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Show ' '4A Thrilling rmy Iomarce of Cesterr prontief. BU GftPT. CHARLES KING. U. &. A tor had eoen her and made his report. Lane received his explanation somewhat coldly and suggested that they go right to work with thyir papers, as he had important im-portant engagement. It was high noon wheu they finished the matters in hand, and then the captain hastened to the club and was handed a telegram with the information that it had only just come. It was eTideutly expected. Lane quickly read it and carefnlly Btowed it away in an inside pocket. In another moment he was speeding down town, and by half past 13 was closeted with the junior partner of the tottering house of Vincent, Clark & Co. Air. Clark was pale and nervous. Every -click of the "ticker" seemed to make him start, A clerk stood at the instrument watching the rapidly dotted quotations. YNOPSISOFTHE "TWO SOLDIERS." t -In a recruiting offl.-a in the liu? v" Lieut. Krel I.ane. U. S. A., re-?"Yn re-?"Yn lrttr-one Informing htm of Ills 'Tn ion w the rank of captain, the other a tf from Mabel Vinceut. rl ''f H a -Gordon Noel, a lieutenant in CK'- .vlrv regiment, succeeds, through ""mm tin wife of his colonel, iu being ap-'luo ap-'luo the vacancy caused, hy Lane's pro-'S pro-'S H"ilislllted by his brother o ncers IS hM in tho past several times dodged m-. irvlce in the Indian campaigns. X.iw .-apt- Lane is desperately in ,"ith Ma'jel Vincent. H prepares to turn rTrrnitiniluver to Ills successor. 4 -Lieut. Noel arrives to take ,.. nf'tlie recrniting office. He is handsome i airreeable aud succeeds in creatlnir the l!' "(,,n that he has been a very enlliint ,'r -11111 Jene brave service on the plnln.8. It h rovered that a clerk named Taiutor has Kome ol the funds of the recruiting Z ifoiiduK Lane's name) aud decamped. lei professes an enthusiastic friendship for phaptek 5 -Lane writes to Mabel's father, J.,,, permission to pay his addresses to her. i s is uranteil. Vincent is on the brink of ' jiiciiil disaster. Lane proffers Ms services. CHAPTER VL Washington, and whenever he could get leave to run up from the barracks he made my quarters his home. If you ever write to him just ask him if he knows Gorden Noel?" "Do yon know, Capt. Lane, that I have found yonr comrade captain a very interesting man?' observed Miss Marshall; Mar-shall; and her eyes tamed upon her next door neighbor in calm bnt keen scrutiny. "Noel is very entertaining," was the reply; and the dark gray eyes looked unflinchingly un-flinchingly Into the challenge of the dark brown. "Yes, I have listened to his tales of the frontier at breakfast, dinner and during the evening tours, since Sunday last. They are f nil of vivacity and variety." va-riety." "Orj sees a good deal of strange country coun-try and many strange people in the course of ten or a dozen years' service in the cavalry." "And must needs have a good memory mem-ory to be able to tell of it all especially when one recounts the same incident 1 more than once." And Miss Marshall's lips were twitching at the corners in a manner suggestive of mischief and merriment mer-riment combined. Lane "paused for a reply." Here was 1 evidently a most observant young wo- , man. "There! I did not mean to tax your loyalty to a regimental comrade, captain; ! so you need not answer. Capt. Noel in-I in-I terests and entertains me principally be-I be-I cause of his intense individuality and I his entire conviction that he carries his listeners with him. 'Age cannot wither nor custom stale his infinite variety;' but I there should not bo quite so much variety va-riety in his descriptions of a single event. This is the fourth time I have heard him tell of the night ride from Carrizo's ranch to Canyon Diablo." "You have the advantage of me, Miss Marshall," answered Lane, his eyes twinkling with appreciation of her demure de-mure but droll exposure of Noel's weak point. "It is the first time I ever heard his version of it." "It is the last time he will mention it in your presence, if he saw the expression expres-sion in your face, Capt. Lane." "Do those introspective eyes of yours look clear through and see out of the back of your head, Miss Marshall? Your face was turned towards Mm. You stopped stop-ped short in telling me of your cousin in the artillery and 'your visit to the barracks, bar-racks, and bade me listen to something I did not care half as much to hear as your own impressions of garrison life. Never mind the quadrnplex account of the uicht ride. Toll me what von ! It mm I And when he got back to the house the , light was still burning in the window in the second story, and the doctor had just left, said the sympathetic Abigail, and had said it was nothing serious or alarming; alarm-ing; Miss Mabel would have to keep qniet a day or two; that was all. . But what hard luck for poor Lane, When the days of