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Show "He took his Wo Just capable of one heroic aim, and threw It In the thickest of the fight. What matter? Since Aurora fulled him first!" 12. II. Ilrownlni;. Jean Chartcrls, stepping out Into tho pearl and sllverlncss of dawn and dew, sighed and then smiled ot sight of the riches spread before her. Again It was Decoration Day, on occasion oc-casion which in this Ilttlo western town was one almost of festivity, so great was tho gathering from the surrounding sur-rounding farms, so gay tho girls In their new summer finery, so stirring tho martial music ot tho local bnnd. Even the pathetic sight of the handful of old soldiers, marching in dopleted ranks to tho cemetery on the hillside, 'ut emphasized tho pleasure of tho ung, who found In tho holiday en-lyment en-lyment at onco innocent and reverent. rever-ent. Miss Chartcrls walked down tho prim gravel walk botween tho low green barberry hedge. Sho held daintily daint-ily aside tho skirt of her crisp, white wrapper, lest It be touched by tho' wet twigs on either side. Her spirited gold brown head turned to left and right as sho mentally calculated tho floral wealth of her little garden. Nono would have dreamed that over that samo radiant head thirty summers had passed, so girlishly slender was tho erect and graceful figure, so smooth the white brow, so luminous tho long, pansy-purplo eyes under tho slim black brows. She had swung tho basket from her arm and was snipping from tho great snowball bush at tho end of tho path Its flrst contribution, when a voice came piping to her from over tho gate. "Mis' Chart'rls, jou got ma's dress done?" "Just finished It at 12 last night, Dllly!" Sho smiled at tho freckled faced boy as sho moved to go back to tho house. Sho returned, carrying a bundle wrapped in newspapers. "There don't crush It, laddie!" Tho boy lingered, shamefacedly. He was not a bad looking boy, barring tho freckles. He kept casting furtlvo glances at a second-story window in the ilttlo cream-colored cottage, where the blinds were still drawn. "Is Is she " a Jerking thumb Indicating the house, "goin' with you to tho com'try?'1., "Iloslne?" Miss Chartcrls was ruthlessly ruth-lessly snipping off every robin which had presumed to show Its bluo head In tho long bed border. "O, she will go! Her mother Is burled there, you know. Itoslno will go with mo." "I'm goln', too!" blurted Ulllle. Then, as though overwhelmed by the magnitude mag-nitude of the admission, he skipped away, his mother's dress crushed recklessly reck-lessly against his throbbing heart, and his baro feet, as yet guiltless of tan, kicking up a dust which hid his flory blushes. "An' I'll wear ray now clothes," chanted Ulllle. "I'll wear my best clothes an' a collar!" It was a royal burden Jean Chartcrls had gathered when at last she laid tho shears In tho basket brimful of blooms. Thero woro trailing sprays of white and gold sprlnga stars, peonies, pink and crimson, and whlto; honeysuckle, amber and rose, and carmine; blush roses, palo and velvety; sweetbrlar, delicately, yet lntonsely fragrant, and many a single flowor which, courier-like, courier-like, had blossomed In prophetic beauty. beau-ty. Back of tho gllttorlng window glass of the Ilttlo home sho approached wero tho glowing house plants which wero soon to bo transferred to the garden. gar-den. These, rising tier on tier, glowing glow-ing geraniums, fragrant hellotropo, brilliant hibiscus, golden mlgnonctto, wero destined with their hardier brethren breth-ren to yield trlbuto to death. "Aunt Jean Auntie Jean!" rang a fresh young voice. "I'm dressed Nora dressed mo! O, may I help you fix the flowers? And how soon may wo go on tho hill?" Jean laid her basket on a hall chair Just In timo to catch In her outflung arms tho slim little white figure flying down tho stairs. "You slinll help me, my precious!" she promised. And she touscled the clustering curls on the dark little head and pressed with her own the rosy lips that were ripe for kisses. Ureakfast over, tho two settled