"s'pose It's Satan."

It was only the ground on which tho 150 boys of Dr. Kellar's school disported themselves. But besides the boys present there were at least 150 demons and angels of ambition, eiwy, loyalty, perfidy and truthfulness. The doctor himself , in a new snit of tweed, seemed to the boys to be f ar more approachable here in the midst of their sports than when in academie cap and gown he cast gloom through their ranks by stalking along with that searching eye of his well turned on the discomfiture of evildoers. However, even at these grewsome times, the boys admitted among themselves that Kellar was a gentleman, and that they'd rather take a hiding from him than pnnishment drill from a cad any day. For they were proud of Kellar's, loyal to the school, and ready to battle to the bitter end against any coinmon foe who dared to asperse it in the slightest degree. A little lad of 10 had just run light heartedly on the gronnd when the aforesaid searchlight feil on him, and simultaneously the head master shouted out: "Colville two, I thought you had detention?" Colville two, aredheaded, merry faced boy, smiled cheerfully, as if detention were a good joke to which he was well accustomed, and replied with pleasant promptness: "So I have, sir." "Then what brings you out here?" "I s'pose it's Satan. He's always doing it." "Doing what':" "Making me naughty," said Colville two, with pathetically fearless frankness. TheH Kellar's little daughter went up and kissed him. Twelve j-ears later the battle of Tamai was being fottght, and Colville two was in the thick of it. He had been slightly wounded in an attack that had been made upon McNeil's Zareba a few days previously, and his oolonel had mentioned him in despatches and recommended him strongly for the "V. C." for personal gallantry. On the strength of this Lieutenant Colville had written to the girl he was engaged to, who was at Cairo with her motber, telling her that he would not wait to marry her a day af ter he had got his company. "I've always been a Incky fellow, though I've been in no end of scrapes all my life," tho boy wrote, "and now the crowning luck of all is that I shall win you and the Victoria cross at the same time. Heaps of fellows deserve it just as much as I do, only I happened to be in front, you see, and was lucky enough to be able to make myself a target for the concealed enemy, who had been picking off our men like ninepins. The Arabs turned their fire on me, and our fellows were able to see where the beggars fired from. I must bear a charmed life, I think, for the grouñd was riddled all around me. Bob (Bob was her brotlier) and I fought shoulder to shoulder for hours, and we shall again many a day, I hope." The girl who got this letter was worthy of the gallant, light hearted boy who wrote it, and she sent him pages of such loving, proud, encouraging words as only a proud, loving woman can write. "I wish I were your wife that I might go to the front and dres3 your wounds myself, iny own love. Even as it is I am capable of dressing as a boy and going to the camp. I quito understanu Constance de Beverley's bowing her pride and riding for three long years in Lord Marmion's train. Only, Jack, there would be no 'bowing of pride' in my case. I should be prouder than ever if I could only do something to show the whole camp, the whole world, how dearly I love my boy." Then she went on to teil how regularly she wrote to his mother, keeping her posted up in all that Jack was doing and suffering and winning. "She is my beloved mother, and only she can fully understand how dearly I have loved you ever since that day when I went and kissed you because you said you 's'posed it was Satan made you naughty.' " Violet Kellar had fought a hard fight bef ore she had gained her f ather's consent to become engaged to penniless Jack Colville. The girl's brilliantly good looks, attractive manners and general cleverness had brought far more eligible men to her feet. But she had been faithf ui to her first love through it all. "I hate poverty, but I love Jack," she would say, when her father pointed out to her how f&r more sensible it would be of her to marry a man who could give her a good establishment in which he eould stay at home in easewith her than to link her lot with that of a mere subaltern in a marching regiment. "Probably af ter tbey have settled this disturbance in Egypt his regiment will be sent off to India for three or four years, and as he can't marry on his pay yon will be "eft behind to medítate on your folly in inving engaged yourself." "I shall marry him as soon as this affair is over in Egypt, papa, and if he can't give me bread and water enough to support me I'll beg it from some one who can. I don't want a good establishment or a husband who'll stay at Í want Jack, and I mean "TL ays got wliat hewanted, L-onfound him," her father grumbled Brood U mperedly, and when he said that Violet knew that her case was won. Hor mother, after the manner of mothers, sympathized with the young people's romance and hopefully assnred her that Jack would win promotion in soma miraculous way -without seeing much dangerons service. So when Violet said: "Mother, dear, I don't want a swell wedding. I don't even want a wedding dress - Jack likes me in sailor serge better than anything, but I do want to go out and be as near him as I can. Take me to Cairo and let the chaplain marry ns as soon as the fighting is over." Mrs. Kellar agreed to do so, and all their acqnaintances declared that the mother was as great a fooi as the daughter. Violefs letter was keeping his heart warm this day at Tamai. He was mg unaccountably happy and light hearted, as after a sharp tussle with half a dozen Arabs, three of whom he killed with his revolver, he was allo wed lsreathing time f or a few minutes, during which he cut the word "Suakin" on the little black pipe that had been his inseparable companion during the whole of the campaign. Suddenly just as he had lighted and returned smoking it, he heard a frantic shout, and glancing up ho saw young Kellar dash forward and fire at someone behind him (Jack). Simultaneously he feit a sharp agonizing pain in his back and knew that he was struck by a poisoned spear. An Arab, who had been concealed in a bush, had crept out and stabbed him before young Kellar could intervene. He had staggered and then fallen on his face, and they thought that he was dead f or a minute. But when they lif ted him and were carrying him away a faint flicker of the oíd fun carne into his fading blue eyes as he said: "I wanted Violet ánd the 'V. C. so much. S'pose 'twas Satan" Before he could finish the sentence the fading light went out, and the blue eyes closed forever in this world. Who shall teil her? The whole regiment knew the story of Jack's love, and not a man in it but feit heartsore f or the girl who had loved and been so proud of her young hero. "It will break my heart to go to Violet with such a tale," her brother moaned. "I'd rather take a revolver and blow my own brains out than have the task." "You shall not have it," hia colonel promised. 'Til go to her myself with as bitter tidings as I've had to convey." ' Colonel Branksholme's month twitched, and his steady, fearless gray eyes filled with tears as he spoke. But this was more for the fine young solclierly lif e which had been cut short in its glory than for the desolate girl who was left to mourn it. However, he fulfilled his task so sympathetically that Violet soon found her greatest comfort in talking of her lost lover to his gallant chief . "Time treads on the gravé of affection!" Kind, merciful Time! Two years after Jack feil at Suakin, Colonel ! holme, who had been away on leave for a month, telegraphed to the second in command of the regiment, "My wife and I will be back tonight." "We'll give thein a grand reception. Have the band to meet them, take the horses out and drag the carriage along the parade," some of the more enthuBiastic of the juniors declared. But when young Kellar said: "Botter not. The bride is my sister," the regiment feit that the less demonstration they made on the occasion of her joining it the better. Jack's rnemory was too green with them still for them to give her anything but a silent and rather sad