his stay were so very few! All Thursday morning was spent at the rendezvous, counting over prop, erty and comparing papers with Noel. Then, while that gentleman went to the club for luncheon the captain hastened to t.8 Vincents' door to rene immiries ana wag measurably comforted by the news that Miss Mabel was much better, though still confined to her room. Would he not come in? Mrs. Vincent was out, bnt she thought did that most intelligent young woman, Mary Ann that perhaps there was a message for him. Like Mr. Toota, poor Lane, in his anxiety to put no one to any trouble, came within an ace of stammering: "It's of no consequence," but checked himself him-self in time, and stepped into the bright parlor in which he had spent so many delicious hours listening to her 6oft, rich voice as she sang, or as she chatted blithely with him and her frequent guests. It was some time before Mary Ann returned. Evidently, there was a message, for the girl's face was dimpled with smiles as she handed him a little note. "Miss Mabel says please excuse pencil, sir; she had to write lying down. Miss Hoi ton has just gone away, after spending most of the morning." Excuse pencil! Lane could hardly wait to read the precious lines. How he longed to give the girl a five dollar bill! But this wasn't England, and he did not know how Mary Ann would regard such a proffer. She promptly and discreetly retired, leaving the front door open for his exit, and the sweet June sunshine and the snft warm breath of early summer sum-mer flowing in through the broad vestibule. vesti-bule. "How good you are to me!" she wrote. "The flowers were and are still ex- rmiaitA T cVinll Via dnum (A-ilra a lil-lo ! lnce, only once, in the lifetime of men like Lane yes. and of men not half his peers in depth of character, in intensity of feeling there conies a moment like j this, and, whether, it be in the glow and fervor and enthnxia.fra of yonth or the intensity and utrength of mntnrer yer, it is the climax of a ti.Vtiuie; it is th date from which all others, all scene, trials, triumphs, take their due apportionment; appor-tionment; it in the memory of all other, that lingers to the very iaet. when all, all but this are banished from the dyinf brain. Rome, in her pride of place, made the building of her capitol thecli-max thecli-max of mundane history: everything in her calendar wa "ante nrhem comti-Urn" comti-Urn" or the reverse. The old world measured froni the flood; the new world onr world measures from the birth of him who died upon the crww; and the lifetime of the man who has once deeply and devotedly loved ha found its climax in the thrilling moment of the avowal. "Have you no won! to say to roe, M bel? -not one word of hope? not oner he pleaded. Then she turned her lovely fitoe, looking look-ing into his deep eye through a mist of tears. "I do like you," she murmured; "I do honor you so, Capt. Lano; bnt that i not what you deserve. There is no one, believe be-lieve me, whom I so regard and esteem; hut 1 do uot know I am not certain of myself." "Let m try to win your love, Mabel Give me just that right. Indeed, indeed I liave not dared to bope Uiat so soon I could win even your tnit and esteem. You make me so happy when you admit , even that." j "It is i little to give in return for what yon have given me," she answered, softly, while her hand still lay firmly held in ths clasp of his. "Yet it is so mui'h to me. Think, Mabel, in four days ut uuml 1 nit so back to my regiment, I ak no pledifo or promise. Only let me wnto to you. Only write to me nul let mo strive to arouse at least a lit tl o love in your tmo heart. Thru by aud by six months, perhaps I'll come xin and try my futo. 1 know that an old dragoon like me, with gray hairs sprouting iu his mustache " lint here she laid her fingers on his lips, aud then, aeiaing both her hamU, he bowed his head ovr them and kissed thi'tn passionately. The day of parting raine, all too soon. Duty the mintress to whom he had never hitherto given undivided allegiance alle-giance called him to the distant west, and the last night of his stay found him lirmling over her in tha same old window, win-dow, lie waa to talis a late train fur St. Louis, anil had said farewell to all but her. And now the moment had arrived. ar-rived. A glance at his watch had told him that ho had but twenty minutes in which lo reach the statiou. i She bad risen, and was standing, a ' lovely picture jf graceful womanhood, her eyes brimming with taar. Doth her hands were now clsaped in his; she could not deny him that ut such a time; but but wss there not something throbbing in her heart that she lunged to tell? i "It is good by now," he murmured, ! his whole soul in bis glowing eyes, his infinite in-finite love lielrayed iu lliose lips quivering quiver-ing under the heavy mustache. Blin glanced np into his face. "Fred" and then, as though altashod