The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-21
A Late Learned Secret.
ff)ri@inal.l


pairs Of stairs opened the door of his
rented room and as he entered heaved
a deep sigh 1t was heard by Lydia
Nutter, the landlady's daughter, aged
twenty, who wondered what caused
it. Had she, too. been forty instead
of twenty, without having followed the
course dictated by nature-mating and
rearing children--shs would have I'M
derstood that if translated into worus
the sigh would say:
ooh, this lonely room
Eli Mulholland had in his youth chos-
en- athletic sports vita which to begulle
his leisure hours He was mans
man rather than a girls man. He re-
membered a pair of bright eyes beam
ing upon him when he had won the
champion cup for single souls. They
and the smile that accompanied them
were then no more to him than
passing Whit of violets. Now, as he
entered his lonely room, he remembered
that the girl he had failed to claim
was the wife, and mother of children.
of the man he had beaten in the race.
He had won the cup, which he had so
dearly priced, leaving for his antag-
onist the girl, whom he had considered
merely one of a million. Now the cup
was in q vault with other trinkets; the
girl was the light of household.
He remembered another whom he
had played with in double game OF
tennis. an execrable player, but soft
voiced beauty; how he had saved the
game by his skill and activity; how
| she had received the priZc-a silver
| mounted racl>et-from his hands, with
| bushes that told him she would have
| gladly taken him instead.
These and others with whom he had
| feared to become cntanglcd cOntribut-
| ed their part in that deep drawn sigh,
so uninteligibe TO Lydia Nutter. He
was no longer the companion OF young
peonle He had passed the mating
period and had not mated.
what troubled you last night, Mr..
| NulhOlland. as you went INTO your
room:" asked l.. -dia the next morning
as the bachelor went cut to get his
lonely breakfast.
q troubled? What do you mean:'
"You drew such a sad sigh"
| hnt ia
eyes something of two decades before
came back to MIN. W., It too late
to save what remained of his life from
a loneliness intensified with each pass
ing year? AS quickly as the thought
| came it was baniShed. Had he stood
still for twenty years while others haC
grown old? He turned to pass out
without reply. How could he tel
this girl, who when he was hel
age was scarcely born, that he hat
wasted his opportunities, and. though
he had gained the world. it was worth
less; that which he had SELFISH!
thought he wished for himself whel
attained had shriveled in his hands
since he had no wife or children to be
stow it upon?
when you feel that way again
come down and We'll try to cOmfor
YOU" said Lydia.
There was Il wistful look in his eye
as he closed the door.
That night he sat in the readin:
room of his club pretending to rea'
the newspapers. while he was watch
ing the clock He wished to go to th
, house where he rOomed, but lie wOul
, go neither too late nor too early-no
after Lydia had gone to bed, not s
, early that he would seem to have com
, | to be with her, for that was his il
tention. He chose half past 9 as tn
f hour most likely to conceal it and, aft
, er two hours watching the clock, lef
the club. Lydia was in the sittin
, room with her mother, the mothe
, reading, Lydia at some fancy work.
I'm il rather early tonight h
! said to Lydia. There was nothing dc
ing at the club. I've brought som
, playing cards. Would you mind
f game?'
a ~
minded him of the face that had bean
4 ed upon him when he had been a
:. athletic victor Then it had been az
f companied by the flush of victory. tn
2 plaudits of thousands. Now it wa
h bestowed upon lonely soul hungerin
a for sympathy.
| They sat down to a game ostensibl
a Of cards, really to one of love. Lydi
Y had admired the stalwart middle age
+ man whose hair was beginning to tur1
Or but had not dreamed of being the vii
r. of one she regarded so great. E
a clutched at what he regarded a stra
! to save him from Il desOlate old ag
, Neither believed it possible to win IL
o. game, and yet both had already VIC
# it. Eli insisted on a stake, swee
a meats, and always cOntrived to lose.
V might all have been arranged at one
n but Eli, fearing to spoil his game |
% haste, thinking that great skill at a
70 Cling was essential did not dare d
~ clare himself till the winter had pas
ed and the time of the singing birt
hoI whom no had