The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-30
Ccontinued.l

It was while xolng ro take my train &hat circumstance occurred that de- 1ayed my departure for several days more. I was late and was hurrying through the depot when I ran fairly in the arms of Bud. I did not recognize him at first, and 1t was only when l stepped back with unconventional apol- ogy that I saw the strong outlines of his face and knew it to be that of Miss El1en's brother. 1t was only momen- tary glimpse had of him, but he look ed older and more careworn, 1t seemed to me. He seemed preoccupied and did not recognize me, for, lowering my face. I hurried past him and reached the waiting room. abandoned all tn- kention of taking the train that day. for at once suspected that my secret had became known and that Bud had come to Atlanta with the determina- t1on of either having the transfer re- voked or else forcing me to accept the former interest on the mortgage. By a circuitous route I reached my hotel and. sending for messenger, dispatch ed a note at once to the company in- forming the officials of the arrival of MT. Turpin.
 The next day learned that Bud. thinking the transaction somewhat queer, had come to- Atlanta to see nbout 1t himself, and strongly be- Heved that Miss Ellen had urged him To it to satisfy herself that was in no way connected with the benefit which those at the Pines would derive from the reduction of the interest Bud de- handed to know to whom his family Was indebted for this unlocked for piece of generosity. My agent told him that these mortgages had become very valuable and that his company had been authorized to secure as many of Them as possible and to reduce the in- kerest on them to 4 per cent. Satis- ned that the matter was a business transaction. Bud left for the Pines again and. l had reason to believe, with q lighter heart.
 Lost-in the background and congrat- ulating myself on the success of my scheme. l wandered into the west The face of Ellen was ever before me. Night and day the picture of her, clad In simple gingham frock. ger sleeves rolled up and her hand pointing in the nirection of the old memorial bridge. was ever in my mind. Several times Tried to resume my writing. but my pen seemed to drop from my fingers or Rlse my mind refused to respond to my will. In dejection of spirit my head would fall over on my arms, and ' would sit for hours dreaming of the Pines and Miss Ellen In my apathy \ journeyed to Japan, and for awhile life seemed brighter in that mosaic looking country: but. go where would. there was ever recurring to my thoughts the picture of Miss Ellen. and my heart would swell and tears rush unbidden to my eyes as remembered o1r parting. There was talk of war between my country and Spain. but This interested me little I seemed to have lost my sense of the proportion of things. Resolved at last to take up the thread of my life again and begin anew, I started for the States Almost fhe first thing I learned on reaching the Pacific slope was the fact that war had been declared. The will of an in- dignant people had swept aside politics and diplomacy and had surged with such force about the nations rulers that no one dared stand in it's path.
 The martial spirit of my ancestors had never burned within me- for my mind had always been set in other di- rectons, and my pursuits were those Df peace. Never hesitating for a mo- ment, however. started across the continent. By telegraph and letters I collected my scattered influences and. backed by my delegation in congress, asked the governor of my state for a commission. It was secured without much trouble, and was mustered in the service as a first lieutenant of vol untears in one of the regiments from Massachusetts.