at hur own boldness, the lovely head was bowed again almost on his breast. "What is it, darlingT Tall ms," he whispered, eagerly, a wild, wild hope thrilling through his hsart "Would It make you happier if if I told you that 1 knew myself a little better?' bet-ter?' "Mshell Do yon mean do you care for me?" Aud then she was suddenly chawped in his strong, yearning arms and strained to his breast. Long, long afterward lis used to lift that traveling coat of gray tweed from the trunk in which it waa carefully stowed away, and wonder if-if if-if it were indnwl true that her throbbing heart liad thrilled through that neneHt'tai fabric, stirring wild juy aud rapture to the very depths of his own. "Would 1 b sobbing my heart out," at last she uiiunnurnd, "if 1 did not love you and could not bear to have you go?" (To tie rentliiui'd limit Halnrdar I "Do yon go back to the oflico from here? Good! m join you there iu ten , minutes," said Lane, "for I shall not j come down town this afternoon, and j may not be able to in the morning." I And when Capt. Lane appeared at the office if Vincent, Clark Jfc Co.. he brought with him a stout little packet, which, after the exchange of a few words and a scrap or two of paper, Mr. Clark carefully stowed in the innermost compartment com-partment of the big safe. Then he gripped gripp-ed Lane's hand in both of his as the captain cap-tain said good -by. That afternoon, quite late, the captain rang at tho Vincent's door, and it was al-mt al-mt instantly opened by the smiling Abigail, whom he so longed to reward for her evident sympathy the day liefore, yet 1 lacked tho courage to proffer a greenback. green-back. Lane was indeed little versed in the ways of the world, howsoever well he might be informed in his profession. "Miss Vincent is in tho library, sir, if you will please to walk that way," was her brief communication: and the captain, cap-tain, trembling despite his bent efforts to control himself, stepped past her into tho broad hall, and there, hurrying down the stairway, ciuno Mrs. Vincent, evidently to meet him. Silently she held forth her hand and led him into the parlor, aud then he saw that her face was very sad and pale and that her eyes were red with weeping. "I will only detain you a moment, captain," sho murmured, "but I folt that I must see you. Mr. Vincent wrote to me on the train as be loft here, and he tells me you know the worst." "Mr. Vincent has honored me with his confidence, dear lady; and 1 saw Mr. Clark today." She looked up eagerly: "What news had ho from New York? Did he toll yon? about Mr. Koesiter, that ia? 1 know perfectly well what Mr. Vincent's hopes and expectations were in going." "There was a telegram. I fear that he was disappointed in Mr. Rossi ter; but the money was not needed up to the closing of the board at 1 o'clock." "I am not disappointed. I thank God that the Rossitersref used him money. It will oien his eyes to their real characters charac-ters father and son. I would rather go and live iu a hovel than be under obligations obli-gations to either of them." And now the tears were raining down her cheeks. "Do not grieve so, Mrs. Vincent," said Lane. "I cannot believe the danger ia so great. I liave listened to the opinions of the strongest men on 'change this afternoon. af-ternoon. A 'break' in this corner was predicted in New York at 11 this morning, morn-ing, and that is the universal opinion among the boat men now." "Yes, but it may be days away yet, and Mr. Vinceut has confessed to me that his wholo fortune hangs by a single hair that this wretched speculation has swallowod everything that a rise of a single penny means beggary to us, for he can no longer answer his broker's calls. "That may have been so when he wrote; but Mr. Clark seems to have had a little better luck locally. I infer from what he told mo that they were safo for today and could meet the raise of that critical cent or two; so that, despite the great loss they have sustained, thcro is not the certainty of ruin that so overwhelmed over-whelmed Mr. Vincent on Wednesday." "You give me hope and courage," cried the poor, anxious hearted woman, aa she seized and pressed his hand. "And and you come to us in the midst of our troubles! Mr. Vincent was so touched by your writing Brat tohiin; it brought back old days, old times, old fashions, that he loved to recall days when he, too, was young and brave and full of hope and cheer." "And I have yonr good wishes, too, Mrs. Vincent? evon though I am only a soldier and have so little to offer her beyond be-yond bey on d" But he could not finish, lie had looked into her fice with such eager hope and delight when he began, yet broke down holplessly when he tried to speak of his great love for her swoet daughter." "I know what you would say," she answered an-swered with quick and ready sympathy "I have seen how dear my child has been