Connecticut western news., 1909-11-11
WHAT BECAME OF
 GEORGE A|KEN2
By TOM GAYLORD.
by lOm 1A1 LOHD. Copyright, 1909, by American Press Asso-
 ciation.I

it is true"
 And yet people say that after d man passes forty he will invariably choose a woman from fifteen to twenty years younger than himself"
 "l'hprr are cases where men past forty marry women they have loved in their youth.
 ".tEd yours k such a romance?"
 Tt k more than romunce-it Is remarkable case"
 Do tell me. am dying to hear it."
 "l must go back twenty four years. 1 was then eighteen. Father at that time was SpCculating in cotton and haj made q great deal of money. He was very ambitious for me and told me that. whether or no l married wealth. l must marry polished man. Father had little opportunity to be- come refined in his youth. and people always covet what they have been de- nied. One day when was out horse back riding my p"ny ran away with rnp. A farmers boy came gullopinG after me and. catching my rein, saved mc from going over n high bank into the river.
 An intimacy Sprang up between my self and the youth. whose name was Aiken. was d shrewd little mihX and never said anything at home about the runaway or the farmers boy.
 "Finally l made mp my mind that could not live without George Aiken and proposed to cIupc with him. Hr consented, but very unwillingly. He loved me. but had too much sense to consider such course either honor able or likely to result in our happi- ness. called him timid. and this brought him over to my plan.
 My room was on the third story. procured a rope ladder. on which in tended to descend after the family were all a*lrcp, and hid it in my closet. Aiken was To be at the foot O. the ladder to receive me. But when it cane 10 descending the swaying thing my courage failed me, and called on. him tu come up and help mr. He Sprang up thp ladder. and just as we were about tu Gu dawn together ~ heard footsteps coming up the wall George Aiken ciimhcd into the window and drew up the ladder.
 Some one came on up to thc house and stopped beneath my window. peppcd through the SlalS and recu?. nized father. He had gone out with. out my knowing ii. nr called up thr coachman and stHtiGnrd hnl under the window. then cane into the huus;,'.
 "'I am ruined" 1 cried. clngiuS tu my lover. Father must have seen yoU enter the window
 "Gcorgc Aiken remained perfectly cool. Presently he said in steady. low voice:
 "'Give me your watch
 Il took it from my belt and handed it to him.
 "'Go to bcd.' he said. and pretend tn be asleep
 He opened the door softly and stole out. In few minutes l had taken off my clothes and was in bed. l heard q commOtion downstairs, and present ly father came to my door awakened me. us he supposed. and told me that thief had been caught in the housr with my watch on him.
 Then l saw it all. George had suc. rficed himself to save me from dis grace with my own family. was in agony. l begged father not 10 prose cute tho thief. but he had already call ed the police. and in another hour George was in jail. He was tried. put in no defense and. being the son of reputable farmer, got off with a light sentence.
 "I disguised myself went to the jail. saw him and proposed 10 confess the whole affair. He said my reputation would be lost and that would be worse than a term in the penitentiary for him. I should have had the strength to confess without his consent. but hadn't I who had got him into tho scrape was too mean spirited to got him out.
 He served eighteen months. When he came out of prison he did not 1T" 10 see me, but managed to get nuir to me undiscovered in which he said that my father would never consent tO my marriage with an eX-cOnvict and it would be sin for m eX-convict to permit me to make the sacrifice. That was the last I heard of him.
 "I married father failed, my hu"- band became an invalid. and l. always anxious to show some courage 10 con- trast with the weakness of my youth studied stenography and accepted q position. The afternoon of my on. trance on my duties was called i2t' the office of the head of the firm {" take his dictation of the days letters He looked at me curiously and askc' me some questions about myself
 "Six months after this my husban& died. had been getting remittanceS from time 10 time from an unknowr friend whose identity I could not pos sibly discover After my husbands death these rcmittances were doubled wondered if George had prospered found me cut and helped me withou! making himself known.
 "A year after my husbands death tbe head of the firm for which I worked