Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-12-03

bless herr"
He looked down on the big, tawny
head that was bowed again upon the
desk. and placed his hands on the
Others shoulders.
God bless herl" echoed Philip.
"You are not alone in your sor-
rows, Felix MacGregor," he said soft
ly. "You asked me IL I was beauty
proof Yes, | am. And 1t is because
of something like this, because OF
face and a soul that have filled my
heart because OF woman that Is not
mine, and never can be mine, because
of love which ever burns, and must
never be known--it is because OF TINS
that l am beauty proof. God bless
this little woman, MacGregor-and
you-and will never ask where she
has gone"
MacGregor's hand reached out and
gripped his own in silence. In that
hand-clasp there was sealed pact
between them, and Philip returned
to his barracks room to write let
ter, in care of his father, to the man
and woman whom he had helped to
escape into the south. He spent the
greater part of that day writing. 1t
was late in the afternoon that Moody
came in with the mail.
"One for you. Phil" he said, tossing
letter on Philips table Looks as
though 1t had been through a war"
Philip picked up the letter as the
sergeant left him. He dropped his
pen with a low whistle. He could
see at a glance that the letter had
come an unusual journey. 1t was
dirty. and crumpled, and ragged at
the ends-and then, on the back OF
it. he found written in ink, Lac
Balm" His fingers trembled as he
tore open the envelope. Swiftly he
read His breath came in gasping
cry from between his lips. his face
turned as white as the crumpled pa
per. and then, as suddenly. flush
of excitement leaped into his cheeks,
replacing the pallor. His eyes SEEM
ed blinded before he had half finished
the letter, and his heart was pound
ing with suffocating force.
This was what he read:
my Dear Philip Steele:
"Your letter. and the skull, came to
us today thank God that chance
brought me into my Isobers room in
time. or I fear for what might have
happened It was a terrible punish
ment. my dear Steele. for her-and
for me- But deserved 1t more than
she. That very night-after Isobel
left the table-she insisted that | ex-
plain. When returned to the room
below, you were gone. l waited, and
| then went to your cabin. You know
why did not find you. Steele. Isobel
is not my wife. She is my daughter.
Mrs. Becker had planned to como
with me to Lac Balm from Fort
Churchill and we wrote the factor
70 that effect. But we changed our
plans. Mrs. Becker returned on the
London ship. and Isobel came with
me. In a spirit of fun she suggested
that for the first few hours she be al
lowed to pass as-well, you under
stand. The joke was carried too far.
When she met you-and Bucky Nome
it ceased to be a joke, and almost
became a tragedy. For those few
minutes before the fire Isobel used
her disguise as a test. She came to
me, before you joined us, and whis-
pered to me that Nome was a scoun-
drel and that she would punish him
before the evening was over. In the
short space OF that evening she knew
that she had met one of the most
despicable of blackguards in Nome.
and one of the noblest OF men in you.
And not until she saw on you the
effect OF what she was doing did
everything dawn fully upon her.
You know what happened She
left the table suddenly. overcome by
shame and terror. When | returned
later and told her that could not
find you. II was impossible to COM
fort her She lay in her bed crying
all that night. ! am telling you all
| this. because to me my daughter is
one of the two most precious things
on earth. the sweetest and purest
little girl that ever breathed can
not describe to you the effect upon
her OF the skull and the letter. For
give us-forgive me. Some day We
may meet again.
sylvester Becker"
Like one in a dream Philip picked
up the torn envelope Something
dropped from 1t upon the tables
tiny cluster OF violets that had been
pressed and dried between the pages
of a book. and when he took them in
his fingers he found that their stems
were tied with single thread OF
golden hair!
(TO pE CONTINIIEnN