to you almost from the very first. Indeed In-deed I do wish you happiness, Mr. Lane; but Mr. Vincent told you that we once had other views for Maliel. It is only fair and right that you should know." "How conld it have been otherwise, Mrs. Vincent? Is there any man quite worthy of her? Is there any station in life too high for one like her? 1 never dared bope that your consent could have been so freely given. I do uot dare hope that she can possibly care for me yet." "I will not keep you longer, then," said she, smiling through her tears. "I will Bee you after a while, perhajm. Mabel Ma-bel is in tho library. Now I'll leave you." With turnultuously throbbing heart, he softly entered and quickly glanced around. The tiers of almost priceless volnmes, the antique furniture, the costly cost-ly Persian rugs and portieres, the pictures, pic-tures, bronzes, bric-a-brac all were valueless in his eager eyes. They sought one object alone, and found it in a deep bay window across the room. There. leai.4-.ig back in a great eay reading chair, with a magazine in bur lap, her fair head pillowed on a silken cushion, reclined the lady of his heart, smiling a sweet welcome to him, while the rosy color mounted to her brows as he came quic kly forward and took her soft, white hand. How be was trembling! How tt!s kind gray eyes were glowing! She coU'l uot meet tliem; she had to look away, fche had b gun some plvaoaut little lit-tle welcoming speech, some half laughing laugh-ing allusion to the flowers, but she stopped stop-ped abort in the midst of it. A knot of luJf faded roses bis nes wattled in ber bosom, contrasting with the pure white of her dainty gown; and now tboae trcssured, envied flowers Ugau to rise and fall, as though ro !ed on the billows of some clear lake stirred by a sudden breeze. What he sai l, hi did not know; she hardly heard, though hi-r ears drank, in every word. Hhe only realized that both his hands were tightly clasping hurs, and that, scorning scorn-ing to set-k a chair and draw it to her side perhaps, too, because ha could not bear to rcleatv; even for au instant that slander little band perhaps still more because of the old time chivalry chiv-alry in his nature that had prompted li.m to ask parental sanction before tell ing ber of his deep snd tender love Cspt lane bad dropped on one knee close beside, and. bending over h'T, wa pooring forth ia bro-cea, incoherent words the old. old story, of a lover'f hopes and fears and longings the sweet old song that, day after day, year aff-r year, ay. though sung since (iod's creation crea-tion of the beautiful worl 1 we live in. never, never csn be heard or suiig except in rapture. Even though she be cold to him as sUjda, no true women ever listened lis-tened to the tale of a man's rra love Without a thrill at heart. 1 Her fair head pillowed on a silken rush-ion, rush-ion, recttnfd the lady of hit heart. "Have yon heard from Mr. Vincent?" was the first question, and without a word a telegram was handed to him. It was in cipher, as he saw at once, and Clark supplied the transcription: "Rossiter refuses. Watch market closely. close-ly. See W'ardeu instant touches hlf. Break predicted here," "Twenty minutes more!" groaned Clark, as he buried his face in his bands. "Twenty minutes more of this awful suspense?" "What was the lust report?" asked Lane in a low voice. "Ninety-eight and a quarter. My God! Think of it! Three-quarters of a cent between us and beggary! I could bear it, but not Vincent; 'twonld kill him. Even his home is mortgaged." There came a quick, sharp tap st the glazed door; the clerk's head was (brunt in: "Three-eighths, sir." 'It's time to move, then," said Lane. "I cannot follow you to tho floor I have no ticket; but I will be awaiting your call at the Merchants' Exchange. Mr. Vincent has told you Better have it in treasury notes one hundred each-had each-had you not?" ,;f "I'll see Warden at once. D n him! he would sell us ont with no more compunctions com-punctions than he would shoot a hawk." "You infer that Mr. Vincent has had no success in raising money in New York?" asked Lane, as they hurried from the office. "Not an atoml He made old Rossiter what he is hauled him out of thedopt hs, set him on his feet, took him in here with him for ten years, sent him cast with a fortune that he has trebled since in Wall street, and now, by heaven! the cold blooded brute will not lend him a pitiful twenty thousand." At the bank Lane found an unusual number of men, and there was an air of suppressed excitement. Telegraph bovs would rush in every now aud then with dispatches for various parties, and these were eagerly opened and read. Scraps of low, earnest conversation reached him, as he stood a silent watcher. "They cannot stand it another day." "They've been raining wheat on tbem from every corner cor-ner of the north and west. No gang can stand under it." "It's