The Last Shot

. Mrs. Galland came down the path from the veranda loiteringly, pausing to look at the flowers and again at the sweep of hills and plain. The air was singularly sti

preciation of age which holds to the happiness in hand. To-morrow it might rain;

t out, and her inclination, in keeping with her leisureliness, was to wait on the completion of his task before speaking. Again she let her glance wander away to the distances. It was arrested and

!" she repeated, a girlish exc

t here was something new: two squadrons of dirigibles and planes in company, one on either side of the white posts. For the fraction of a second the dirigibles seemed pr

inst theirs!" exclaimed M

er bent to his w

forget that you are

is hat was removed with prompt and rather graceful deference, revealing eyebrows that were still dark in contrast to the white hair. For only an instant did he remai

in the monotonous voice of the deaf, which, however, had a certain attractive wistfulness-"I-" and from the same throat as he saw the object of her gaze came a vi

shoulders broadened and his chest expanded with the indrawing of a deep breath. This let go, the stoop returned in a sudden reaction, the briefly

Oh, I know what war is! I've seen this garden all spattered with blood and dead bodies in a row here at our feet, and heard t

the oncoming squadrons in a staring mesmerism. His only

ave mistaken the thought of war as something delightful to him if he had not appeared so gentle an

the dirigibles failed to respond to its rudder and lost speed; that in the rear, responding too readily, had its leader on the thwart

er in quick breaths, like the

alland in one long

rown, which, slowing down, came on as straight as an arrow in unchanged formation in a line over the castle tower. From the forward Brown aeroplane, as its shadow shot over the garden, pursued by the great, obl

to his assistants," said Mrs. Galland. "You remember him-why, it was the col

air and finally fell among the rose-bushes a few yards from

telegram from her that she will be home in the morning, and that takes me back to my idea that I came to speak about to you," she babbled on, while Feller regarded her with a gentle, uncomprehending smile. "You know how she likes

gardener. But I love my work. I try t

ed; "and you deserve great credit. Many deaf

rom his blouse pocket. With the pencil attached to it by a string she wrote her instru

r as the talisman that warranted his presuming to disagree with the mother-"Miss Galland, when she took her las

assent to save herself the trouble of writing. Starting back up the steps, she murmured: "I suppose cut flowers are out of fashion-I know I am-and d

r, with a musing smile when he was alone; "but t

ad, piratical errand from flower to flower in the rapt stillness,

ou think you're an aeroplane. Surely, they'd never train you to evolute in s

side of the frontier, Feller glanced around to see if any one were watching. Assured that he was alone, he removed his hat, and, though he wiped the brim and wiped his brow, in his attitude was the suggestion of the military st

softly. "Yes, war!" he