The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-08-20

nv room to write wild. frightened
little note: Never let any one know, l
cautioned him. 1t would break my par
ents' E'arts to learn that had de-
ceived them. Some day we shall be
married over again Until then never.
oh, never let any one know.
LAS the days passed and no word
came from Douglas | wrote again and
still again until al last came to real
ize the truth.
Boy" she said softly, you will
never know how much you helped me
then. Did you guess at some hidden
sorrow that you were so kind?"
Poor little girlr' the man said pity
ingly. Poor little girl. And do you
intend to sacrifice your life like this
faithful to the memory of a cur and
cowardT
"What else Is there left for me to do.
Tommy" she asked simply.
"There must be way of escape"
he said. considering. How old were
you then, Nan?'
Seventeen"
"And hep
mot quite twenty-one."
81 do not know much about these
things he said, "but believe mar
rage of that kind can be annulled.'
Nan shrank back into the chair. Her
eyes were wide with horror. "Oh, no,
she whispered 81 could not bear the
disclosure after guarding the secret
for ten long years"
"You must let me tell enc other per-
SON. said the man presently. land
ask his advice | shall repeat the
story without mentioning your name
TO Old John, who is lawyer. Ii II
is possible to have the marriage an
nulled with perfect secrecy he will
know"
81 have heard you speak of this John
before" she said YEARLY, but this
means so very much to me. Are you
sure that you can trust himr'
.Trust Old john" he exclaimed.
.eWhy, Nan, he has been getting me out
of troubles and scrapes since my first
college days. David and Jonathan
they called us then. | would trust
John with my very life-in fact, he
gave it back to me one time. You re-
member the epidemic of typhoid that
swept through our college during my
freshman year. Old John was the
first to succumb, and when he return
ed from home white and thin he found
me lying isolated and sick with no
money to pay for proper care, and he
took me to his own rooms and nursed
me there through delirium and con-
valescence as tenderly and as tireless-
ly as a mother might have done. Of
ten In the silence of the night would
awaken to find him bending over me-
Why. Nan, it was he who wrote the
first rambling letters to you from my
dictation. and when your answers
came he would lay them upon my pill
low and steal silently away.
"Care free and thoughtless, accept
ed all Old Johns sacrifices. The debt
has always been upon one side, but If
ever a time comes when I can make it
up to him He paused. and there
was a look of determination upon his
face which Nan had never seen there
before II will do it." he finished
quietly.
She went to the door with him as
he was leaving.
81 will call tomorrow" he said kind
ly, ito let you know what John ad-
vises."
When he had gone she called after
him. Tommy she cried. Tommy,
let us leave things as they are" But
he did not hear.
She was very pale when he saw her
the next afternoon.
"John says that he must question
you, Man." he told her, land see the
marriage certificate before he can
form an intelligent opinion. It will
be painful experience. | know. but
he Is kind and thoughtful and will
spare you all he can"
So she went with him to the great
stone building. ST would rather be
Alone. she said. So he left her at the
office door. which stood ajar. She
looked so small and white and fright
ened that he came back for moment
~Goodby. Man." he said again.
"Goodby. boy. DEAR" she answered.
A man was standing facing a win
dow as she entered. He looked around
at her approach, and Nan gave sharp
little cry. Unconsciously she spoke
the we'll remembered name Doug
lasi" she exclaimed Your
The thick dark hair was tinged with
tgray about the temples. and his face
were gravely stern expression. which
had given to him the name Of 'Old
John" in his college days. But the
bark eyes looking down into her own