The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-01-30

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ago that he should see her again IL
war came; and war had come. With
the inviting prospect of few holiday
moments in which to continue the in
terview that had been abruptly con-
cluded in a hotel reception-room, he
started down the terrace steps. Above
the second terrace he saw a crown Of
woman's hair-hair of jet abundance,
shading a face that brought familiar
completeness to the scene. Their
glances met where the path ended
at the second terrace fight; hers shot
with a beam of restrained and Ques-
tioning good humor that spoke at
least a truce to the invader.
You called sooner than l expected"
she said in a note of eQuivocal pleas
antry.
"Or l." he rejoined with a shade Of
triumph, the politest of triumph. He
was a step above her, her head on a
level with the pocket Of his blouse.
His square shoulders, commanding
height, and military erectness were
thus emphasized. as was her own femi-
nine slightness.
Il want to thank you" she said. "As
becomes a soldier, your forethought
was expressed in action. 1t was the
look after the garden which saved the
uprooted plants before they were past
recovery"
81 wished II for your sake and some.
what for my own sake to be the same
that it was in the days when / used
to CALL" he said graciously. Tea was
from four to five, do you remember
Will you join me? have just ordered
it,"
A generous, pleasant conqueror
this! No one knew better than Wester
ling how to be one when he chose. He
was something Of an actor. Leaders
Of men of his type usually are
why, yes. Very gladly!" she as
scented with no undue cordiality and
no undue constraint, quite as if there
were no war.
Neutrality could not be better i'm
personated, he thought, than in the
even cleaving of her lips over the
words. They seemed to say that a
storm had come and gone and a new
set of masters had taken the place oil
the old. AS they approached the
veranda Francois was placing the tea
things.
Just like the old days, isn't it," he
exclaimed with his first sip, convinced
that the officers commissary supplied
excellent tea in the field.
Yes, for the moment-if we forget
the war;" she replied, and looked
away, preoccupied, toward the land
scape.
If we forget the war! She bore or
the words rather grimly. The change
that he had noted between the Marta
of the hotel reception-room and the
Marta Of the moment was not alto
gether the work of ten years. 1t hat
developed since she was in the CAPT
tai. In these three weeks war ha(
been brought to her door. She hat
been under heavy fire. Yet this sub
ject Of the war was the one which he
as an invader, considered himself
bound to avoid.
I'VE do forget 1t at tea, don't we?
he asked.
AT least we need not speak of It.!
she replied.
81 am staying tonight. I was goinl
!. to ask II you wouldn't remain on tn,
q veranda while I go over these pa
Z pers. lit would be very coy an,
!. pleasant"
!. why, yes" she agreed with eviden
3 pleasure.
;. Turcas came, in answer to Westel
q ling's ring. The orders and sugges
I tons on the table seemed to be tn
!. product of this lath of a man, the vice
chief, but a lath Of steel, not wood
!. who appeared a runner trained for