Captain de Sabron and Julia Redmond
HIS LOVE STORY
By
MARIE VAN VORST
Author of First Love, The Girl From His Town The Broken Bell, etc.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY HOWARD CHANDLER CHRISTY
NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS
Copyright 1913 The Bobbs-Merrill Company
To
Monsieur le Capitaine Dadvisard de la Cavalerie Française
Paris, 1912
CONTENTS
Chapter
I A Serious Event II Julia Redmond III A Second Invitation IV The Dog Pays V The Golden Autumn VI Ordered Away VII A Soldier's Dog VIII Homesick IX The Fortunes of War X Together Again XI A Sacred Trust XII The News From Africa XIII One Dog's Day XIV An American Girl XV Julia's Romance XVI The Duke in Doubt XVII Out of the Desert XVIII Two Lovely Women XIX The Man in Rags XX Julia Decides XXI Master and Friend XXII Into the Desert XXIII Two Love Stories XXIV The Meeting XXV As Handsome Does XXVI Congratulations XXVII Valor in Retrospect XXVIII Happiness
HIS LOVE STORY
CHAPTER I A SERIOUS EVENT
Le Comte de Sabron, in the undress uniform of captain in the —— Cavalry, sat smoking and thinking.... What is the use of being thirty years old with the brevet of captain and much distinction of family if you are a poor man—in short, what is the good of anything if you are alone in the world and no one cares what becomes of you?
He rang his bell, and when his ordonnance appeared, said sharply:
"Que diable is the noise in the stable, Brunet? Don't you know that when I smoke at this hour all Tarascon must be kept utterly silent?"
Tarascon is never silent. No French meridional town is, especially in the warm sunlight of a glorious May day.
"The noise, mon Capitaine," said Brunet, "is rather melancholy."
"Melancholy!" exclaimed the young officer. "It's infernal. Stop it at once."
The ordonnance held his kepi in his hand. He had a round good-natured face and kind gray eyes that were used to twinkle at his master's humor and caprices.
"I beg pardon, mon Capitaine, but a very serious event is taking place."
"It will be more serious yet, Brunet, if you don't keep things quiet."
"I am sorry to tell, mon Capitaine, that Michette has just died."
"Michette!" exclaimed the master. "What relation is she of yours, Brunet?"
"Ah, mon Capitaine," grinned the ordonnance, "relation! None! It is the little terrier that Monsieur le Capitaine may have remarked now and then in the garden."
Sabron nodded and took his cigarette out of his mouth as though in respect for the deceased.
"Ah, yes," he said, "that melancholy little dog! Well, Brunet!"
