Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-12-13
An Unattained Sacrifice
ny DUDLEY JAMES.

wv ANNAN6 tANN AAa N4NA WIN tAH
sellrefiaeing devotion pertaining 10
women, lie looked into hers with the
expression Of the hunted stag,
There was that in his face. however.
whiea relieved II from the suggestion
Of fear and painted into his personal
iIy the mark oil the hero,
She saw il and understood under
stood not al all what his trouble ANA
his ieai was, but understood that l. /
was the desperation OF a brave man;
and aeg heart of hearts yearned 10 help
him ana comfort him.
She was no longer girl. yet re-
tainel the ineiIahle charm Of sweet
Ia Her attitude toward the man was
unmissdkabs She was his sweet,
heart, his very own-natient, passion
ate. loving and sell-abnegaung,
He was handsome fellow-oF would
hay been had Il not been for the lines
OF care and suffering 10 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.
dOmiOble purpose 70 conquer physical
weakness.
They had been lovers for so long
that they had forgotten the measure Of
the wears. Since early childhood they
had been playmates and ohums, but
since one memorable day-ahl 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, 10, l6, 17-perhaps
as much as 20 years back in the past.
II was all so full of promise and
happiness then. He was young, brill
{ liant. rich. with every prospect ahead
Y of him, when he asked her for her
promise. obtained 1t, and went brave
a ly away to college to nj himself for a
great career. And In all the land
A lived no such happy girl. She had
U found her own true knight and he had
& broken his lance at her very feet Al
she had to DO was to wait and dream
+ What more could fair maid desire
And so. meath sunny skies, with NJ
. cloud on the horizon, the two fonC
u hearts waited the fruition of theil
to hopes, impatient only at the length o
the days and nights which intervenet
between them and bliss
Then came the crash, and In a singh
momen; Clarence learned he was tn
orphan of bankrupt and a suicide
and his loved and respected fathe
: would have been a convict had he no
- forestalled 1t all by taking his ow,
= life.
:, II was terrible blow, but Clarene
never wavered. He left college With
the hour, never TO return, and bravel
- took up the burden left by his father
- Ii was an awful task for an inexperi
y enced youth, without business training
no who he'd always been taught tina
W come what might, the fortune Of th
go family was safe and that his ambition
were to find an outlet in other way
than money getting. Besides, }
loathed business with the true abho
renee oil the born aristocrat
But he never flinched. He mastere
the situation and started in to woT
out lie problem. After the remnan
of his fathers fortune had been gait
cred together and paid to his creditor
despite the protests of his mother al
sisters, Clarence obtained employme'
with business concern and push'
along doing work at which his We
soul abhorred. He supported his m
/. Their and the family, educated b
younger brother and, above and beyol
it all, paid in year by year what
- could save to reduce his fathers deb
But the years were long and drea
w and the great cloud of the debts b
" the sunlight beyond. Only one ray
? light cid he housekeeping Alice,
course-and that was that certain
ticles he wrote were accepted trC
!. time To time by magazines of the b.
!. ter class. Upon these articles a
their acceptance Clarence and AL
built their fcndest hopes. For Al
never wayered in her love and accel
ice. ed the years of waiting as her ye
heritage.
Isy The strain on the man was fearf
!. and he felt things giving way will
him. One day he consulted ply
clan and emerged from his office W
an expression on his face which co
bined resolution with fear. After t
y he ever looked haunted, but alwi
resolute.
Wy The debts had been paid, the boy
; :. ucated, the girls married and the I
noe. Their dead. Then came an offer iron
nls. great magazine to take up series
~ investigations along the lines OF
my writings on the basis of very llbe
ago salary. A representative OF the ma
zine had come to see him and CT
with him. The interview was over
. ead he had come straight to Alice.
ma So they stood, she looking into
1000, eyes with self-effacing devotion, ana
, .;a, looking into hers with the express
Q Is OF hunted stag.
teie- How did it come out, dearF
DING a,,ad aaqarly
rest. "ohu' ,., +ho,, - ba @