OCR Text |
Show IB v- T' IKlllliB 'I'l IMPWil in I ' I "" ' f r-" His Father's H Br JENNIE. EDDT Hi r H UorTrlbi.n,lrl)ilrstrjrub.Oo.) H "rNLY seven days morel" Waiter H J Jaynes drew tho slender figure of B his promised wife closer to bis tide and B looted fondly Into her upturned face. B She- laughed happily. M' "It seems too good to bo true, doesn't It, dearest?" m "We must bo the exception that proves B the rule, this time," he answered.. "Sure- y tho course of true love never could HI run more smoothly than ours and In an- other week you will be mine forever, Sometimes," he went on musingly, "It does seem too good to be true. I feel ns It It were all a beautiful dream and I B dread the awakening, nut you do love B me, darling " Ho paused, waiting for the whlsperod "yes" ho knew would BB pj "Do you know, a long time ago, when J I first met you, I used to fear that you BH might marry Stedman. He's such a BBS splendid fellow, rich and brilliant and BBpJ alt that. Didn't you ever care for him, BBS Trurile!" BBpJ. "No," she dented emphatically. "I BBJ never cared for anyone until you came. BBpJ- But I did think onco that perhaps If It BBBJ had not been for his brother's disgraceful BBBJ, conduct I might have let myself care," BBBJ "Sweetheart, what do you men? BBpJ Would tho fact that a man's brother was BBpJ a drunkard prevent ydu from marrying BBBJ him when he was all that Is good and B BBB. "Yes, I mean Just that It sounds hard, BBS doesn't It? But I could never marry a BBS man who could not give me n namo tin- BBS stained. Fewof usevcrthlnkwhatblack BBB pages of ancestry most proplo have hlil- BBBB den away tho hideous skeletons In their BBS closets. And tho blood will tell, sooner' BBS or later, bad blood as well as good. That BBS is why you see, with Mr. Stedman. His BBS brother tins already developed a weak BBS trait. It may bo only n matter of time BBB, when he, too, succumbs to some vice BBH equally despicable." Bl Thy were both silent a few moments, BBSSc busy wlh their thotiphti. Then, as a BBBB neighboring clock tolled the hour, Jaynes BBB rose to go. "You don't know how glad BBBB I am, sweetheart, that my family record BBS' i BBBB "I could never have loved you If It BBBB hadn't been," Gertrude Elliot answered, BBB- BBB Tho n'.xt diy was Sunday and they BBBB had planned a lone drive together. It BBBB was a day of perfect happiness for them BBBB both. The .conversation of tho evening BBBB before had bean forgotten the pleasure BBBJ of tho present shut out all serious BBSBJ thoughts. As they drclve home in tho BBSBJ. lengthening shadows, that silence which BBSBJ Is the sweetest communion of two united BBSBJ' souls fell upon them. A white object BBBH suddenly fluttered In the grass at the roadside. Tho horse shied, then quieted BBBB down at tho sound of his master's voice. BBBJ "What Is It. dear?" asked Gertrude. BBS ."Only a newspaper. 1 think." BBS "There! That reminds roe af what I BBB wanted to tell you. I read such a strange BBS story after you left last night not n BBS book, a story in the evening paper. And BBJ the queer thine about It Is that the man BBS haa your name, Walter Stanton Jaynes, BBS BBS Jaynes laughed. "That Is certainly BBS peculiar. I norer come across anyone BBB of that namfe outride our family. The BBBBS oldest sons have borne It for genera- BBBBS, tlonaback. What about the man?" BBBBS "He has Just died In tho stato's prison BBBBS at Jackson. It seems he was sent up BBBBS, (ram Detro'.t for embezzlement. Hit BBBBB crime was r.uch ft llnprant breach of trust BBBBB. that the full extent of the law, was given BBBBB him. He was prerldent of the Wayne BBBBB County bank and was so highly regarded BBBBB, that hundreds of poor people, widows BBBBB and orphans,, loaned him thtlr all. He BBBBB' Intended to .replace what be had stolen BBBBB In time, but ihc'itank examiner en ran BBBB unexpectedly and discovered the sitim- BBB) BBSJ "I biipposo mother would remember BBBBB the case. Wc lived. In Detroit until I was BBBBB flvo .years old," said Jaynes. "nut aside BBBBSt from the coincidence of nameslt is rather BBBBB; a common story." BBBft "But I haven't come to the strangest BBBBBJ part. The prison was crowded when this BBBBB man vasnnt up and he was put into the BBBBB cell with another convict With his face clean-shaven and his halrcrnpped short, BBBBBJ It happened that he and his cell-mato, BBBBBJ' who was a common murderer, bore BBBBBJ striking nr emblunce to each other. They BBBBBJ became very good friends In spite of BBBBBJ tho fact that they had come from differ- BBBBBJi ent environments, In tho course of a BBBBBJ month, Jaynfs' partner, Number 372, BBBBBJ was FelZPd with diphtheria In tho night BBBBBJ. Jaynes did not summon the guard until BBBBBE morning, and when tho sick man was BBBBBS removed to tho hospital he had on BBBSBB Jaynes' clothes and number, which was BBBBBS SIS. Ho died the same day and of coursa BBBBBS1 Jaynes' friends were notified, but on BBBBBBS account of tho contagion they were not BBBBBBS allowed to claim