Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1916-06-08
LORD OLLIE


Q4AAo Dp4AA VI the Countess lus WELL
not exactly friendly or comradely or
familiar terms, but AZ II he knew her
pretty well. For instance, he would
say when the mail was brought In:
Another letter from the Countess.
Now III get It for not writing Qeits
as II It mattered to the Countess
whether he wrote or not.
He had come to the old.fashionsd
boarding house on West Fifty-fIfsh
street 10 the summertime. From bis
tone and words we gathered that he
was q man OF peace and would not
go 10 war. that the Countess disap-
proved OF his sentiments, and that bis
elder brother was iighting somewhere
IN France.
He was a slim, dark, nico sort Of
chap. with big. speculative. humorous
blue eyes behind eyeglasses Until
Jessica came 10 stay with Us. he had
matters his own way Ia an argument
down in the dining room. The rest Of
as were too hungry and weary to com
bat world peace or anything else.
AfAt HE1nt@N WAA WtAGfEAAAt NFE8M
from the West she was. and thorough
~ prepared for war at any moment.
She was in the nurses training school,
waiting for her chance to 20 abroad
In Red Cross work.
Ollie was All for social evolution,
and the two OF them would sit and let
their dinners grow cold while they
thrashed tho wars OF the nations over
and over again. His name, by the
way WAS Oliver uroyennor. Sometimes
bis mail came 20 Mr.. Oliver Clroyesnor
and sometimes TO Lord Oliver Francis
Groyeanor, but We called him Ollie.
A boarding home IL a cnrioua com
monwealth TO save your life you
can't help knowing every other bodya
business. We used TO run across the
two OF them sitting out on the little
green wooded bench IN the bit Of q
front yard talking after dinner
Then came another letter from the
Countess. the first one since Jenaica
had como 10 stay. oliver found Il On.
der hts napkin as usual, glanced AZ II
whimsieally, aaid Il was another let
ter from the Countess. and that he'd
get Il fer not writing
And Jessica. being q woman. prompt
" asked who the Countess was
whereupon Ollie answered simply
MY mother
She eyed him from a different a.
pect from that moment Al first. with
suspicion a. n he might be pohing
fun AZ her. You Bea, Jessicn came
from = small town Ia South Dakota.
and she was twenty-one. She wona
dered. Just AZ we aii had. II oIiie were
telling the truth.
Jeasica waited until she had him 20
herself ON tho green garden beach.
She approached the subject Of oIIle's
connection with the Engiish nobility
without fear or compromise.
Is the Countess really your moth
err
80 have always been told. ~
piled Ollie.
Countess whatg"
Countess Of WalnlnEham. her
name. though. is Margaret Margaret
Olivia
4 blame you more than ever, nha
said briefly and tenseiy. Since you
do happen a be born IN this parttcu.
lar age and IN \ certain class. you owe
II 10 your times, 10 the spirit Of your
times, 70 stand for the morale 81 that
class"
Rot" said Oils. and he opened the
last letter from the Countess. She was
silent ~ he read a. Presently he
spoke IN q curious voice, . sort OF baf.
fed voice. 40 II fate had handed him
foul.
by Jovels no said, Poor old
nerti"
For minute Jessica didn't set the
portent OF his words he had spoken
30 quietly, bat she turned her head
and saw his face. suddenly sharp aud
BIT white ia the half light.
Who IL her
Ollle stood up.
I'm going back She wgnts me 10
My brothers dead"
And this IL the strangest part. AZ
he stood rhare looking down In her
face, suddenly ~ the little foolish
conyentlonalities Of everyday life
dropped from them.
You're going over Tiers 20 Bghtgs
she asked
~of course Bert died somewhere
IN France. Il isn't 30 much the war.
you understand" His handa clenchod
at his sides it's what they've done
TO him / want to go and just give
Il TO them for his sake. and my moth
or expects mo 10"
-Im sailing on the 10th. Jessica
spoke eagerly. 4 didn't want to tell
you because you had way OF taking
all the spirit out Of Il for me. and
wanted to 20 the other way beiiev-
Ing IN II. mean"
Wen sail together, he told her,
You said once that had no morale.
Maybe haven't. don't like the mesa
over there, and don't believe IN war,
but when the wolf climbs over the
sheep shelter. one grabs gun. |
guess
And then he looked down at her
and said in that simple, square. nice
way OF his we all liked as II 1t set.
tied the whole thing between them
"The Countess win think you're an aw-
fully plucky girl
And the next morning they sailed.
married sure and fast Somehow.
they seemed to take little OF the
sprinstime with them. perhaps into
the life OF the Countess.
Copyright. By the Mcclure Newspapes
syndicate1
Those Dear Girls.
Edith II think Jack Is h0rrid.