Show THE PAST inac 0 john ercles ain by w 0 chapman i john charlton had eaten III loneliness then as heart t in f slipped into months ho he I 1 ancl reek i eato to his rate fate lie he could rc return to england he to 0 a accused of forging hla his fathers e t check tile the heir to the r K elder S ss the culprit ills his brothers brother had lite come to john and pleaded bad th that at he assume her eyes in in 11 I 1 ill tears everybody would suspect I 1 the 0 gald id frankly because of his A gnesa and improvidence there ther 0 nairn she bad looked tr lAmy man and he tile the young orally bly 0 on been wildly in 1 love with her ber but of john charlton Cli arlton was wa s never able abl B pleading and resist f a womans comans sister ister ln in law had tah taken him at a k Ino moment ment was that john went into upshot this be is g ile he had bad pleaded with amy to tare hla his lot and silo bhe had laughed jbf t then when lie he told her that lie he OR BJ accused of forgery her prot pretty ty burs contracted and she had indig bully dy cism dismissed assed him is iso john had bad settled down to farm L 4 g in jama jamaica lea with the small email sum bum his 1118 or ether ther gave S him john often fancied be e old baronet understood but it if he aber id he gave no sign lie he shook hands per tb h john and so they parted in am eks alence lence cit that mat was four years ago and at first idas has heart had overflowed with ish time and again he had bad been opted to write to amy explaining ae batters etters to her but he retrained refrained and ise H last he be ceased to think of the past capt in the desolate hours ot of mid on leht th halien then haldee ca came into hla his life ty baldee aidee the only child of the rich cre 09 e plantation owner with her soft A gays ys and winning innocence tho the old A 08 16 10 3 0 L nd now ive said bald as much as I 1 dare johnl jian an would have been well content to jave ave john for a son in law without king any questions he knew that ohn hu was cold shouldered by the kington on aristocracy that ho be was omitted r bm orn invitations tp to the governors balls kd d dinners nut but he did not care john as a good manager and haldee loved im so four years after johns arrival hey ey became engaged tile the marriage ras as to take place in a months time hen it was waa that something hap ened john charlton received an invitation the ball at the government house ile he stared incredulously at the en raved invitation note for it was the ame am governor who had always cold shouldered hould ered him however be went perhaps it was because he bo wanted haldee to take her rightful place in lamanca society perhaps it was merey his longing to look upon the faces t f ills his own kind again john went ind ad when he entered the ballroom and aw tho the men of ills his rank and the omen in evening dress his heart in his breast 11 haldee aldee suddenly deemed like somebody very distant gand and remote from him I 1 and tho the governor shook him by tile the hand afterward john danced ile he lanced danced with english girls with the bloom oi of the moist english summer still on their cheeks and then the governors secretary drew him aside charlton he be sald said john knew the man inan officially there will be some more guests later in the evening A party has just arrived by tile the late E english ng steamer I 1 want you to stay and meet beet them the governor wants it john assented ills his thoughts were back ack in ills hla own country and in his heart he saw the busy streets of london the row how where he had bad ridden in boyhood tho the placid countryside and smooth lawns of his fathers home tile the fact Is continued the secre tary ry 1 I dont know it if you have heard you cannot have heard because noody body knew your address and we were asked to find and notify you your lather Is dead charlton john listened apparently unmoved for tor his mind was still playing that curious trick and ho he was living over the s past with his father again lie he remembered the old mans affection tor for baill liu when ho he was a little boy how bow they had ad a d given him and your brother Is I 1 am to say dead also alao ile ho was killed by a fall in the hunting held field the shock chock killed your father john was quite unmoved at that news ile ho had never had much in common with his elder brother As aa tho the younger son john had always been put aside in favor of tile tho heir your brother left no child chart charl ton uie the governors secretary was saying would lie he never cease john looked at him in a dazo daze the thought of baldeo had gone from his mind ilia father dead ills ilia brother dead without leaving an heir then why he was the baronet sir john allow me to present you ou to some of your old friends the secretary was saying and john still wandering in london in may with his nostrils full of the sweet scent of hyacinths in tho the parka was brought back to consciousness of the dreary perfumes of the ballroom by seeing his sister in enlaw law and amy lie he found himself bowing boning median icalla just as though lie ho had only left them tho the day before ile ho looked into amys face what had there ear e ar boon been in that woman to whom ho he had given all tho the passion of a first love ile he had dreamed of her three years till haldee came into ills his life this red checked english girl with tho the faint smile and the worldly face how flow tar far away avay his past life seemed all of a sudden john life his elsear bastar in law was waa saying wont you come out with us upon the ho veranda I 1 have something to tell you john followed the ladles ladies outside ha was leaning against the deranda rail now and ilia his sister ln in laws words were buzzing in his head you acted a very noble part john sh she 0 said we the family shall never cease to bo be grateful to you few men would have done as much for their brothers dut but after poor arthurs death the lawyer went through hla his papers ho he was a dreadful man mr smeaton one of those mutton wills whis puritanical men who think that everything irregular Is a crime he ha found in your brothers desk a written signed confession and insisted that it should be made public to tho the world john remembered mr smeaton a kindly old man who had always taken an interest in him so smeaton was the man who had come forward so unexpectedly to retrieve his honor we ve begged and pleaded john but nothing could move him ills his inlaw law continued we even offered him three thousand pounds to hush up tile the matter but it do tile tho old wretch threatened to make the tale public himself unless we did so it had to bo be done john she sighed well you can guess what a row there was in england especially as aa you are now the heir to the property in fact things got so hot that I 1 found it best to take a holiday in some place where the rumors got busy yet amy promised to come with me ine and she has kept her word you know you and amy were always good friends john so now I 1 shall leave you two together to talk over old times the woman was bonu and john stood unsteadily against the railing looking into the hard worldly face of amy nairn how could he ever havo have loved her how could lie he how could he be lie he could not answer his own question john I 1 am so sorry said amy putting out her hand john took it and it felt cold and catlike cat like in his own john whispered amy do you ro remember what you asked me that night before you came away I 1 have never forgotten john and I 1 am so sorry for our misunderstanding I 1 havo have often thought of you john lie he would have liked to have thrust his fist into the womans comans face what a deliverance his had be been en but amy was singularly obtuse 1 I will admit she said that my motives in accompanying your inlaw law were not altogether altruistic john in fact 1 I 1 I 1 I wanted to see beg you gain again she looked down and shuffled her feet in simulated con COD fusion amy had singularly prett feet almost as pretty as haldeen Hal dees and silo she had always been aware of the tact fact and now ivo said as much as aa I 1 dare john she added raising her eyes to his bis 1 q I am sorry said john job n bowing sorry john that you should h have ave made this thin long journey for noth nothing ing I 1 cannot marry you how flow dare you she exclaimed with flaming cheeks has jamaica made a brute of you john no a man he answered when I 1 go to england shall take my wife WHO with me inc yo you u see we are to be married before the end of the month amy his last picture of her was seeing this the sudden catlike cat like cruelty flame into her face and eyes as all she stood sphinx like against the rail but the picture faded within a moment for the air was full of the sweetness of a jamaica a night and john was riding home to hill bla bride to be Il haldee aidee |