The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-05-23


always on the alert against danger to
the children. So this mother had
slipped Downstairs and had heard
the whole story. For moment sh,
hated the sordid old man. Then she
let her love for her boy, her only one
blot out the detestable character Of
her husband. But she determined to
undo the misery he had wrought. She
hastily rehearsed the whole story She
knew be was unjust and prejudiced
against Laurena, who was a whole
some, healthy. lovely and noble girl.
The two children loved one another.
She had known it for years by the
unerring instinct Of a mother. She
had pictured to herself the happiness
Of the two and of herself, and she
was going to undo the mischief If she
could SO out into the darkness she
few to Laurena's home
Laurena had stumbled to the step
ping stone near the gate of her home
and sunk down on it to sob out her
hearts great grief The poor child
had played her last poor little trump
card, and it had failed Now she
would give up and accept Bert, but it
must be long engagement she deter
mined. Perhaps she would get over
this In time. But somehow she felt in
her heart of hearts that Charlie did
love her So she sat sobbing in this
lonely place, and here Mrs. Beardsey
found her
What words passed between these
awhile the tears ceased to flow. The
two embraced with great fervor and
Mrs Beardsley went home prepared
to give a battle that should know no
surrender ard no quarter, Her boy
should be no longer treated like an ir-
responsible child. He should be free.
So, with her whole being aroused in
defense Of her one joy and comfort
she reached the kitchen door and stop
ped for a few seconds while in her
mind she ran over the whole of her
life with her avaricious husband She
now knew that in the first year of her
life with him she had been almost
slavish in her acceptance of his supe-
rior wisdom. Perhaps she had uncon-
sciously given her child the same alb
ject obedience to his fathers orders
From his earliest days Charlie had ap-
Deared to consider his father the one
being in the world whose wisdom no
one could question. and his misery
now was due to this unquestioning
If cho,1Jd la CT no Inr1o-nT
With firm step and with her lips
drawn in one tense line she opened
the door to the parlor, with her head
high But all her battle with hersci
was futile as she saw that her hus-
band had fallen over in his chair, help
less. She knew instantly that he had
"had a stroke as his own father had
and that he would never speak again
He would die with the refusal of his
sons happiness as his last words She
knew Charlie well enough to know
that he would feel bound to obey that
formal and decisive refusal Of his hap
piness even if it broke his heart
AS soon as the old man was laid il
his bed and the doctor called the moth
er sat down beside him and considered
the case from all sides. She took
heroic resolution. She whispered q
few words to him, asking his consent
to Charles marriage, well KNOWN.
that he could never reply, ard Their
stood up. looking much as a martyl
might have done a Wild animal vii,
fight for its yorTg. q partridge dc
ceive to save her brood Should she
be weaker than they? Whether her
lie could ever be justified or not she
could not tell, but she was willing to
leave the .sas.e a.sh the great Judge
who made mothers. So size told her
boy that his father at last had not re-
fused his ecre Is last words OF
r.r-', 30 foar. '.Tel1, you 50 to bedI''