win.'-
G8&@@@401@HM
-=i%IZ=
CHAPTER VII

thing for him. of course. TO have got a
ship. although | suppose that means bid
ding him good-by for very long while. y
Yes replied Beatrice. that is the
worst Of it. 1t is OF course very nice
that be should get a ship. because | know
he wants one: but. l must say, l don't
like losing Jack for so long
Pooh. child, Jack has got his way
to make in the world. and that is not to
BIZ done by dangling about your apron
strings
Il don't think Jack minds being bullied
and teassd by me. grandmamma, replied
the girl.
HE will probably bring home a wife
from the other side of the world
Jack will never marry" replied the
girl quickly.
"Ah. well, my dear" said the old lady
demurely, mo doubt you know best"
You are a wicked old woman" cried
the girl, as her cheeks flushed. and she
threw her arms round her grandmother's
neck and kissed her. How dare you
entrap me like that?''
But now the door opened. and Mr..
Phillimore made his appearance-a good
hair, bold blue eyes, and blonde mus
tache He shook hands cordially with the
ladies'; aid his greetings made. in obedi-
ence to the announcement that dinner was
ready. handed Mrs. Lyme Wregis with
gay courtesy to the dining room
And so, Jack, you are pleased with
your appointment" observed Mrs. Lyme
Wregis. Il suppose it really is nice
thing for you"
Great bit of luck" he replied. II
am going out, you see. as the Admirals
flag lieutenant"
And so you are 10 be away three
years. Jack" remarked Beatrice.
Eyes: but il is to be spent at a first
rate station"
And you would have no regrets about
leaving England for so long?" inquired
Beatrice, in somewhat more serious tones.
WELL of course" replied her cousin,
81 should be sorry not to see any of you
for so long a time but then, you know,
when a man turns sailor he OF course ex-
poets all that sort of thing. Besides. I
shall never be more than a few days
distant from you, and can always make
a dash home if any event of Importance
is about to take place in the family
''Sucn as my marriage, you know"
replied Beatrice demurely
Yes, you may be quite sure shall be
there whenever that takes place." said
Jack Phillimore, 'even if / am tried for
desertiol afterwards"
"Oh. but you might not be asked. you
know
"Ah, well, Trixie, you know that |
should be very unhappy if / thought your
wedding could take place without my be-
ing present"
"Well, now" said the old lady II shall
leave you young people TO have your talk
out by yourselves while l take my usual
nap before tea"
Then you have to leave almost at
once. Jack" said the girl in low tones,
while her cousin closed the door behind
Mrs. Lyme Wregis.
Il leave Waterloo by the mail train to-
morrow night" he replied; and this is
the last time that l shall see you, Trixie,
till I don't know when. I have got 80
much to do tomorrow that it will be
quite impossible for me to get out here
but / have counted on this evening
have something to say to you before
leave England, something indeed that
could not leave England without saying
Cannot you guess what 1t Is, Beatrice?"
The girls lips syllabled scarcely au-
dible NO" to which the blood that man.
tied her cheeks gave fat contradiction.
Yes, ! think you can, darling" be
continued. III have never told you in
actual words that love you, ii is because
/ have told you in so many other ways
that il was needless. l have loved you
for years. I loved you as child. loved
you as a school Girl, and now that you are
a woman grown, | want you to tell me
that you can love me in return. Can you
not tell me that, darling? Can you not
promise that, when l come back at the
end of three years, you will be my wife?'
mo, Jack she replied softly, Il can
not do that"
Have i been mistaken, Beatrice?" he
exclaimed sadly. Can you not regard
me no longer as cousin, but as your
betrothed husband%
''You must not ask that question
Jack"
olute tones. The minute / got my ap-
pointment / made up my mind to ask
you that question before anything, and
surely a man deserves courteous reply
If 1t be to say him nay You may tel
me Beatrice, that l have already had it
and that it is unfair to press you fur.
ther: but my whole life is a stake"
But I DO love you,' she replied, with
flushed cheeks.
well enough to be my wife, darling? ~
he whispered, as he stole his arm round
her waist
Yes; and / was just about to tell you
SO, only you were so dreadfully impetu-
Gus. And, Jack" she continued. as she
yielded to his embrace, "when you be
gan to tell me how you loved me it wa:
so delightful that / could not interrup,
YOU / suppose / ought to have melted
before" she said half shyly, half saucily
'but can not you understand girl being
SO proud of having won such a love
that she could not bear to break in upon
her lovers pleadingsp
But, Beatrice, dearest, what made YOU
80 cruel to me at first? Why did you
tell me you could not love me:"
"Oh, Jack, / did not. You asked me
to promise to be your wife, and / tolC
you I could not. Now that you have told
me- that You love me | can tell you all
Grandmamma. you see, is a very clever
old woman. There is nothing goes on un
der her eyes but what she knows rather
mere about than the people concerned
/ am ashamed to say that she discovered
my secret. Horrible to confess. she hat
none of those doubts which so disturbed
you. She seemed also To divine that yot
would ask this question before you lef
England, and she made me promise thai
l would not pledge myself to be youl
wife,"
Well cried Jack. "th;s is unaccaunt
bic. | declare | thought | was rather
favorite with Mrs. Lyme Wregis. ant
never dreamed that she would have op
>Osed me in this manner
You are mistaken again. said Bea
trice. You have no stauncher friepC
than grandmamma; but she has a gFea
,hTor+5o-, Ic-er ar.rs ~arsaoufe