The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1914-09-25

When Marta walked she usually came
from town by that way. At length the
sound of q slow step from another d.
rection broke on his ear. Some one
was approaching along the path that
ran at his feet Around the corner Of
the wall, In his workman's Sunday
clothes Of black, but wearing his old
straw hat, appeared Feller, the gar,
dener. He paused to examine q rose
bush and LAnstron regarded him
thoughtfully.
AS he turned away he looked up,
and O glance Of definite and unfalter'
ing recognition was exchanged be-
tween the two men. They had the
garden to themselves.
"Gustave!" Lanstron exclaimed un
der bis breath.
"Lanny!" exclaimed the gardener,
turning over a branch Of the rose bush.
He seemed unwilling to risk talking
openly with Lanstron.
"You look the good workman in his
Sunday best to IT." said Lanstron.
Being stone-deaf," returned Feller.
with a trace Of drollery in his voice,
Il hear very well-at times. Tell me"
-his whisper was quivering with
eagerness-"shall we fight? Shall we
fight?"
I'VE are nearer to it than we have
ever been in our time," Lanstron re-
piled.
The hat still shaded Feller's face,
his stoop was unchanged. but the
branch in his hand shook.
"Honest?" he exclaimed. "Oh, the
chance Of 1t! The chance Of til"
"Gustave!" Lanstron's voice, still
low, came In a gust of sympathy, and
the pocket which concealed his hand
gave a nervous twitch as If 1t held
something alive and distinct from his
own being. "The trial wears on you!
Do you want to go?"
moi" Feller shot back irritably.
MOL he repeated resolutely. Il don't
want to go! I mean to be game-I-"
He shifted his gaze from the bush
which he still pretended to examine
end suddenly broke off with: Miss
Galland is comingi"
Lanstron started toward the steps
that Marta was ascending. She moved
leisurely, yet with q certain springy
energy that suggested that she might
have come on the run without being
out of breath or seeming to have made
TN effort.
Hello, stranger!" she called as she
Eaw him, and quickened her pace.
Hello, pedagogical" he responded.
AS they shook hands they swung
their arms back and forth like pair
of romping children for a moment.
I'VE had a grand session Of the
school this morning, the largest class
ever!" she said. "And the points we
scored of you soldiers! You'll find
disarmament already in progress when
you return to headquarters. We're ir-
resistible, or at least" she added, with
q flash Of intensity, "ve'rs going to be
some day"
so you put on your war-paint!"
1T must be the pollen from the hy-
drangeas!" She fiicked her handker-
chief from her belt and passed it to
him. "show that you know how to he
useful"
He performed the task with delib-
crate care.
Heavens! You even have some on
your ear and some on your hair; but
I'll leave 1t ON your hair; it's rather be-
coming. There you are!" he concluded.
"Oft my hair, tool"
VERY we'll. I always obey orders"
'1 oughtn't to have asked you to do
It at ALL" she exclaimed with sud
den change OF manner as they started
up to the house. "But habit ol
friendship, habit Of liking to believe
in ones friends, was uppermost.
forgot. / oughtn't even to have shaker
hands with you!"
Marta! What now, Marta?" he
asked.
He had known her in reproach, II
anger, in laughing mockery, in mill
tant seriousness, but never before llkt
this. The pain and indignation in he
eyes came not from the sheer hurt O
a wound but from the hurt Of it'
source. 1t was as If he had learned b!
the signal of its loss that he had ;
deeper hold on her than he had real
lied.
Eyes, have bone to pick will
you," she said, recovering a grim sor
Of fellowship. "A big bone! If your,
half friend you'll give me the yer.
marrow Of it."
Il am ready!" he answered more pa
thetically than philosophically.
There's not time now; after lunch
con, when mother is taking her nap,
she concluded as they came to the las
step and saw Mrs, Galland on til
veranda.
Alter luncheon Mrs Galland kept bal
ting with her mods until nature wa
victorious and she fell fast asher
Marta, grown restless with impatience
suggested to Lanstron that they strol
In the garden, and they took the pat
past the house toward the castl