The Virginia enterprise., 1906-08-10
An Unattaine Sacrifice, /,
BY DUDLEY JAMES,

: -
She looked into his eyes with the
self-effacing devotion pertaining to
women. He looked into hers with the
expression of the hunted stag.
There was that in his face, however,
which relieved it from the suggestion
of fear and painted into his personal
lty the mark of the hero.
She saw it and understOOd-under-
stood not at all what his trouble and
his fear was, but understood that It
was the desperation of a brave man;
and ile1 heart of hearts yearned to help
him and comfort him.
She was no longer a girl, yet re-
tanned the ineffable charm of "sweet
49, Her attitude toward the man was
unmis;Akable. She was his sweet
heart, his very Own-patient, passion
ate, loving and self-abnegating.
He was handsome fellow-or would
hav been had it not been for the lines
of care and suffering in his frail face.
There were great lines in the face and
the head was marvellous in It's shape
and proportions, and the wide, straight
mouth and the steady eyes told OF in
domitable purpose to conquer physical
weakness.
that they had forgotten the measure OF
the years. Since early childhood they
had been playmates and chums, but
since one memorable day-ah! the wo-
man remembered the very day and
date, after all-they had been accepted
lovers the one to the other. 1t was
very, very long ago, Is, 16, 17-perhaps
as much as 20 years back in the past.
1t was all so full of promise and
happiness then. He was young, bril-
liant, rich, with every prospect ahead
of him, when he asked her for her
promise, obtained it, and went brave
ly away to college to fit himself for
great career And in all the land
lived 10 such happy girl. She had
found her own true knight and he had
broken his lance at her very feet. All
she mad to do was to wait and dream.
What more could fair maid desire?
And so, meath sunny skies, with no
cloud on the horizon, the two fond
hearts waited the fruition of their
hopes, impatient only at the length of
the days and nights which intervened
between them and bliss.
Then came the crash, and in single
moment Clarence learned he was the
orphan of bankrupt and suicide
and his loved and respected father
iok hol ho
forestalled 1t all by taking his own
life. \
1t was terrible blow, but Clarence
never wavered. He left college within
the hour, never to return, and bravely
took up the burden left by his father
1t was an awful task for an inexperi-
enced youth, without business training,
who had always been taught that,
come what might, the fortune of the
family was safe and that his ambitions
were to find an outlet in other ways
than money-getting. Besides, he
loathed business with the true abhor-
renee OF the born aristocrat
But he never flinched. He mastered
the situation and started in to work
out Tie problem. After the remnants
of his fathers fortune had been gath
cred together and paid to his creditors,
despite the protests of his mother and
sisters, Clarence obtained employment
with business concern and pushed
along doing work at which his very
soul abhorred. He supported his mo-
ther and the family, educated his
younger brother and, above and beyond
it all, paid in year by year what he
could save to reduce his fathers debts.
But the years were long and dreary
and the great cloud of the debts hid
the sunlight beyond. Only one ray of
light cid he have-excepting' Alice, of
course-and that was that certain ar
ticles he wrote were accepted from
time to time by magazines of the bet
ter class. Upon these articles and
their acceptance Clarence and Alice
built their fondest hopes. For Alice
never wavered in her love and accept
ed the years of waiting as her very
heritage.
The strain on the man was fearful.
and he felt things giving way within
him. One day he consulted physi-
clan and emerged from his office with
an expression on his face which COM
bined resolution with fear. After this
he ever looked haunted, but always
resOlute.
The debts had been paid, the boy ed
ucated, the girls married and the mo-
ther dead. Then~came an offer from q