The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-30
well, it seems he called very soon

well, it seems he called very soon
after we left. A tall, m~ilitary-look-
ing gentleman with a mustache,' cook
says, and would take ITO denial, but
walked in as if the place, was his own
those are exactly her words-and
looked round at everything, and par
ticularly hard at the photograph of
Captain Temple in the breakfast
room All, Roger, what he must
have suffered! Well know what no
must have suffered at that moment"
What who must have suffered,
my love? The end of the story is
naturally that cook searched for the
teaspoons on the military gentleman's
departure, and found them missing
THE end of the story is nothing of
the kind" says Rose, futtering up
her feathers like a little sparrow.
The end of the story is that cook
gave him my address here-and 1
am afraid told him other news that
made him most unhappy-and he
said he should follow me straight to
| st. Jean de Luz. I call that some
thing like constancy, poor fellow!
Although he must have known the
hopelessness of his position, to re-
solve without a moments hesitation,
upon following me-"
"Other people, knowing the hope
lessness of their position, have re-
manned constant to you, Rose" says
Roger Temple tenderly.
Does it flash across his mind that
fidelity seems to be more closely al
lied with the state of hopelessness
than with that Of hope?
and now I shall have you both
uron my hands at once. And I am
sure he is of the most fiery, combat
i've temperament-those glowering
deep-set eyes that give a man such a
look of power, and beautiful, long,
auburn m%ustache, and six feet one
1t least" adds Rose, with a %reproach-
full glance at her lovers inferior
stature.
"Rosie," says Roger, with a thor
oughly sincere sigh, do you want to
drive me clean out of my senses?
| Who is he? Deep-set eyes, auburn
m%ustache, power and six feet one! I
cannot endure it, Rosie. There are
limits, remember, even to my long
suffering"
Rose dimples and colors and casts
her eyelids up and down as, all un-
| suspicious Of latent irony. she drinks
in this f1attery, which is the very
meat and drink of her small soul.
cit is Colonel Drewe, then, as you
insist upon knowing. He refused, 1t
seems, to give his name to the SER
wants, but I-oh, there are intuitions
that cannot be mistaken. 1t is Stan
ley Drewe."
"Drewe, Drewe-the lackadaisical
old dandy with a flower in his but
tonhole, whom you have got in your
photograph book? You had a ire
mendous filtration with Colonel
Drewe once, my dear, had you not?"
you would not blame me in that
affair, Roger, if you knew all. You
were far away in India, indeed, it
was in poor Major O'Shea's lifetime,
and I am sure his passions were so
violent I never dared look at any man
twice. But whatever party I was
seen at during one whole season,
Colonel Drewe was certain to be
there, too. If I went to the opera I
saw him. If I drove in the park I
saw him. 1t was an infatuation, and
if I had been free-however, I was
not free!" says Rose in a tone of ex-
| quisite abnegation. II was not free,
and he behaved beautifully, poor
Stanley! He went to Gibraltar with
his regiment, and we have CORE
sponded a little since; only the other
day, indeed, I sent him an announce
ment of Uncle Roberts death. What
a blow this must be to HIM"
A look not so much Of anger as Of
pain passes over Roger Temples face.
He may have ceased to be enamored
of Rose; he has not ceased to be
enamored of his own ideal love for
her; the love which, wise or fool
ish. has for a dozen years been part
and parcel of his life. For the sake
of that, not because Of the faded fir
tation Of these two elderly London
butterflies, he feels wounded.
"a blow to Colonel Drewe! What
our engagement, Rosie? Had mat
ters gone so far between you, then,
that Colonel Drewe has a right to
consider your marrying another man
than himself a blow'?"
"Ah, Roger dearest. 7 implore you
not to be angry. How can I control
poor Stanley's feelings? 1 declare
between you all l don't know which
way to turn. And now to think of
the dreadful embarrassment of hav-
ing him here"
TIC tie Continued.