to work, for Roslno had decided views of her own as to tho relative merits of set designs de-signs In contradiction to the preference prefer-ence of Miss Chartcrls for less formal symbols. And all the time tho hazol eyes sparkled and tho restless Ilttlo tongue talked trippingly on. "You have to work awful hard, don't you, Auntie Jean? Did jou get Hllllo's mother's dress dono? Did Ulllle coino for It? I'd like Ulllle If ho wasn't freckled. Nora says you used to bo rich. Sho says you lived In that big stono house with the fountain In the yard. Sho sajs my mamma was rich, too, until after my papa went away and left her. And then sho camo to He In this little weeny house with you. And then God wanted her. What made you and my mamma get poor? And why doesn't my papa como back? And why wouldn't God let my mamma stay here? And does sho know when we put nil these pretty flowers on her grave?" So for tho two In tho bright little loom, plain to severity save for Its books and "green things growing" nnd ulr of Indefinable refinement, tho perfect per-fect day wore on. If now and then Jean's1 sweet face paled and her sensitive sensi-tive lips quivered, these tho absorbed little maiden did not notice at all. How should a prattling child, busy with a wreath, dream that her words might wound? They stood at tho goto to see the procession wind by tho hobbling veterans, vet-erans, the women of the Relief Corps, tho townspeople In vehicles and afoot, the uniformed band, tho excited children chil-dren runnlug at either side. But tho sun had gone down In a splendor of scarlet and gold, tlto Btreots were being be-ing fast deserted, and all tho air was still steeped In amber brilliance, when Jean Chartcrls and the little girl carried car-ried their treasures botween them up tho green velvet sward of that sloping hill, sacred to silence and to sweet, safe slumber. Tho grave yard knew now no presence pres-ence save their own. On several graves were flags on tho greator number (lowers. Hut somo woro baro of bloom. And from one to another of these tho late-comers moved, leaving leav-ing somo sprays on each. Then they sought a certain corner, where a slm-plo slm-plo stone recorded briefly a you-"1 wife's death. "You shall placo them all," said Jean Chartcrls. Sho gavo Itoslno the basket, and stood leaning against tho marblo shaft, her black, trailing gown outlining her slender form, her head drooping as though In weariness. With unconscious elation tho child went about her task. And afar In the road Olllle watched her. Ulllle, stiff In his best Sunday suit, tortured by now shoes, agonized by nn unaccustomed unaccus-tomed collar. So absorbed was ho In following every movement of his Idol ho did not hear tho step approaching. Ho turned with a hasty exclamation at a touch on his shoulder turned to confront a man who was decidedly a strangor. Tho latter pointed to tho dark figuro by tho stone. "Who," ho asked. "Is that?" "That's Miss Charturls. Sho lives-In lives-In tho little old Chilton cottage now. Sho makos dresses." "My God!" tho man murmured. "Has It como to this with Jt.au?" Conscious of tho boy's sharp csrut-Iny csrut-Iny tho man took from his pocket two pieces ot metal one brass, one silver. "Hero take theso down to tho agent. Glvo him the check and toll him to send my trunk to tho hotel. You may keep tho dollar!" Dllllo grabbed tho monoy and slmul-taneuously slmul-taneuously uttered a yell. "Rosluo!" Ho was valiant enough in this plutocratic hour, "no Bine! Como on! I'm goln' to buy candy!" A flnal placing of tho last wreath, an eager question, an answering nod from tho bowed head then the child was flying toward tho road through tho mollowlng radlanco of tho fading light, shorting questions to Dllllo ns xho came. Something In tho skimming flight of tho agllo little body, in her voice. In tho shape of tho curl clustered clus-tered head, caused tho stranger to put out a detaining hand. "What." ho cried, "Is your name, little lit-tle one?" "Itoslno!" Sho wrested herself free. "Let me go with Ulllle. My name's Iloslne