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Show THE SUNLIT WAY S $3 By AQNE8 BROCAN. g . 1121, Wuieii Ntftipaptr Union.) Jasmine rode every morning, down tho sunlit way. The park surrounding hor big shabby homo was .gloomy In It's wealth of trees. Tho bouse was gloomy, too; so In her hour of recreation, recre-ation, Jasmine chose the sunlit way. Jasmine, seated on her white horse, Bonnie, loved to dream, at tho water's edge, of that other world ho far away, and yet near, where other young people peo-ple laughed and talked, and sang together. to-gether. Since her mother's death, when she hud been too young to remember, the girl had known little companionship save that of Ursula, tho housekeeper, and James Rhodes, her father. .1 nines Rhodes, aged prematurely by (llnp-polntmcnt (llnp-polntmcnt nnd sorrow, was u aoveru man. Tho one friend who continued to benr with his humors wus John West-wood West-wood of Westwood place, next door. And an James Rhodes, lu his brokenhearted broken-hearted Isolation for lie. hnd never cended to mourn his wlfo's loss grow poorer, John Westwood, energetic nnd successful lu business, grew ever richer. Now, the one stubborn dcslro of the old thwarted man was to make that wealth his daughter's, through her marriage to his friend. John Westwood admired Jasmine very much; he loved hor, he said, and would make her huppy. So Jiismlnu grievously disturbed, rode every morning morn-ing down tho sunlit way, trying to think out nn escape from the Impending Impend-ing fate. The girl In absorbing tenderness ten-derness for her father, could not bear to deny his heart's one desire, and yet A stranger sat at the end of the sunlit road onu day, a young and Idle stranger, with arms clasped behind his head against the tree on which ho leaned, and 'brown hair blown by the breezo from his high, white forehead. As flip vnllnf in mi's fnink III lie eves came back from their survey of the river, they rested upon Jnsmlne seated there on her horse, lu u kind of Joyous wonder. . "l'ou?" nsked the young - man, dreamily, "who nre you?" And nlso smilingly wondering, the girl replied: "I um Jnsmlne." Tho atrnngcr nodded. "Of course," be said, "I might know that you would be Jasmine when you carae. A white flower." Strangely acquiescent, she allowed him to tako the bridle from her hand and lead her to a aeat on the grass at his side. "You come from tho old house. Jasmine?" Jas-mine?" tho young man nsked. "You see, I know that there nre but two houses, nnd Jolin Westwood lives In the other." "Yes," sho answered slowly, "from the old house." "And you are?" ho hesitated over his question. Then Jasmine smiled. "I am," she'told her questioner, "occupied "oc-cupied there ns companion." Sho was away beforu the stranger could dctalu hex, tlylng on Ronnie's' back, up the sunlit road. In the bomber bom-ber silence of the park trees, the girl calmed, and her eyes grew wistful. Hnd It not all-been u dream? Yet she went again, and still ngnln, and every ev-ery coming found him wultlng. Then firmly Jasmlno told herself that the meetings 'must end. It was the white horse who carried tier there. "I did not mean to come," she told tho young man, decidedly. "Uuuule brought me." "And your heart led Ronnie," he answered an-swered laughing softly, In conttde.m assurance. "Dut now that I have come." the girl went on, "I shall stay only to confess my deceit, and (hen good-by. I, am Jasmine Rhodes, nnd 1 am to marry John Westwood." "Youl" gasped the youug man, "to marry my crabbed old uncle? You, my Uttlo white flower!" "Your uncle," sho faltered confusedly. con-fusedly. Tho lover Impatiently nodded. "I came down to visit my undo." he said. "He Is putting um through college. Through nil his mistiness, my undo has uu affection for roe. Rut If you think that I shall let you marry him" Young John Westwood broke off abruptly. "There Is only ouo way to straighten' It all," ho said, "and we must hurry. My roadster will- carry us quicker thun Ronule. It's ou the river road. First, we will have to Uet a llceuse. Then you shall come back - here as my wife. Wealth can mean nothing to you us compared with love. Come, dear heart." Rut Jasmine lingered. "Some day," sho said, "1 will go with you. Rut first, I must be honest with both my fnther and his friend." l'l-um behind Hie shelter of u tree camo suddenly old John Westwood. "I would ndvlse you, my dear." he said quietly, "to obey now the dictate of your heart. Thla lad Is a good lad, and true love Is more than money. I, myself, xhnll boo your father, and after all, I um sure he will he well pleased with my nephew ns sun-ln-luw, when ho lenrus that I shall nuke him my heir." "Oh." murmured Jusmlne, "how can you bo so generously kind!" Old John Wectwood smiled. "Until this morning," lw uald, "It has been many long years since I glimpsed the Sunlit Way." |