The Washington herald., 1910-07-21
CHAPTER XIV.


when, at O'Clock. he met his mother
and the sergeant and Denise at the tram
station. to find that Mile. Duval had a
raging headache and was compelled TO
remain at home The sergeant. too.
rather liked the arrangement, except that
he was afraid that Denise would not be
sufficiently polite TO Toni. So. on their
way TO the rendezvous he had warned
| her.
Now. Denise" he said. Il won't have
you running away from Toni and treat
! ing him like dog before his mother this
afternoon. You have got TO be civil TO
him."
| yes, papa" answered Denise, with the
air Of a martyr. L suppose 1 shall have
to be civil to him before his mother, but
Toni really bores me dreadfuIly." OH
| Denise. what story-teller you are!
When they got on the tram it was so
crowded that it was impossible for the
party TO get seats together. so Denise,
making pretty grimace on the sly at
her father. went and sat with Toni quite
at the end of the car, and out of sight OF
her father and TOMS mother. and her
first speech, whispered softly in his ear.
was:
"oh. Toni. how nice it is to be to-
gether like this"
Toni answered not one word. but he
| looked at Denise with his whole soul
shining out Of his lustrous black eyes.
and Denise thought him the finest young
soldier in the world
Il was a warm September afternoon.
and their road lay through the beautiful
| valley OF the Seine. There were many
family parties on the tram, and when
they reached the Golden Lion ne large
garden and even the orchard beyond we're
full of tables at which people were eat
Ing and drinking. There were plenty of
soldiers about. and some Of TOMS COM
rades would have been very much pleased
at an introduction to the sergeant's pref
ty daughter, but the sergeant would not
oblige them, neither would Toni. The
party seated themselves at a table under
an acacia tree, which reminded Toni ana
Denise of that other acacia tree at Bien-
vile under which they had sat and
munched and loved IN their childhood.
Nine. Marcel anpacked their lunch bas-
ket and they ordered wine and tea from
the inn and proceeded 20 enjoy them
selves. Under the combined influence
Of wine and worsan the sergeant grew
positively lover-like. and when their tea
was ever and they got up TO walk about
the garden, he very soon managed to
have Nine. Marcel TO himself. He was
quite unconscious Of being assisted in his
maneuvers by Toni and Denise and
Nine. herself. who had very good mind
to give Toni all possible chances with
Denise and her 1000 francs. So presently
Toni found himself alone with Denise in
a little nook in the orchard, behind a
great clump Of dwarf plum trees. The
soft light of evening was about them. the
air was hushed and the stiffness was only
broken by the faint and distant sounds
OF merriment Ali the world seemed fair
and beautiful and peaceful. and the fair
est thing OF all to Toni was the blue
heaven OF Denise's eyes She wore a
pretty blue gown, and a jaunty black hat
upon her blond hair. Her eyes. which
were as blue as her gown. were usually
downcast, but were now Upturned 10
Toni quite frankly. She had loved Toni
as long as he had loved herLndeed, the
world without Toni had seemed TO her
quite an impossible place. He said soft
ly to her:
Denise. in all those seven years that
did not see you did you ever think of
me?"
YES" replied Denise. She said this
with a simple sincerity that went to
TOMS heart
You know every time wrote to my
mother I always put the most important
line at the bottom-my love to D. She
knew what I meant"
Yes" said Denise, with a little gasp
of pleasure, she always gave me your
message"
L always felt that some time or other
we should be Denise and Toni as we had
been when you were q dear little girl and
I was a dirty bad little boy. And Denise.
swear to you, whatever have done
wrong in my life, have been true 10 you
never told any other girl that loved
her. because I never loved any other
girl. / took my fling with them, but in
every girl I ever saw in my life it seemed
to me that 1 saw something Of you.
Denise. You need not think that women
! In the circus are bad just because they
are in the circus. There are plenty OF
them that are just as good in their way
as-as Mile. Duval is in hers. They don't
take a religious newspapers but they
stand by each other in their troubles.
They help with each others children and
when a woman's husband gives her a
black eye ali the other women fiy at him
and help to abuse him. Oh. Denise,
think women are very good and the
worst of them Is too good for the best
of men. Denise. am not half good
enough for you. but want you to marry
me as soon as my time is I'D. I can get
OF with one years service IL escape
punlshments. and that / have done and
mean TO do. for your sake, Denise" He
took Denise's hand in his-their eyes met
and then their lips. A bird in the plum
tree above began cooling softly to its
mate. The bird seemed. like Toni and
Denise. to think the earth was Heaven.
Their love-making was very simple,
as were their natures and their lives;
they were only a private soldier and a
sergeant's daughter. but they loved each
other well and asked nothing better OF
: life than love.
Meanwhile things had not been pro-
crossing so favorabIy with Sergt. Duval
and Nine. Marcel. The sergeant had
been little too vigorous in his wooing
and Nine. Marcel. who simply had TOMS
: advantage in view. felt called on to re-
press her lover. The sergeant, who had
a big voice>in his big FRAME had made
his wishes concerning his future with