Roslno Raymond!" Then sho was dashing down tho hill after tho fortunate Ulllle. Tho man, tall, straight, and soldierly, soldier-ly, with prematurely silvered hair and dark mustache, went striding across tho green apace that intervened between be-tween him nnd that quiet woman by tho whlto shaft. "Jean!" ho cried hoarsely. "Jean Chartcrls!" A low, shhcrlng cry broke from tho woman. Sho stiffened erect stood as If frozen. "Toll me," ho begged, "about that that child! Sho sas her naroo Is Jean, Is sho " The shock of his coming had left her weak and shaking. It was with an effort sho Bpokc. "Yes sho is your child. Do you learn It now for the first timo?" "God help mo yes. I did not dream there might bo a child. When a few months after our marrlago I learned how Rose had ueceUed mo I was furious. furi-ous. I had confided In her. I told her how I loved you. And she bIio Bpoka of your engagement to Will Clement. Hor sympathy was Bweet. Thero was no question of a heart being caught In the rebound. Never save for ono woman has my heart beaten a pulso the faster. Sho know this when wo were married. But sho hoped until the day somo months after our marrlago mar-rlago when a chance word during a chanco meeting with Clement, brought tho whole truth out. You had refused him. And this Roso knew when sho told me tho contrary. I settled everything every-thing I possessed on her and went away, vowing never to look upon her face again!" The weary, bitter voice ceased. "We shall speak of this now," said Jean Chartcrls, slowly, "and then never again! Tho bank In which you had deposited was tho samo which controlled my father's business. When tho defalcation came Rose's money and ours was Bucked down In tho whirlpool. Father did not long sur-vivo sur-vivo tho blow. Roso could do nothing. Sho had been brought up In Idleness In luxury. Uesldea she was III and miserably unhappy. So I was always clovor as a seamstress she camo to j mo, and wo wero comfortable qulto comfortable together. Two years ago a sharp attack of pneumonia ended all! Roslno was then 4." "You took hor Into your homo and your life," said tho man In a voice that though low shook with passion. "You supported hor and her child! If you had known hor treachery " "Hush!" Tho soft word was Imperious. Im-perious. Sho pointed to the flower-strewn flower-strewn mound below. "Hush! She Is hero! Resides I did know!" "You knew It? When how?" ,;Tho day you wont away. Roso camo to mo. Sho told mo tho truth." Tho last gleam of sunBet had faded. Amethystine shadows cropt up tho draws'. But In tho clear afterglow they saw each other qulto distinctly the two who stood In sllenco there. When ho spoke It was In a voice that thrilled her tho voice of the lover ot her youth. "Jean will you como to me now?" She answered: "First say to hor, I forglvo you, dear!" Fur an Instant ho stood irresolute. Then slowly ho sank on ono knoo bowed his bared head over the masses of perfumed bloom. When ho roso and held out his hand sho laid her own within It, and thus they walked to tho gato aud down tho road toward tho village, whero tho lights wero beginning begin-ning to gleam. "You aro tired," ho said, and slipped slip-ped his arm around her. "I have made a now fortuno In a now world, Jean. You shall work no more." Roslno and Bllllo wero feasting merrily mer-rily In tho cottngo when tho two turned In at tho garden gato. "To think," Bald Jean, as thoy went up betwixt tho low barberry borders dow-Bllverod In tho moonlight, "that It was only this morning I walkod hero alone and so sad Bavo for the child!" "An. tho child!" ho said, softly hungrily "Much may happen In a day, my .lean! ' "Somewhere," she said, lifting n faco stilt glowing from his kisses, "1 read this: "Hetwoen Calvary day nnd Kas-tor Kas-tor da" "8pth'8 saddest day and gladdest glad-dest dar Iny but one day!" "My beloved!" he murmured. Then ns Ulllle (led laughing by them they passed Into tho purplu gloom of tho porch, toward tho open door, fiom which the lamplight streamed, making a path of whlto loveliness for their feet! |