Show S S I I I S l S I S t. t t i 4 1 1 h 5 g Mark had more than once to appreciate such sucha a n. quarter of an hour bour lIe He was gathering sprays of arbutus laden with berries and blossoms A few minutes after aCter and Marie tho the maid appeared bearing the same sanso at ather ather ather her young mistress's mistress s door Prom From M. M le Ie Captaine observed ed tho the abisail anly for there is always a a. soft pot in a French girls girl's fancy for the tho hair of mademoiselle Ho lie begs that mademoiselle will do him hint the honer to wear the posie eyeing the massive bunch with the disgust of an artist it flit is too large it js s too loo for the hair this great reat bush But Dut I contrive I arrange bill it need not that I use it ital all more cheer cheer- rf r- r f fully kly ly mademoiselle one piece will do dp all aU that is Mademoiselle will of course w wear ar what monsieur has sent senU as with an afterthought Mademoiselle bowed her head S The Tue same saDle evening a year year later r rI I 1 never never- could make nafe it out observed ob served rV Charlie Hooper the gossip of the fort to a n. sel select selet ct circle of listen listeners rs I III was altogether out reckonings reckonings reckon reckon- ings in in that quarter I thought old Mark MarIe had dropped into a good thing and knew it By Dy Jove JO thou though h Edith Carrington ton is no beauty she eho is a very nice nice girl and old oId Mark is not everybody's every every- body's bargain himself by Jove We Wel all thought it was a done thing Mark went for her like blazes lIe He was never away from The Tile Hatch The widow seemed 1 agreeable and the girl I 1 hear has bas broken her heart since it all came camo to nothing What stopped it no ono knows 1 Poof loof In the tile twinkling twinkling twinkling twink twink- ling of an eye ere it bust up Mark was off oil the held their tongues and not a n soul could find tind out the tho rights of the tile story Ill find out however ho decided one ons of the group as the prattler ceased and presently the person who thins meditated slipped away from the rest and he lie and Mark Brett were seen strolling of oll across the fields away from the fort Afternoon was giving place to evening evening even even- ing it was almost the same witching hour as that in in which we e first hist beheld Edith Carrington's lover Hold hard exclaimed Captain Bretts Brett's companion Look out there How dark it grows You almost ran ian me into that arbutus tree Arbutus tree That's not an arbutus arbutus arbutus ar ar- ar- ar tree trec said Mark gruffly Dont you yott know an arbutus tree when you see it it S Rather And when I dont don't see it In darkness or in light this is an ar arbut- arbut ut- ut t tu u Rot It is nothing of the kind It It- It now dont don't bother ir for lor I tell you oU it is not continued Brett sharpness of f accent increasing as memory woke wole more moio and more Arid And I ought to know Confound you then if ii you will have it I tell you all my happiness in inthe in inthe the world once turned upon an arbutus ar- ar tree Yes it did you may stare if f you please I know what I am nm talking talk talk- fn ing mg about I but it I it but for it never it-never never mind it it-I'm it Im I'm a fool if you like only dont don't tell me that I dont don't know ar arbutus arbutus arbutus berries again when hen I see them Arbutus berries Oh well we all know the berries There are none as asit asit asit it it happens on this said tree tree tree- said the tho youn younger er man iian peering about However However How ever if you yon only knew an arbutus by its ts berries laughing with his nose in inthe inthe inthe the air Perhaps I might not know mow the tree for or certain without them conceded Mark Hark Mark reluctantly Neither would you u. u One shrub is very like another But there are the blossoms Blossoms Now that noodle of a Mark had never observed that the arbutus has such a thing as 18 a blossom He was not a gardener garden cr and the tue only time ho hoha ha ever noticed the shrub at all had been jeen in iii the waning December dusk when the wealth of crimson fruit had cau caught ht his eye The which as every everyone one knows or ought to know knott conic como out at the pame ame time as the berries r ripen had been entirely o overlooked by himIn him In a n. few moments the veil wit had fallen from rom his eyes he ho saw it all alii the tho mistake mistake mis mistake mis- mis take into which ignorance had led lcd him the pitfall into which diffidence had md entrapped him Of course Edith his Edith his Edith that should hould have been had been had worn a spray of green with white bells pendant on the fateful evening when he be 10 had fancied her lost to him hint for for- ever eyer One glance had doomed him in his own eyes He lie had not seen his arbutus arbu arbu- us berries wreathed in the dark locks for or which he ho had designed them and andic he ic had sat thereafter with dumb lips and a a. dead dewi weight on Oil his heart heart and and then hen then had followed the maidenly modesty which he lie had mistaken for resentment the reticence which had prevented explanation nation his hiB own proud resolve to o make mako n neither complaint nor comment and finally his retirement retirement retirement retire retire- ment in full marching inarching order from the scene cene He lie had told himself that he lie was a man who knew when ho he was beaten As he had isad ridden away that night h he 10 bad had mentally bidden farewell ell to all the he bright prospects prospect a which had danced before his ills ey eyes s during the past months had told himself ho ha had been deluded and mistaken and quietly set about to retrace his steps So well ha had 1 he trusted Crusted them that ho he had md baffled even his Ins comrades in arms and it was only now only when a kindly lad had bad the lUCk lucie to stumble upon the keynote of the affair at the outset pressed home quer query upon query that he lie was prevailed pre ailed upon to disclose the events of the pastI past I 1 did understand it never novel murmured murmured mur mut- tho the Edith Idith in her lIer lovers lover's ear a a. few hours later arid and never mind nind what I 1 supposed I wore the arbutus exactly as I received it il it cl m from you only Marie rarie would Put lut in In only half and there were no berries of of that I r am 1111 absolutely sure sure So am I said Brett For I 1 recollect hearing hearin her mutt mutter r to herself something about great ugly r red d fruits which made mado me suspect sus ens- peel she did not admire your taste and was devoutly thankful you had confined yourself to the arbutus blossom I I tell you what t cried Mark staring starting start start- ing ng to his feet I 11 siB see it all now Oh heavens heaven that i I should have havo been such uch an n idiot That fiat fiend of a woman woman wo wo- wo- wo man man ian had picked of oft off the berries and thrown the then them n away Which was exactly what Marie had done Now did ever a man run greater risk of sh shipwreck k from Irom a little want of i common CIl anti and fi It com complete igno ac acco oo of horticulture 1 Exchange x if fB j J f |