The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-06-09

She turned to Ned
aWhat is it?N she asked, tremulously.
''Are you in trouble ? Don't keep any
hing from me. can bear it as long as
you are well =
"We are sorry, Mrs. L Estrapge, . said
Mr.. Holman, 'sbut it is no fault of ours.
Your husband can best explain what has
/"
'I am accused of crime, Nanny,
said Ned, ''and have to suffer for it.
Go home, dear, aud don't worry. 1t Il
do no good.
With little cry Nanny went to her
husband and threw her arms about his
neck.
''But you are not guilty, are you, Ned,
l won't believe it of you r
'.If cannot prove my innocence, your
faith in me, darling, viii not save me. A
little money now would be good thing,
much as l have scorned it in the past.
~ have something | saved from my
earnings as teacher, Ned. Will that do
any good p
''Keep it, Nanny. With such hus-
band as am turning out, you II probably
need it. Your small savings could not do
anything towards meeting this and this,
handing her the two drafts as he spoke
''They accuse me of forging these sigma
lures.
ssOh, sirs, said Nanny, her eyes run
ming over with tears, as she turned first to
one Mr.. Holman, then to the other, ''Ned
cannot have done such thing. He is
the soul Of honor
''Hush, Nanny p said Ned. 'sYou
speak of me according to your knowledge
of me. You may not be in the right.
''You ought to be good man with such
wife, Mr. L Estrange, said Mr.. james
Holman, sternly Then he turned toward
Nanny
Madam he said, in softer tone,
''for your sake we will suspend action
against your husband for the present, and
will give him chance to retrieve himself
by allowing him to retain his position in
our house. In saying this, sir, you will
see that we have no wish to prosecute
you"
Neds pale face flushed as Mr.. Holman
thus addressed him; and he said, with
thrill of gratitude in his voice
"You will find that am a grateful
man, Mr.. Holman, and that your kindness
will not be thrown away
And Nanny held out her trembling little
hand, with a look of deep thankfulness in
her tear-wet eyes. Then they went home.
The punishment of the law was no longer
to be feared.
Nanny was as loving as ever, but there
was change in her from that time. All
her bright buoyance Of spirits had gone,
and she would fall into brown study every
little while. The truth was the idol she
had set up in her heart had wounded her
by turning to clay. She still worshiped
her husband, but did not reverence him.
If he would only say: NANNY, / am an
innocent man, she would have believed
him; but he kept silent about the matter,
and she reasoned to herself that no inno-
cent man could bear an imputation of guilt
without trying to clear himself from it.
One evening Frederick l. Estrange paid
an unexpected visit to their cottage. He
seemed strangely excited as he came in.
s'Ned,'' he said, s'Tve heard all about
that affair with the Hainans, and I've
come to make clean breast Of it. The
innocent must not suffer for the guilty. |
forged those signatures -
~ know it, Fred, was Edward quiet
answer.
s'You knew it all the time and said
nothing to point suspicion toward me, old
fellow half thought it was SO. Well,
Ned, you are too noble a man to have such
brother. I will turn over new leaf
from this time forth. Don't think, how
ever, that ever did such beastly thing
before. | had got into debt to the money
lenders, and they were pressing me. But
l meant to pay it back, every cent of it. .
Nannys eyes had gained new bril-
lance as she listened; and she went up to
Frederick.
s'Tbank you, she said, ''for the best
gift l have had ip my life. You have
given me back my husband again as | first
imagined him to be-honest, noble and
good. God bless you, and help you to
become like him-like my own Ned
"Nanny, Fred once saved my life at
the risk of his own. 1t was to pay that
debt of gratitude that | determined to
shield him, though | suffered the penalty
of the law myself
Fred turned to Nanny
"And you were going to pay over your
poor little savings. heard about it, and
1 beg your pardon for not seeing what
noble young woman | had for sister-in-
law before But | am going to leave the
country, and | want you to shake hands
with me and say you forgive me. I've
seen Mr.. Holman, Ned, and have made
full confession to him. I'm going to pay
/