The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-07-27

81" looked into his eyes with the
self-eitacing devotion pertaining Il
women. He looked into hers with the
expression OF the hunted stag.
There was that il his face, however
whica relieved it from the suggestion
of fear and painted into his personal,
ity the mark of the hero.
Sac 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 lei heart of hearts yearned to help
him ana comfort him.
She was 40 longer a girl, yet re-
tained the ineitable charm of sweet
16.' Her attitude toward the man was
unmis,dkabla. She was his sweet
heart, his very own-patient, passion
ate, loving and self-abnegating.
He was a handsome fellow-or would
hay 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 its shape
and proportions, and the wide, straight
mouth and the steady eyes told Of in
domitable purpose to conquer physical
weakness.
They had been lovers for so long
thai they had forgotten the measure of
the years. Since early childhood they
had been playmates and chums, but
since m 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, l6, 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 a
great career. And in all the land
lived 70 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.
VIVA. mor could fair maid desire ?
ALI DOs bJdlh SUNNY OhltSt Will ~
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 interviewed
between them and bliss.
Then came the crash, and in a single
moment Clarence learned he was the
orphan of a bankrupt and a suicide
and his loved and respected father
would have been a convict had he not
forestalled 1t all by taking his own
life.
1t was a 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 vas safe and that his ambitions
were to find an outlet in other ways
than mo%ney-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 a business concern and pushed
along doing work at which his very
soul abhorred. He supported his mo-
Their and the family, educated his
younger brother and, above and beyond
1t 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 did he housekeeping 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 accent
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 a 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-
Their dead. Then came an offer from a
great magazine to take up a series of
Investigations along the lines of his
writings on the basis of a very liberal
salary. A representative of the maya
zine had cOme to see him and close
with lin. The interview was over and
he had come straight to Alice.
So they stood, she looking into his
eyes with ~self-effacing devotion, and he
looking into hers with the expression
OF a hunted stag.
How did it come out, dear?" she
asked, eagerly.
Il nave signed with them" he said,
gravely.
"Oh, Clarence" she said, clasping