The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-05-25

his thoughts would ever w,.u,
his books to the dream that had. been
shattered.
''He left his native town and settled
for a short time in Manchester. One
day he received word that the brothe,
who occupied the place he himself had
often dreamed to fill had been az
rested on charge of forgery. The
charge was well-founded, and eventual.
ly he was sentenced to Is years penal
servitude.
"This was two years after his mar
rlage and one year after his child was
born. His wife never recovered from
the shock, and when the husband had
served but one year of his imprison-
ment she was laid to rest. I reached
her side few hours before she died.
She begged that I would take care OF
the golden-haired prattler she was
leaving behind take care of her until
he had served his period of imprison-
ment. I promised, and when tho
earth closed over the body of her I
had loved I took the child away-the
child that resembled the mother so
much. You were that child, Clarice."
A silence fell on the little group as
Templeton finished speaking, and the
golden head of Clarice had dropped
forward until it found rest On the ar
chitect's knee. -
"And what do you expect me to
say, MI. Templeton?'' asked Franklin
at length.
II expect to hear you say what your
heart prompts you to say
my heart prompts me to say that
nothing you have told me tonight has
altered my love for Clarice, and I re-
peat again-I love her dearly, and she
loves me; we ask your consent to our
marriage y
s."And I give it, Harold" said Tenn
pleton, taking Franklin's hand and
wringing it. The. young fellow stopped.
and raised Clarice from her detected
attitude, kissed her streaming face, and
they, passed slowly. side by side, from
the room.
An hour later the lovers stood at
the end of the wooded drive bidding
each other good night The rain had
ceased falling.
ssAud to think, Harold, that I, who.
have always felt proud of my parent
age, should be SO disillusioned; to
think thatI am the daughter Of a
felonp' and as the words ll>fromz
Clarice Tenpleton'ss lips ,suo ought
to check the sobs that filed ter bosom
Franklin drew her throbbing form
closer to his side.
"Nay, sweetheart, let not the news
trouble you so. You are not to blame
for what your father did, and he, per-
haps, by this is sorrowing for his past
cruelty and wickedness. However,
let US try to forget him and the past
and be happy in our mutual love and
the golden days to come
Engrossed as the lovers were, neither
Of them were cognizant of the proxim-
ity of a third persona man, who
crouched in the shadow of the trees.
eyes, forget him and the past"
murmured the latter; is only right
that you should AS for him!-
and the crouching figure stole softly
away.
"But tell me, Clarice," said Frank
lin, ''tell me the cause of the tears I
saw in your eyes when you joined
your father 4 shall always call him
such) and me in his study"
cit was the poor man-the tramp
"He did not fr;ghten xca?: broke
in Franklin. ~~
me, Harold! No, some
thing quite different. He said 7 re-
minded him of one he loved-a daugh-
ter who is lost to him forever-and-
and he asked me TOTO kiss him, Har-
old"
"And you did?" queried >Franklin,
smilingly.
eyes, T couldn't refuse. Besides,
he was an old man.: you know
X = x
The following day there was found
in pool some miles away the dead
body of an unknown man: It was
the tramp, -Tit-Bits.