Show her darkest hour oo o 00 o by ALVAH JORDAN GARTH li Copy copyright richt 1019 by the th new nes union whatever Is the colonel up for to 7 why hes acting like some me mad man I 1 two men trolling strolling near to the old fashioned house bouse where col blair worthington had bad lived for over over fifty years halted askance to view a sensational demonstration on the he part of their fellow townsman Fery everybody body knew the colonel and everybody liked him ile he was an irascible old tyro whimsical and autocratic but in his more prosperous days lie be had been generous to a fault ills his daughter mabel was the idol of the community and his townsmen were proud of a family whose hose ancestry ran back two centuries with his gold headed cane the colonel wa an battering away at a tree upon it was as tacked some kind ol of a document ile he tore it to ribbons with his swishing blows be flook his its leonine head in wild excitement and dashed into the house bouse 1 I know abruptly spoke one of be onlookers ill wager the poster was a notice of foreclosure you know that has been threatened for some time too bad A fine old gentleman and his daughter Is about as near to an angel as you find them that it was the sharp startling who echo ot of a r l hot within the boure the two to men rushed thither to flud find the colonel lying prostrate in uie the lower hall ball betide beside him was an old fashioned musket the fire eating colonel goaded to insane rage by the threat of expulsion from his house had find probably cubed to secure the means of 0 guarding against invasion the firearm hoid had accidentally exploded the shock tied had tent sent him headlong within a few hours it became known that the colonel hod had suffered buffered a brain concussion that had robbed him of his reason he was rushed to a ariam and his daughter who bo wits was visiting a friend WM wai sent for it v as a sad homecoming home coming for mabel worthington A knowledge of at the loss of their last piece of property was us as nothing to her beside belo the th fore lorn condition of her father after a few days mbel mabel aroused to rearrange the tangled thread of 0 her broken life there was no hope rif of moving anything from uie the wreck A just claim covered the old manalon and all it con tind the holder holdar of 0 the mortgage had been unusually patient and indulgent ills his death had necessitated tho settlement of the estate and the f foreclosure had resulted mabel learned that a young physician one on morton dale had been left the place ty by legacy A friend ot of mabel a mrs mr famore a widow had insisted that mabel should make her home with hr her until she alto could rearrange her disordered dered d living plans that Ill tnt wont take long tid said mabel madly badly my illy duty Is plain I 1 shall find bad a position somewhere rent a small boube and make a new home for father ills his care shall be my one thought in life now As to the old home boine I 1 shall make no claim pr dr morton dale that was the name came on a card brought to mabel by mrs amri Fx morea mald maid a few days later she wondered what purpose the stranger could have in visiting her baliel entered the th parlor bartor to find a yo yan nian irn ont ford for d martan ru aad in h IK manner ti toward wards her 1 I hive have come coine to explain to you n aiyu tu worthington he said laid that 1 I Oder stood nothing of jt the condition it t the my MT uncle mode left mt e vp dp ti I 1 came hr here my bacle was wa an olde aoe JI friend erleba of your fhi and I 1 aap BI Q re bet intended that the borrowed borrow td money abound brioc bring him iny any hardship I 1 truly sympathize itla I 1 bill lift hot occupy the house honse and I 1 with yoo would continue to make it your tome norna oh I 1 could not think of that dis rented mabel then at lei tk take charge of the furniture that it Is certainty certainly rightfully your own alm worthington Worthing toa I 1 hart tn been summoned la in over oter your fathers cast at the ati sanitarium I 1 da di not with wish to false bojaj hope tout hut I 1 belte tint that in an will fostore ani tore his bis ron reason mabel would not het beer of to the old horn home or of at accepting soy any of its if contents cont Nil slie she roi rew Iol with mrs mr bannor but there doctor ible dlf filled frequently to ta report the pros ts of the tl under boar his charge chr one on day he be with saima tiou in bla ll 11 ff 1 ifsits ul he said mild the op bration him haa aweld uw eld ind and boar h restored to ron reason my medical ap tates however bow Ter kar wih 0 me that it lii Is absolutely beery necea Bc ery aary that be h oever know of the all that and tanil his bli accident it is a blink blank to him and must but remain so 0 o ue there then my may be b i a recurrence of his hi trouble I 1 have bt pro pre tided against balot it 93 fr far u possible poul ble I 1 em am satisfied that IS if my mj uncle anc bad lived he 1 would have att cne tid me tb on an your home bom it li is flare that your father mug ratum I 1 chall convey the be place to him and 1 Is solas doing so fl feel that I 1 va am simply doing dold nr my daty dutye lo 10 villo biln maw remonstrated but her jot jag tad and anxiety over her br fathers alt rB rt re coic influenced her to blindly follow ut dle tates of this determined lorer laver tor for such morton hoi ton dale had become and a little later both went hand in hand band to the presence of the restored re father to ask his bl bless bles lax on their ulloa ion ilk |