Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1910-01-06

tudu ever. SAT IN tue nlJle uOOTWay
softly weeping.
"Despard?' queried the superlntend-
ent. HAS he been here? sent him
HE was here-yes." answered the
old man bitterly. "And has gone
away, but II live long enough to find
him he will answer for this insult to
my little girl
'Insult?" cried Ingraham, astonish-
ed. "Who-Despard? Has Nanon"-
Read these!" said O'Higgins, hand
ing him Frenchy Despard's notes. He
took the opened one of OHiggins first
"You have deceived me grossly" it
started, without introduction. "You
have tried to folst your ugly daughter
on me under false pretenses, and l re-
bel. have gone away-so far that you
will never be able to End me to marry
your daughter that cannot cook"
Bewildered, the man opened the 9TH
er note.
Dear M. lngraham," it read. 'I am
forced to the fight. ignominious. Mile.
Nanon. my fiancee, | find is no cook
at all. On arriving at her home unan-
nounced today 1 saw her father pre-
pairing those so elegant dishes we have
thought she made. OF course cannot
marry her, but fear they will try to
force this so unpleasant state on me.
Your motorboat l return from Miami"
Uncertain whether to laugh or join
the O'Higgins' lament, Ingraham stood
staring at the epistes Then the thought
Of the girls sad eyes came to him.
And Nanon?" he asked somewhat
awkwardly.
Knows, and it will break her proud
heart to see you all again. Oh, my
poor little girl. TO think brought this
on you! And | thought 1 was doing
it for your goodr The old mans sobs
broke out afresh.
did she love this Despard so much,
then?" queried Ingraham.
mo, no." was the hasty answer
Lately I've come to think she didn't
love him at all, but was doing it to
please me. She knew l wanted her
to marry a Frenchman and thought
| this was her ouly chance. You know,
my poor Nanon isn't exactly what
might be called beautiful" be broke
of deprecatingly.
Ingrahams face broadened in a sup
pressed smile, but the father went on.
81 have a confession to make to you,
Mr. Ingraham." be said, something
you should have known before, but Ma
non said | mustn't tell. The reason
goes back a long time. Once / had
everything wanted, and then 1t
wouldn't have been necessary for me
to do what have to get a husband
for Nanon. You boys maybe thought
we didn't know what brought you here
so much. but we did. It was the cook
ing. Nanon knew, but she only laugh
ed and let me have my way. Always
she only had it in her mind to let me
havl my way and please me. But, to
go back, after my wife died things
went wrong, and l lost all l had.
had never been taught to work, so
! could do little, and there came a time
when we didn't know where to get our
next meal. Then came this chance
down here. Nanon told me to accept
it. But l can't keep accounts told
her. Never mind said she; well fix
that so they'll never know And she
did. On account of my lameness I got
permission to work here In the shack.
Now. don't you see? She did the work,
while l kept the house and cooked.
Cooking was the only thing I could
do, you see, but can cook. French
cooking has always been my hobby,
and learned from some Of the best
experts alive. Well, began to think
Nanon ought to get married for I
wanted some little children about in
my old age She never attracted men,
though, If they knew how beautiful her
heart and mind are, instead of looking
at the face would not have had to
plan scheme for getting attention for
her. thought if a man really got to
know her it wouldn't matter about the
means. But I've failed, you see," he
flushed, ''ard that's ALL I've disgraced
my child. and we'll have to start all
over again somewhere else"
where is the girl?' asked Ingraham
| SODSiig. " RlSSluS uOQueu at tue PlhCS
Seated on dead tree trunk he found
the girl, her somber eyes gazing out
through the vista OF pine trees into the
patch of opal sea beyond
"Nanon," he said, offering his hand,
"Tve come to see If there isn't some
thing can say-something | can do
"What is there to be said?' she an
swered, ruefully smiling. "only-only
please don't say you'll bring him back"
"Then you don't love-didn't love-
81 love my father" she said simply.
"And he wanted me to marry"
AS the man looked down into the
deep eyes that told so much of self
sacrifice and love, that would have
made her even sacrifice her life to give
an old man passing happiness, the
slow dawn of a comprehension broke
over him, a comprehension Of what 1t
/ t,oaoOt IN lynom woman who knew