The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-02-12

stalwart bears, muffled as they were
in fur coats, and Rugged and paved,
commingling their lusty .'hellos" with
other welcomes all about them.
De Forest had firmly made up his
mind not to mention Elise Ingalls,.
Why should he since she had cast him
| adrift3 But in spite of this resolution
and their long separation he loved her
none the less devotedly. The first
Whit of home atmosphere, even though
sayored with ugly commerce. brought
with it food of poignant memories
and a tingling realization that he was
near her. He and Bruce had no soon
er released each other than he looked
steadily at Bruce and asked thousand
questions in the one word:
.EIise?'
Bruce made wide detour of a pile
of freight You'll have to attend to
your luggage, suppose" he suggest
ed eyasiyely
Ny man will see TO that He usually
does. and there isn't anything to de-
clare, Now, let's get uptown Did
you come down in your carr
The apathetic manner which had
elung to De Forest all the way across
the Atlantic and up the bay WAS
| dropping from him The sights and
sounds of his native city seemed to
be bringing him back t0 renewed in
terest in life
1T is just outside-righ here an
swered Bruce 4 suppose you want
to go straight out home Your mother
is oyerjoyed about your coming. You
were a brute. Ed, to stay away from
the dear old lady so long!'
q know it," admitted De Forest,
st was kind of madness that sent
me away and kept me. / suppose. I've
been like half lunatic most of the
time since. But you haven't answered
me about Elsie .
"Oh, { guess her health is good. he
replied vaguely. Its a pity you went
away, Ed lyon might have 4
really don't know, of course. but
believe If You had stayed you might
have averted some of the disasters
''Disasfersi What on earth are yeu
talking about?o demanded De Forest.
his foot on the automobile step.
"What has happened?s
81 whole lotto them, replied
Bruce glumly. Haven't you heard =
Not word about her since left
eight months ago. For Gods sake.
what is it. Bruce? Out with it,
What's up2 I'll wager that cub of a
Billie is at the bottom of whatever it
is!'
At the bottom, all through and IN
at the deathig declared Bruce. with
considerably more tragedy than he
was in the habit of using Get into
the CARP he exclaimed hurriediy as the
noticed De Forest turn pale.
Whose dead2s
Mrs Williams died last month from
the worry Of it all. and Billie ingalls,
has Tit out. leaving Elsie alone aud alb
solutely penniless. So Gordon. my
/ lawyer, tells me.
De Forest sank back into the ton-
neau too overwhelmed to speak not
that he might not have anticipated
something of this sort, for it was ex
actIy what he had feared would occur
sooner or later.
The ingalls, estate had been divided
at the majority of Billie, the younger,
and the two heirs were given free rein
to handle their inheritances themselves
or select trustees Within a year and
half Billie had run through his patri
mony and was making devastating in
roads into Elise's portion. Ingalls, wild
life was sufficient of itself to cali forth
remonstrance from friends and the one
remaining relative, his aunt. Mrs. Wiz
Hams. But when Elise stood by him
valiantly, defending him at every point
of attack and giving and giving. thus
enabling him to continue in his way
wardness, De Forest had sought to put
stop to it all as much for Ingalls,
sake as for any other reason. The re-
suit had proved disastrous.
81 promised father and mother that
/ would never desert Billie Elise had
told him defantly. and never shall!'
'srhen It must be decision between
him and me- De Forest had holly de-
handed.
1T will have to be. It's BilIie. she
had replied. pale and with flashing
eyes.
De Forest reused himself suddenly
from his momentary reflections.
"You must be exaggerating things,
Bruce, he exclaimed. But what has
that devilish youngster been doing z"
'.All but got into jail! Il Elise hadn't
sacrificed every last dollar she had to
settle and hush things up he'd be there
now!"
De Forest stared ineomprehensiyely.
You don't mean It isn't possible he
has finally wormed everything away
from her. oh, the young Villain
.sTIe even got rid of the homestead
and her securities =
Where is she liVing?p
I'm the worst place Geei We search
ed and searched, Sister Julie and |,
and father even wanted to hire detec-
tfyes to find her, but we wouldn't let
him do that. Only last week we found
her. It's so cheap where she's liz,
ingt''