Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1919-01-23
CHAPTER XVIII.


Perhaps it was because they had
seen so many horrors during the past
fourand-twenty hours that these
seemed all to have fallen away that
night at staff headquarters. There
was a brief hour of rest after inter
ninable 1abors, 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and the great assault repealed in con-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 the 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 I shall 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 it.
like boy who has delivered q grown
mans aphorism.
"Captain Mark said Eleanor. |syOu
knew who I 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 used to
talk about my dreams of him, and you
hid your suffering and your knowledge
because of me-
s"That was nothing, Eleanor"
captain Mark she whispered, bend
ing toward him. @FI kissed you to-
day.
@tThat was nothing, Eleanor"
Captain Mark What do you mean?
How dare your
Mark looked utterly disconnected. ST
meant mean, Eleanor, I'm just your
old guardian-a sort of old friend, you
know, and you were glad had come
back safe.''
go tni Mar
shaking with helpless laughter which
disconnected him still more; and yet
he thought her 1ashes We're wet with
tears. Captain Mark, are you really
going to make me say it?''
'tSay what. my dear?''
'sThat it ought to have been you.''
sBut you mustn't let that worry you,
Eleanor It's often done in such cases
4 just thought you were too old to
kiss. You know, wanted to-
80 thank you, thank you" said Flea
nor YEARLY. Captain Mark you dear,
absurd guardian of mine, 1 see you
aren't going to spare me. So listen. I
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 at the
Misses Harpers' school, and from then
to now
Mark looked at her in incredulous
joy; he was no longer capable of feel
ing astonishment, but it all seemed like
u happy dream unreliable but, while it
lasted, dear beyond all imagining
ssThe Colonel knew it. And-others.
Everybody did but you. And do you
know why I 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 it, my dear"
Without exactly knowing it, and
admitted of 10
yourself you were prompted to commit
those foolish acts, to be SO rude to me
and hurt me so much. But woman is
never deceived. She always knows. I
knew"
my DEAR" said Mark solemnIy, 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,
it isn't as If you didn't care for me. If
I had cared and you hadn't, I 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 all this. and I've just
been interpreting your thoughts, be-
cause all I did just now was to tell
you what you wanted to tell me with
out knowing that you wanted to tell
me what you did want all the time
Isn't that so, Captain Mark?''
YES" answered Mark, feeling COM
pletely at sea. but incapable OF coDrra-
dieting anything that Eleanor chose TO
say
isn't that so, Mark, dear7'
sOf course 1t Isl said Mark.
$50 you have actually told me that
you care for me. and you want me to
give you my answer Is that wnar you
want me to understand, Captain
Mark7"