bound to break," etc. To au official of the bank who knew him well he showed the telegram he had received at the club, and the gentleman looked up in surprise. "Do you want this now, captain? Surely you are not" "No, I'm not, most emphatically," replied re-plied Lane, with a quiet laugh. "Yet 1 may have sudden use for that sum. I telegraphed to my agents at Cheyenne yesterday. Yon, perhaps, ought to wire at once and verify it." "Those are our bank rules, and I presume pre-sume it will be done; though of course we know" "Never mind. I much prefer you should, and at once." And, leaving the man of business to attend to the necessary neces-sary formality, Lane strolled to a window win-dow and looked down the crowded street towards the massive building in which the desperate grapide 'twixt bull and bear was at itn height. The day was hot; men rushed by, mopping their feverd brows; a throng of people had gathered near the broad entrunc to the chamber, cham-ber, and all its windows were lowered low-ered to secure free and fresh currents of air. Lane fancied he could hear the shouts of the combatants in the pit even above the ceaseless roar and rattle of wheels upon tbestone pavement. Littlo by little the minute hand was stealing to the vertical, and still no sign from Clark. "Has she touched a half yet?" he heard one man eagerly ask another as they dived into tho broker's office underneatlL "Not yet; but I'm betting she does in side of five minutes and reaches ninety nine first thing to-morrow." At last boom went the great bell a single, solemn stroke. 1'bere was a rush of men for the street, a general scurry towards the great board of trade building, build-ing, a rapidly increasing crowd along , the enrbstones as the incmberi came j pouring ont, and brokers and their ctw- : tomers hurried away towards numberloaa ; little offices all over the neighborhood. Dozens of them passed along under hi post of observation, some flushed, some deathly pale, and finally Clark himself appeared and Lane hastened forth to meet him. "Saved by a mere squeak so far," was the almost breathless whisper as Clark removed his hat and wiped his clammy forehead. "But we know not what day may bring forth. It's a mere respite." res-pite." "Can the syndicate carry any more weight, think you? Prices jumped np two and three weeks ago. Now they only climb a hair's breadth at a time. I lar they are loaded down that it mturt break; bnt I'm no expert in these matters." mat-ters." "If yoa were, you'd be wise to keep out of it. Who caa say whether they will break or not? It is what everybody confidently predicted when eighty-nine was touched twelve days age; and leok atiti" thought of the army." "Well, of course, the first tiling a girl wants to know ia what the shoulder straps mean; and I learned the very first day that the blank strap meant a second lieutenant, a single silver bar a first lieutenant aud two bars a captain-that captain-that is, in the artillery. Now, why this provoking distinction in the cavalry? Here's a captain with only one bar, a captain whose letters from the war department de-partment come addressed to Lieut. Gordon Gor-don Noel!" "Noel never speaks of himself as cap-tian, cap-tian, I'm sure," said Lane. "Neither do you; and for a year past, ever since I have known you by sight" and here a quick blush mounted to her temples "you occasionally came to our church, you know," sh8 hastened to explain ex-plain "you have been referred to as Lieut. Lane or Mr. Laue; but we know you are a captain now, for we saw the promotion recorded in the Washington despatches a fortnight ago. What was the date of Capt. Noel's elevation to that grade? I confess 1 took him for your junior in the service and in years too." "Yes, Noel holds well to his yonth," answered Lane, Bmilingly. "And about the captaincy?" "Well, he is so very near it, aud it is so apt to come any day, that perhaps he thinks it just as well to let people get accustomed to calling him that. Then he won't have to break them all in when the commission does come." "Then he is your junior, of course?" "Only by a file or so. He entered the service very soon after me." "But was not in your class at West Point?" "No; be was not in my class." "In the next one, then, I presume?" "Miss Marshall, is your first name Portia? I should hate to be a witness whom you had the privilege of cross examining. ex-amining. There are ladies 'learned in the law,' and I expect to read of you as called to the bar within a year or two." "Never mind, Capt. Lane. I will ask you nothing more about him." "No, Miss Marshall, I presume that my clumsiness has rendered it totally unnecessary." That night, as the guests were dispersing, dis-persing, Lane did what most of them entirely omitted; he went over to the piano and bade Miss Marshall good night. "Capt. Lane," she said, "I beg your pardon if I have been too inquisitive