| Show ft FORGOT THE PAST by JOHN eccles copyright by W G chapman at first john charlton had eaten out his heart in lonell nesa then as the weeks slipped into months be grew reconciled to bla fate lie could never hope to return to england he had been accused of forging his fathers name to a check his elder brother the heir to the estate was the culprit his brothers wife had come to john and pleaded with tears in her eyes that he assume the guilt everybody would suspect him she said frankly because of his recklessness and improvidence there was a girl amy nairn she had looked favorably on the young man and he bad been wildly in love with her but then john charlton was never able to resist a woman s pleading and his sister in law bad taken him at a weak moment the upshot was that john went into exile he bad pleaded with amy to share hia lot and she had laughed first then when be told her that he was accused of forgery her pretty brows contracted and she bad indig i bantly dismissed him so john had settled down to farm ing in jamaica with the small sum bis father gave him john often fancied the old baronet understood but it he did be gave no sign he shook hands with john and so they parted in silence that was tour years ago and at first johns heart had overflowed with anguish time and again be had been tempted to write to amy explaining matters to her but he refrained and at last be ceased to think of the past except in the desolate hours of mid night then haldee came into his life haldee the only child of the rich creole plantation owner with her soft ways and winning innocence the old and now ive said much a I 1 dare johni aa w 2 vs o tto 0 r clarit Cb arit T r to the ball t lb E seemed like somebody very u him by the ba afterward john danced danced with engish girls wl bloom of the moist english t S th john assented back in bis own Tso t bis heart be saw the busy fLon VS s ml 1 u sw ssu tor bis was B i curious trick de eving over theja thUel for affection nd is I 1 try to say dead also lie was killed by a fall in the hunting field the chock killed your father john was quite unmoved at that news he bad never had much in common with his elder brother As the younger son john had always been put aside in favor of the heir your brother left no child chariton the governors secretary was saying would he never cease john looked at him in a daze the thought of haldee had gone from his mind 1 father dead his brother dead without leaving an heir then why he was the baronet sir john allow me to present you to some 0 your old friends the secretary was saying and john still wandering in lon don in may with his nostrils full of the sweet scent of hyacinths ln the parks was brought back to conscious ness of the dreary perfumes of the ballroom by seeing his sister enlaw and amy he found himself bowing mechanically lust as though he had only left them the day before he looked into amys face what had there ever been in that woman to whom he had given all the passion of a first love he had dreamed of her three years till haidee came into his life this red checked cheeked english girl with the faint smile and the worldly face how tar away his past life seemed all of a sudden john his sister in law was saying won t you come out with us upon tha veranda I 1 have something to tell you john followed the ladles outside he was leaning against the veranda rail now and his sister in laws words were buzzing in his head you acted a very noble part john she said we the family shall never cease to be grateful to you few men would have done as much for their brothers but after poor arthurs death the lawyer went through his papers he was a dreadful man mr smeaton one of those mutton whiskered puritanical men who think that everything irregular Is a crime he found in your brothers desk a written signed confession and insisted that it should be made public to the world john remembered mr smeaton a kindly old man who had always taken an interest in him so smeaton was the man who bad come forward so un expectedly to retrieve his honor we begged and pleaded john but nothing could move him his law continued we even him three thousand pounds to bush up the matter but it wouldn t do the old wretch threatened to make the tale public himself unless we did so it bad to be done john she sighed well you can guess what a row there was in england especially as 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 haan hadn t yet amy promised to come with me 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 gone and john stood unsteadily against the railing looking into the hard worldly face ot amy nairn how could he ever have loved her how could be how could he he could not answer his own question john I 1 am so sorry said amy putting out her band john took it and it felt cold and catlike in his own john whispered amy do you 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 have often thought of you john he would have liked to have thrust bis fist into the woman s face what a deliverance his bad been but amy was singularly obtuse 1 I will admit she said that my motives in accompanying your law were not altogether altruistic john in tact I 1 I 1 I 1 wanted to see you again she looked down and shuffled her feet in simulated con fusion amy had singularly pretty feet almost as pretty as haldee s and she had always been aware of the fact and now ive said as much aa I 1 dare john she added raising her eyes to his I 1 am sorry said john bowing sorry john that you should have made this long journey for nothing I 1 cannot marry you how dare you she exclaimed with flaming cheeks has jamaica made a brute of you john no a man be answered when I 1 go to england I 1 shall take my wile fultn me you see we are to be married before the end of the month amy his last picture of her was seeing the sudden cat like cruelty flame into her face and eyes as she stood against the rail but the picture faded within a moment for the air was full of the sweetness of a jamaica night and john was riding home to his bride to be haldee |
