The Elbert County tribune., 1919-02-14
CHAPTER XVII.


seen so many horrors during the past
four -and-twenty hours that these
seemed all to have fallen away that
night at stan headquarters. There
was brief hour of rest after inter
minable labors, the lines had been held
and the great assault repealed In con-
fusion for that hour every man seemed
bent upon forgetting the Incidents of
war. and something like gaiety ruled
| in the messroom.
All tine past seemed very far away to
Captain Mark Wallace as he STOOD
with Eleanor In the little cottage gar
den.
"When the auto comes to take you
back to the hospital l shnll feel that
my new life has lost the best part of
its PROMISE" said Mark
1t was a long and extraordinarily
Imaginative speech for him, and he
stood shamefaced after he had said Ii,
like boy who has delivered grown
mans aphorism.
Captain Mark" said Eleanor, "you
knew who 1 was, and you could not
you could not have believed my father
| innocent, and yet you had faith in me.
You must have suffered when l used to
talk about my dreams of him, and you
hid your suffering and your knowledge
because of me-"
"That was nothing, Eleanor"
"Captaln Mark" she whispered, bend
ing toward him. IL kissed you to-
| day"
"That was nothing. Eleanor"
totr IL hot ..
How dare youi"
Mark looked utterly disconnected. 81
mean--I mean, Eleanor, I'm just your
old guardian-a sort of old friend, you
know, and you were glad had come
back safe"
80. Captain Mark !" said Eleanor.
shaking with helpless laughter which
disconnected him still more; and yet
he thought her lashes were wet with
tears. Captain Mark, are you really
going to make me say it?"
Say what. my dear7"
''That 1t ought to have been you"
But you mustn't let that worry you,
Eleanor. It's often done in such chses
I just thought you We're too old to
kiss. You know, wanted to-"
20 thank you. thank you" said Flea
nor wearily. captain Mark, you dear,
absurd guardian of mine. l see you
aren't going to spare me. So listen.
love you, and have loved you only, and
nobody but you. all through my life,
from the time got your first letters to
the time you came to see me Mt the
Misses Harpers' school, and from then
| to now"
Mark looked Mt her In incredulous
joy; he was no longer capable Of feel
ing establishment. but 1t all seemed like
n happy dream, unreliable but. while it
lasted, dear beyond all imeg egining.
"The Colonel knew it. And-others.
Everybody did but you. And do you
know why / have told you what I've
often pinched myself to keep from tell
ing you? Because you loved me with
out exactly knowing IT.
But did know 1t, my dear"
without exactly knowing it. and
when you admitted little bit Of 1t to
those foolish acts. to be so rude to me
and hurt me so much. But a woman is
i never deceived. She always knows. I
knew"
my dear" said Mark solemnly, "you
have been everything In the world to
me since that very first day outside
Santiago"
"Of course have. As you have been
to me. And that is why told you. so
that we two should not be unhappy all
our lives. You see, dear Captain Mark,
| 1t isn't as If you didn't care for me. II
I had cared and you hadn't. should
have hidden my feelings and never let
you dream of them. and you never
would have. So It's really you who
have told me all this. and I've just
been interpreting your thoughts, be-
| cause all / did just now was to tell
you what you wanted to tell me with
out knowing that you wanted to cell
me what you did want all the time.
Isn't that so. Captain AiarkT"
"Yes," answered Mark, feeling COM
pletely at seq, but incapable of confirm
dieting anything that Eleanor chose TO
say.
"Isn't that so, Mark. dear2"
, "Of course 1t is," said Mark.
$50 you have actually told me that
| you care for me. and you want LIE to
give you my answer. IL that what you
want me to understand, Captain
| MarkT