tho body. The chap- BBBBBBB lain suspected the trick, but Jaynes re- BBBBBBS fused to acknowledge It nil these years BBBBBBB on account of his family. He said It was BBBBBBB. better or them to think he was dead, BBBBB though It meant assuming the other BBBBB man's sentence, which was for life. But BBBBB Just before the end came, n few days ago, BBBBBB the chaplain Induced him to own up. He BBBBB argued that Jaynes' wife had n tight tn BBBBBB know at last what a splendid sacrifice BBBBBB ho had, made, when nil these years he BBBBBB fnlght have, heard from her and seen her BBBBBB occasionally. Kvcn that did not move BBBBJBs him until It came to disposing of his BBBBBBt . earnings. He had been made superln- EflBBBJBJ tendent erf ono of the shops and had BBBBBBt drawn'a good salary all these years. It BBBBBJ roado a' handsome sum and his desire BBBBBB to leave it to his wife brought out the BBBB H i'.X'ie gathering darkness hid from Or- BBJBBB tnide Elliott the whiteness and pain in BBBBBJ -the' face of the man beside her. Busy BBBBBBB AJ hruwnv,$hou:ha.af the -tragic BBBBBBBf ' story eh'e dld'ooi notice that be made no BBBSflflflv ' BHBBBBBm' II ii i u "" '" commont But when they stopped In front of her houso and she asked him in, he shook his head. "Have you tho paper, Gertrude? I should Ilketo read that story." "Walter, how hoarse you arel You havo taken cold, Come In and let me get you something hot" "No, mother Is waiting for me. I must go at once, If you will get me the paper, please." She brought It to him, hurt at the refusal re-fusal of her care, and more hurt that he offered her no parting caress. Only, as he gathered up the lines, he bent towards her. "Oh. Trudle, Trudlel" ho murmured hoarsely, "beloved, goodnight, and God keep you." Ten minutes later he burst Into the room where his mother sat waiting for him. She was a beautiful woman, old beyond her years, on her calm countenance counte-nance the peace attained only through great suffering. Her face lighted up as her son entored. He flung himself down beside her with the frenzy of a madman. "Mother," he cried, "tell me about my fatherl" She looked startled a momsnt then replied re-plied calmly, "What do you wish to know, dear? Ho died when you were a little boy, scarce five years old." "Of malignant diphtheria?" "Yes." "In tho, Jackson prison? Mother, for God sake, tell me, was my father a criminal? crim-inal? I must know tho truth." She took hts hot hands in her own and caressed them gently. "My darling I had hoped to spare you this. I gave up home and friends more than 0 years ago to save you from pain and disgrace. Perhaps Per-haps I was wrong, but I did it for the best. Your father was president of a rich bank. His sister's husband was cashier. Taylor lost everything gambling. His poor wife loved him to distraction, and Just beforo her baby was born It was discovered that Taylor had appropriated thousands of the bank funds, Your father had suspected sus-pected him before, but tried to shut his eyes to the truth. Taylorcontrlved that tho blame fell, not upon himself, but upon my poor husband. For Julia's sake he said nothing, never thinking he could be convicted of another's, crime. But he was, and he told roe he felt it a Just punishment pun-ishment for not acting against Taylor In the beginning, A month later he died in prison. I came hero to the far west, my one prayer that you should nwver know But. Walter, now that you know you can appreciate the great eoul that could suffer even disgrace for the sake of another." "Listen," said he, and unfolding the paper, he read the story Gertrude bad told him. "Do you know what It means to me, mother? Gertrude will never marry a man who cannot give her an unstained un-stained name." "Must you tell her?" "Mother! Can I live a lie the rest of my days?" With tho fierce strength of despair he snatched his hat and fairly ran to the girl he loved. There he poured out tho whole pitiful story, not stopping when she tried to Interrupt, lest his strength fall before the end. "Korglve me, Trudle. Had I known It before I should never haV dared to tell you my love. AlLl ask Is that you believe me Innocent of the knowledge. I shall never see you again, but I cannot help loving you, Gertrude. It Is too late for that. Good-by." lie turned to go, but his unsteady feet did not reach the threshold when a pair of strong young arms caught and held him. "Walter, you shall not leave me this way. You are my promised husband, and do you think I wllj give you up?" "Don't you understand? My name is disgraced roy father died a convict!" "I am proud. of your father for his noble sacrifice. When I said what I did last night, I did not know It was a suppositional- case. I could not marry Stedman Sted-man because I did not love him. But, dearest, this is reality. I am not marrying marry-ing you fqr your family. What does that matter when a woman loves a. man as I love you? TherlsnopowerlnHeaven or earth that can tako me from you now. Oh, Walter, don't yon know yet what love is?" |