and too critical, as I know I have been; but you have taught me that you know how to guard a comrade's failings from the world. Will you not forgive a woman's weakness?" "There is nothing to forgive, Miss Marshall. I hope sincerely that we may meet again before I go back to the regiment." regi-ment." And later, as Lane was walking homeward home-ward from a final peep at the dim light in a certain window, he had time to think how intolerable that dinner would have seemed had ft not been for the accident ac-cident which placed that dark eyed governess by his side. CHAPTER VII j Lane was awake with tho sun on Fri- j day morning, and lay for a few moments j listening to tha twittering of the spar- j rows about his window siila, and watch- j ing the slanting, rosy red shafts of light that streamed through the intervals in j the Venetian blinds. ."Does it augur bright fortune? Does it mean victory? Is it like the 'sun of Austerlitz? " were the questions that crowded through his brain. Today today she was to "be down for a little while in the afternoon," and then she "hoped to be able to thank him. Could she?" Ten thousand times over and over again she conld. if she would but whisper one little word Yes i in answer to his eager question. It lacked hours yet until that longed for afternoon could come. It was not 5 ' o'clock; but more sleep was out of the , question, and lying there In bed intolcr- : able. Much to the surprise of his darky valet, Lane had had his bath, dressed and disappeared by the time the former ; qame to rouse him. Noel was late in reaching the rendezvous. rendez-vous. It was after 10 when he appeared, explaining that Mrs. Withers was far j from we.I, and therefore Cousin Amos j would not leave the hjU4taitf the doo while to-morrow afternoon, if the doctor is good to me as you are. Then I can thank you, can I not? M. L. V." The hours dragged until Friday afternoon after-noon came. He had to go to the With-erses With-erses to dinner on Thursday evening, and a dreary, ostentatious, ponderous feast it was. Noel, in his full dress uniform, uni-form, was the hero of the hour. He greeted Lane a trifle nervously. "I meant to have telephoned and begged you to bear me out, old man," said he, "but this thing was sprung on me after I got home. Cousin Mattie simply ordered me to appear in my war paint, and I had to do it. You are to go in to dinner with her by the way; and I wish you were en grande tenue instead of civilian spike tail. Here's Amos." ' And Amos marched him around to one guest after 'another "self made men, sir" heavy manufacturers and money makers, with their overdressed wives. Lane strove hard to be enter-; enter-; taining to his hostess, but that lady's mind was totally engrossed in the progress prog-ress of the feast and dread of possible 1 catastrophe to stylo' or service. Her eyes glanced nervously from her husband hus-band to the butler and his assistants, and her lips perpetually framed inaudible instructions in-structions or warnings, and so it happened hap-pened that the captain was enabled to chat a good deal with a slight, dark eyed and decidedly intelligent girl who sat to his right, and who was totally ignored by the young cub who took her in the eldest son of the house of Withers, With-ers, a callow youth of 20. '.'You did not hear my name, I know," she had said to him. "I am Miss Marshall, Mar-shall, a very distant connection of Mrs. Withers', the teacher of her younger children, and the merest kind of an accident acci-dent at this table. Miss Faulkner was compelled to send her excuses at the last moment, and so I was detailed isn't that your soldier expression? to fill the gap-" "And where did you learn our army expressions, may I ask?" said Lane smilingly. smil-ingly. "I had a cousin in the artillery some years ago, and visited Ms wife when they were stationed at the old barracks across the river. There's no one there now, I believe. Listen to Captain Noel: he is telling about Indian campaigns." Indeed, pretty much everybody was listening already, for Noel, with much animation, was recounting ' the experiences expe-riences of the chase after the Chiricahua chieftain, Geronimo. He was an excellent excel-lent talker, and most diplomatic and skillful in the avoidance of any direct reference to himself as the hero of the series of dramatic incidents which he so graphically told, and yet the impression conveyed and intended to be conveyed was that no man had seen more, endured en-dured more or ridden harder, faster and farther, than the narrator. Flattered by the evident interest shown by those about him, and noting that conversation was brisk at Lane's end of the table, the lieutenant soon lost himself in the enthusiasm en-thusiasm of his own descriptions, and was only suddenly recalled to earth by noting that now the whole table had ceased its dinner chat, and that, with the