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OCTOBER AND JUN
By S. H. Pete
T HE Captain gazed gloomily at his
sword that hung upon the wall.
In the closet near by xwas stored
his faded uniform, stained and worn
by weather and service. What a long.
lo;tg time it seemed since those old days
of war's alarms!
And now, veteran that he was of his
country's strenuous times, he had been
reduced to abject surrender by a
Woman's soft eyes and smiling lips. As
he sat in his quiet room he held in his
hand the letter he had just received
from her-the letter that had cause,
him to wear that look of gloom. Hie re
read the fatal paragraph that had de-
stroxed his hope.
"in declining the honor you have done il.
in skiing me to be vour wife, I feel that I
ought to speak frankly. The reason I ha ,.
for so doing is the great difference between
our ages. I like you very, very much. but I
am sure that our marriage would not be ;t
liihappy one. I am sorrv to hive to refer I,
iliis. but I belc e that 3un hxill pprecirc:
imy honesty in giving you the true reason.-
IThe Captain sighed, and leaned his
head upon his hand. Yes, there were
many years between their ages. ]:ut
he was strong and rugged, he had posi-
tion and wealth. Would not his love,
his tender care, and the advantages he
could bestow upon her make her forget
the question of age? Besides, he was
almost sure that she cared for him.
The Captain was a man of prompt ac-
tion. In the field he had been distin-
guished for his decisiveness and energy.
He would see her and plead his cause
again in person. Age !-what was it
to come between him and the one he
loved ?
In tw ho urs he stnnd renrl, in li1I
marching rnicr, ion his grea
He took the train for the old S,
town in Tennessee where she liv
Theodora Deming was on th,
of the handsome, porticoed old mansti
enjoying the summer twilight, when
Captain entered the gate and came
the graveled walk. She met hintm \
a smile that was free from emharrm-
ment. As the Captain stood on the s
below her, the difference in their ;.
did not appear so great. Ile was
and straight and clear-ecc ;I
browned. She was in the bl m
lovely womanlhood.
"I wasn't expecting you" said ThIe
dora "but now that you've come io
may sit on the step. Didn't you
mx letter:"
"'I did," said the Captain; "and th; :
why I came. 1 say no, o Then, rec
sider your answer, won't you ?"
Theodora smiled softly upon him.
HIe carried his years well. She was
really fond of his strength, his whole-
some looks, his manliness-perhapl
if
"No. no," she said, shaking her hli; i
positively: "it's out of the questin,.
like you a whole lot, but marrying won't
do. Iy age and yours are-but dnii't
make me say it again-I told you illn my
letter."
The Captain flushed a little through
the bronze on his face. HIe was silent
for a while, gazing sadly into the twi-
light. Beyond a line of woods that he
could see w-as a field where the boys ii
blue had once bivouacked on their
march toward the sea. How long a',
it seemed now! Truly, Fate and Fati ,
Time had tricjked him nnor-I. I-'
Iq l W,-" ,