CHAPTER LXXVI. THE NEWS THAT MET HER.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 246, 14 March 1888, Page 4

CHAPTER LXXVI. THE NEWS THAT MET HER.

Gone to bo married ! Gone to swear a peace i Shaecsperk. 1 Oh. unexpected stroke ! worse than of death ! MiLroN. The Btage-cn'ach readied "tho mountain town .g^We^oyoF'^^o^sulniris© [not that the eun was visible, however, for tho sky was overclouded and threatening rain. } The coach droye/tp tho Bald jEagie Innj where it stopped, and where the passengers ■ got, out for breakfast.' , ' p , ; ,' ' ,-j. .werijrudeftdb' intensely fag that should end^lliier troubles to think x>f ~ '^in*gi jußt.'.hastily drcink a cupful cjf strotig r , coffee', ltd, keep up^ner ov6rtaslt«tt •^renfth'i ihen'di^ctSdhe^^aggage, to bb carried j^tb'th^fe'tage-office Arid kept tHerfe until, cAl)ed ipr f anal toiefi, mfr'ijiQ. naiiitftf Colonel I ' Fitzgerald, 1 , just itftittir^dforWe duUrter^s ! 6f the 6Oth,r,egiusienlb •6«vate fl ' • 'VV 1 *' v/ • ; t t--;; 1 ' '^SHyw^ireStetoWbawa^Wlthe

tanco was too long, to admit of her walking thither in hetf present weary condition. She engaged the hack at the Bald Eagle Inn. it was a dilapidated old carriage, drawn by ono horse, and driven by a white-headed old negro man. Gertrude enteicd this vehicle, , and directed the driver to go to the Wendover Barracks. The drive occupied but an hour, though to the young wile's inten&ely wrought-up . ieeling* it pcemed endless, us hoping, fearing, li-e-nbling, almost fainting, sho passed Ihe Oi'deai unml the low white hall of the b-i'i'acks caipo in sight, and the old carriage drew up bot'oie the pvincipal gale. A sentinel was pacing up and down before it. A young lieutenant was seated on a camp-chair, leaning against the outside of the wall, engaged in reading a paper and smoking a cigar. Gertrude climbed down from the awkwaid olu carriage, and, almost breathless with intense emotion, advanced toward him. The oflicer, seeing the lady approach, thtew away hi.s cigar, arose, luted his hat,, and stood stating her pleasuie. But Gertrude couki not speak ; her emotions choked her utterance ; hor very breath seemed failing her. Sho suddenly grow f,o pale that the officer hastily handed lie his chair, and then politely inquired if he could .sen c hor. She laid her hand on the back of the cha : r ior support, made an ctlbrt, recovered hor broath and her speech, and inquired, falterlngly : "is — Colonel — Fitzgerald — here 'i" Then, uuable longer to btand, die sank into iho chuii. " No, madam. Colonel Fitzgerald left on the fi Aii 'or a montli's leave," u.isuered the lieutena it. tJoruiudo did nol faint; no, nor move. But at that moment she was threatened with sudden madness. Tie thought shob into her brain th.it bhe was the victim of a h.iliuci.iation, and was pursuing a phantom that was- for veer Hying befoie her. Nothing bee 'ned real now to her clawed mind and despairing heart. So often she had been on the eve of meeting her husband, and had misled him by a low day?, a few hours, a lew minutes ! \Va r > it all real or a dream of insanity '! lfad sho aoy husband aball 'i Wa^ she herself? Had Gerald any real existence ? She u*rew terrified and caught herself suddenly when fulling into this chaos. She collected her faculties by a supreme eiibrt of will. She looked up and saw that> the officer was standing before her now, w : th a gins.-, of wine in his hand. She took it. and bowed her thanks, and drank a portion of it. Then. returning the half empty glass, sho inquired, fai.itly : "Can you tell me, sir, where Colonel Fitzgerald lias gone to spend his leave ?" "The coloi-el has gone down into Wilde county to his own house at the Summit, madam," replied the lieutenant. Now, it will have been observed that nearly all strangers, who did know her position, always in speaking to this youthful wife, addressed her as " Miss." But some liner intuition taught tlus officer that he must give tl c lady before him the more respeettul title. "'At the Summit,'" echoed Gertrude, and a ray of comfort stole infco the desolation ol hor broken hopes. She began to see that though the longdesired, long-deferred meeting was again delayed, yet it was so for- only a single day, and that indeed, under, all the circumstance*-, the meeting had. better take placein the Summit Manor House, their own home, than in the public barracks. ' - Kallying from he- 1 depression, sho turned to the officer and said •• "I thank you, sir, for the kindness you have shown me. Good-morniug." " Allow me to hand you to you carriage, madam." She gave him her hand, and permitted him to place her in her seat. Then she bowed her thanks to the lieutenant, and gave the coachman, in one word : ♦'Back." "1 wonder who she is?" cogitated the lieutenant, us the carriage rolled away j " a lady, irost cci tainly ; a near relative of Fitzgerald's probably ; yet I could not tell her thai the colonel had gone down to Wilde county to marry Miss Geraldine Fitzgerald, and that they would be married to-morrow morning ! That would have been news for her indeed if she is a stranger here, as she seems to be. Now why the deuce couldn't I tell her V 1 don't know ; bufc some feeling withheld me. Who can she be, and what can be the cause of that great interest in the colonel that brought her to the verge of swooning with distress when sho discovered that he had left the barracks ? I cannot even imagine. It is all very queer ; but at any rate I wish the little lady well." {To ha continued.)