She thought little of the remark at the time, though she carefully put

the tarnished tassel away among her dearest treasures; but it acquired a

new meaning in the morning. The troops were to leave very early; and

soon after dawn, she heard the clatter of galloping horses and the calls

of the men as they reined up at their commander's door. Bram, as his

father's lieutenant, was with them. The horses of Joris and Hyde were

waiting.

They rose from the breakfast-table and looked at their wives. Lysbet

gave a little sob, and laid her head a moment upon her husband's breast.

Katherine lifted her white face and whispered, with kisses, "Beloved

one, go. Night and day I will pray for you, and long for you. My love,

my dear one!"

There was hurry and tumult, and the stress of leave-taking was lightened

by it. Katherine held her husband's hand till they stood at the open

door. Then he looked into her face, and down at his sword, with a

meaning smile. And her eyes dilated, and a vivid blush spread over her

cheeks and throat, and she drew him back a moment, and passionately

kissed him again; and all her grief was lost in love and triumph. For,

wound tightly around his sword-hilt, she saw--though it was brown and

faded--her first, fateful love-token,--The Bow of Orange Ribbon.

POSTSCRIPT.

[QUOTATION FROM A LETTER DATED JULY 5, A.D. 1885.]

"Yesterday I went with my aunt to spend 'the Fourth' at the Hydes. They

have the most delightful place,--a great stone house in a wilderness of

foliage and beauty, and yet within convenient distance of the railroad

and the river-boats. Why don't we build such houses now? You could make

a ball-room out of the hall, and hold a grand reception on the

staircase. Kate Hyde said the house is more than a hundred years old,

and that the fifth generation is living in it. I am sure there are

pictures enough of the family to account for three hundred years; but

the two handsomest, after all, are those of the builders. They were very

great people at the court of Washington, I believe. I suppose it is

natural for those who have ancestors to brag about them, and to show off

the old buckles and fans and court-dresses they have hoarded up, not to

speak of the queer bits of plate and china; and, I must say, the Hydes

have a really delightful lot of such bric-a-brac. But the strangest

thing is the 'household talisman.' It is not like the luck of Eden Hall:

it is neither crystal cup, nor silver vase, nor magic bracelet, nor an

old slipper. But they have a tradition that the house will prosper as

long as it lasts, and so this precious palladium is carefully kept in a

locked box of carved sandal-wood; for it is only a bit of faded satin

that was a love-token,--a St. Nicholas Bow of Orange Ribbon."



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