The Argosy — page 57: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

27 A STORY OF THE DAY. “7 DO not lke it, Ronald. It is too great a giving up of all your prospects for my sake.” The speaker, very young and girlish-looking, was lying on a sofa, while close by, looking fondly and anxiously down on her, sat a tall, soldier-like man in uniform. They were a great contrast in every way. She was a little woman, very fair, with dark violet eyes, an abundance of golden brown hair, and an appearance of excessive fragility : which accounted fully for the look of sadness mixed with love and protection, with which her husband was regarding her. He was very tall, standing over six foot, and dark; his hair and mous- tache were dark brown, and he had a pair of piercing dark grey eyes It was Captain Douglas. His expression was usually somewhat proud and stern ; but at this moment it was softened into one of almost womanly sweetness and tenderness. The regiment was unfortunately Statoned at S——,, one of those spots of our foreign dependencies, where the climate is perniciously hot and enervating; and fears crossed him at times that it might be sapping away his wife’s life. “My dear Blanche,” was his answer, “there is no giving up of prospects in the case. I shall infinitely prefer exchanging into a regiment now at home. No one could possibly have been more vexed than I was when we were sent out to serve her Majesty in this delectable quarter of the globe. I should like to have exchanged then and there, only that would hardly have done. And as for ts —_—__ 7” He broke off here ; he had been about to say: ‘“ There are not many prospects here, the chances are so slight of being called to active service.” But he checked himself, remembering that what was the hope of his life, was the dread of his poor little wife’s. “Prospects are quite as good, and better, in a healthier climate,” he continued. ‘I have quite decided. I shall go to-day to the Colonel, and ask him to write the necessary application for me. And then, please God, when we get back to bonnie England, I shall see the roses on my Blanche’s cheeks again, as they were a year ago, when I married her ! ” “But, Ronald ”—and a blush came over her pale cheeks, as a reminder of what the roses Aad been—‘“‘I could not go to England at present, could I?” “Not for the next two or three months. No, my dear, of course you could not ; but as soon as possible after your confinement is over you shall go. As Dr. Spencer says, the sea voyage and the change from this oven to a cool, healthy climate, will be the very thing to restore GOMMGIO@ S pom