1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



55 



Nurse Gaughan, weary with watch- 

 ing, felt a drowsiness steiil over her that 

 she could not conquer. She glanced 

 more than once at her charge, but he 

 made no sign of wanting her help, and 

 when she last looked his eyes were 

 closed, and he seemed to be asleep. No 

 sound broke the silence, and Nurse 

 Gaughan also closed her eyes and slum- 

 bered. 



Boy Sladen's sleep was short and 

 troubled. His delirium was returning, 

 and when he woke he started up in bed 

 and looked wildly about. Nurse Gaugh- 

 an slept on, and Boy Sladen, hearing 

 the shuffling of feet outside, cast the 

 bedclothes silently from him and crept 

 noiselessly to the window. He saw the 

 men falling in, and a mad idea seized 

 him. He glanced at the nurse, who 

 slumbered still ; then crept softly past 

 her, and as soon as he was outside ran 

 swiftly toward the battalion. He was 

 in rear of the men, and no one saw him 

 coming. 



The drum major, pompous in demean- 

 or and rigid in the wealth of gold and 

 scarlet that a generous people gave him, 

 had taken up his post at the head of the 

 band. The staff, with the great silver 

 ornament at the head of it, was grace- 

 fully balanced against his tunic, and 

 the drum major was pulling on his 

 white gloves just a shade more, for the 

 women were watching from the married 

 quarters. Suddenly the staff was 

 wrenched away, and looking in stupid 

 amazement for the cause he saw Boy 

 81aden standing beside him, clad only 

 in his nightdress, bareheaded and bare- 

 footed. 



A wild light w^as shining in Boy Sla- 

 den's eyes. He planted the staff firmly 

 on the ground at arm's length, then 

 twirled it round his head as he had seen 

 the drum major twirl it, and before any 

 one had time to speak he cried, "Strike' 

 up the 'March of Gordon's Own!' " He 

 stepped out gravely, as the drum major 

 did, and turned the staff rhythmically 

 and in graceful circles in the air. 



He was humming the tune as he 

 marched, when Nurse Gaughan, startled 

 and terrified, ran across the parade to- 

 ward him. She seized the staff, and 

 heedless alike of its magnificence and 

 the stony horror of the drum major, 

 flung it to the ground, and putting her 

 9xmB around Boy Sladeu she lifted his 



little, wasted form and bore it into the 

 hospital. 



The colonel's quick eye had caught 

 Boy Sladen's words. "It's the last favor 

 he'll ever need," he muttered, and he 

 repeated the command. 



The drums were beaten bravely, the 

 cymbals clashed melodiously, and the 

 reed and brass made martial music as 

 the battalion crunched the gravel of the 

 parade to the "March of Gordon's Own. " 



An hour later Boy Sladen of the band 

 was dead. But he was satisfied. He had 

 realized his ambition. — Strand Maga- 

 zine. 



Guileless Loie Fuller. 



Loie Fuller has never worn a corset 

 in all her life. Her figure is round, 

 beautiful, firm. Her gowns are fashion- 

 ed in the empire style, her hats are im- 

 mense and beplumed, and her manners 

 are gracious and altogether delightful. 

 Her modesty is possibly her greatest 

 charm. She told the writer recently: 

 "I see posters about the street, and I 

 think Loie Fuller must be some one 

 else. I can't get used to the fame part 

 of my career. In Paris, where I became 

 known, I was driven to the theater and 

 home again without knowing how I 

 was being talked about. One day I re- 

 quired some pocket handkerchiefs, and 

 my mother and I walked into a shop. 

 'See, mamma,' I cried, 'there are Lcie 

 Fuller handkerchiefs, and there are silks 

 named after that person too. I wonder 

 who can have my name. ' It turned out 

 that I was the namesake of all manner 

 of wearable articles of femininity," — 

 New Orleans Times-Democrat. 



Engrlisb Stubbornneas. 



English pigheadedness was shown in 

 a recent block of 30 hours on the Grand 

 Junction canal in Northamptonshire, 

 the captains of two barges arriving at a 

 imall lock from opposite directions each 

 Insisting on going through first. Over 

 100 canalboats were kept waiting till 

 one of the men gave way by order of the 

 proprietor of his boat. 



Pansies, ever since Shakespeare's 

 time, and perhaps for ages before, have 

 been symbolic of thoughts or remem- 

 brance. Two or three poets, 100 years 

 earlier than Shakespeare, mention the 

 flower as having this symbolism. 