possible exception of the hostess, who was telegraphing signals to the butler, but-ler, every man and woman present was looking at him and listening. The color leaped to his face, and he turned towards to-wards Lane with a nervous laugh. "I'd no idea I was monopolizing the talk " he said. "Fred, old man, wasn't it G troop that tried to get across the range from your command to ours when we neared the Guadalupe? Amos and Mr. Hawks had been asking me about the chase after Geronimo." "Yes, it was G troop Capt Greene s, answered Lane. , . You know that Capt. Lane and I are of the same regiment, and, though not actually together in the chase, we were ths Zml Tcampaign," said Noel, apologetically, apolo-getically, and then, quickly changing Se object: "By the way, Mr. Hawks. ; is Harry Hawks, of the artillery, a rela- i tiAnSw. captain-my brother Hen- ! rr'sson. Did you know him." j bim? Why, be is one of the ; warmest friends I have in the whole fcrayoubiide of my own regiment, j iat is. We were constantly together aatwinter when I was on afaff iay ia . JfiM Mabel says please excuse pencil, sir." In the three days that followed 'the ansfer of funds and property at the re-uiting re-uiting rendezvous took place, and Mr. oel stepped in, vice Lane, relieved and Jered to join his regiment. The f or-:rvas or-:rvas having a delightful time. A lest of the wealthy Witherses could not i:g be a stranger within their gates to Queen citizens, and every afternoon id evening found him enjoying hospi-lities hospi-lities of the most cordial character. At o club he had already become hail-f el-v el-v with all the younger element, and :J made himself decidedly popular iiong the elders, and every man who id not met that jolly Capt. Noel was' ger to be presented to him. He was ady for pool, billiards, bowling or a ink the moment he got within the state-doorway; state-doorway; and, as he sang, whistled, ughed, chatted and cracked innumera-s innumera-s jokes during the various games, was :tpital mimic, and could personate Pat, ins or Crapaud with telling effect, his sence was pronounced by every one better than a solid week of sunshine something the Queen City rarely, if , experienced. Poor Lane, on the contrary, waa near-worrying near-worrying his heart out. He had gone the Vincents' the very evening on ich he had seen the father of the -iily off for New York, and had rved himself to put his fortune to the t to tell her of his deep and devoted '! and to ask her to be his wife. That well know he loved her, without i'ig told, he felt sure must be the case; t, beyond a belief that she liked and isted him, the captain had not the litest idea as to the nature of her foci's foci-'s towards him. Ho was a modest low, as has been said. His glass told 'a that, despite a pair of clear gray and a decidedly soldierly cnt to his ifwes, he was not what women called andsome man; and, what was more, were little strands of gray just be-ling be-ling to show about his broad fore-d fore-d and in the heavy moustache that 'led his mouth. Lane sighed as he nembered that he was in his 86th year. v could she care for him fifteen "s her senior? Lano rang the door ' that night and felt once more that wart was beating even as it did at clock when he was ushered into the presence of her father, 'liss Vincent has not left her room 4)'iand is not well enough to come to-night, sir," said the servant who J1' to the door, "and Mrs. Vincent ed to be excused because of Miss ;Ws needing her." I I am very, very sorry," stammered Ptain. "Please say that Mr. Lane (they had known him so well for months as Mr. Lane that he could ?rt refer to himself by his new title), 4 and would call again to-morrow, 'ng to hear Miss Vincent was much ter." lTd then, dejected and miserable, and mth something akin to the feeling ! experiences when going to a dentist's a tooth drawn and the dreaded :ier of the forceps proves to be away, retreated down the broad stone -l?tU he reacned the Wftlk Sazed st the dim light m window which ng!it might be hers, anathematized 'lf for his lack of self possession in naving asked whether there wasn't .hing he could bring her some-S some-S eke would like for the simple .d fellow would have tramped all ' .all over town to find and fetch it .. , a happy thought occurred to ; Women always love flowers." He ' the next street, boarded a west car, and was soon far down town favorite florist's, "ve me a big box of cut flowers .ndsomest you have," he said; and they were being prepared he wrote ;n unes on a card, tore it up, tried ; on another, and similarly reduced w fragments, and finally, though jrwn content, limited the expression -emotions to the simple words: Est well by Saturday at latest I without seeing you. F. L." Here shall we send them, sir?" ask-nonst.as ask-nonst.as became forward with in his hand. )'Ter miad; Til take it mvself," was e ink' the Pt popped in the |
