The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-02-24

glare o, the fotolights in far off
Gotham.
Then young Van Haag had been at
the crest of his fevered life, and some.
how, in some rare CLEAN of human
sense, he married her. That story was
forgotten, too. Ten years are ten cen.
turies in Gotham town, provided the
weight that holds down the record be
sufficiently gilded. The old county had
never heard the name, Van Haag. and
it had forgotten old Jim Anderson and
his child; Sc Mrs. Trezevant Van Haag
came nome.
The colonel was feeling the strain
OF the last u months. 1t had aged
him vlsibly. Therese noted it, yet the
grave courtesy with which he met her
chilled all advances. Her heart went
out to the pretty child with the care.
worn young face, grave where the
oimples should have flashed. and the
brown eyes, though cold to hers. were
very appealing
Blind chance threw the clew into her
hands; then it was a small matter to
obtain the coloneps paper, yet, when
the long envelope lay within her desk,
and the key to his very hearthstone
in her fingers, she hardly knew her
self why she had plotted so feverishly
to this end. She had given Truesdale
& Co orders to refuse the extension
without further security, but to await
her notice before foreclosing. AS she
rode slowly along the pike, half
defined plan came to her
Jack twisted the note between her
fingers. Daddy, what can she mean?
A matter of business with met" She
moved around to his side of the table.
See her for me, daddy?"
no, childie, you must see her as she
requests. Possibly we have been lit
tie discourteous to a very charming
woman. She is that-all of it. | must
confess l have warmed to her since l
heard Simmons, down there at the
works, tell how she sent him a check |
when his house was burned, and then .
came herself and gathered up the !
children in that red devil-wagon of .
hers that has scared every decent .
horse in the county into fits. She ac- .
tually took them to her house and .
kept them there, four of them, until
he could provide a place for them. It /
isn't every fine lady that would have
touched those little gamins, much less
have taken them into her home.
Yes daddy, but all that has nothing
TO do with this matter. Shall | see
her?"
You cannot do anything else. She
says she is coming-and she will come.
Are we heathens to shut the door in
her face? See her by all means.
reckon it's time we came down to
earth a bit After ALL there have been
good women on the stage-We're all
actors, more or less, in this weary
drama; and mind, Jack, l stumbled on
that fact about the lady by accident,
so you'll respect it, I'm off Dan says
that the colt has scratched himself on
bit of wire I'll wager it's NALL"
Therese Van Haag shivered a little
in the gloom of the old-fashiOned par
lor. 1t brought back the meager days,
and the one time, as if 1t were but yes
terday, when she had entered the
house with a message for the colonel.
Now-she swept the frou frou of her
laces beneath the disappearing frowns
of all the Wandlows, and sank into
chair as Jacqueline paused in the
doorway. Therese gave her no time
to hesitate.
Il have taken the law into my own
hands, though you would have none
of me-" she said, going straight to the
point. And my excuse is" She
paused and came a little nearer to the
girl. Child, | wonder what you will
say to me? Will you resent my effort
to help you, or will you try to under
stand Tor my sake, for yours and-an-
other's?" Before Jacqueline could
fathom her meaning she found her.
self on the sofa beside her, listening
bewildered at the tangle of legal
terms that, sifted down, meant that
the woman before her held their very
living in her hands. At last she un-
derstood, when the paper was pressed
between her fingers.
But this is charity, pure and
simple! You are giving it to us!
Daddy would never accept that; but
1t will kill him to lose it, to lose every
thing!" She covered her face and
uttered a low moan
Thercse slipped one arm around the
trembling shoulders HE need not
know" Somehow her fears of Jacque-
line was gone He shall not lose it,
and he shall never know it from me.
| can arrange it all, if you will help
ne" ]
But what return? 1 don't under
,tand!"
Therese hesitated, then, with a GER
ain instinct of the blood that must run
rue, she told Jacqueline the story Of /,
he child who had loved the colonel,
Who had looked with longing eyes at
baby girl that she might not hope to
ouch. She told it all, sparing no de-
all Of the struggle upward, and at the
nish looked searchingly into the eyes
( the girl, who flung both arms =
round her, crushing silks and laces