The Cairo bulletin., 1914-05-04
WHEN CRASH GAME
Then His Sweetheart Stood BY
Hin Through Twenty Years
Hard Struggle.
BY DUDLEY JAMES.

expression OF the hunted stag.
There was that in his face. however.
which relieved it from the suggestion
OF fear and painted into his personal
ity the mark OF The hero.
She saw it and understood-un
stood not at all what his trouble and
his fear was. but understood that it
WAS the desperation of a brave man;
and her heart of hearts yearned TO
help him and comfort him.
She was no longer a girl, yet re-
tanned the ineffable charm of sweet
sixteen" Her attitude toward the man
was unmistakable. She was his sweet
heart his very patient. passion
ate, loving and selfabnegating.
He was a handsome fellow--or
would have been had it not been for
| the lines of care and suffering in his
frail face. There were great lines in
the face and the head was marvellous
In its shape and proportions, and the
wide, straight mouth and the steady
eyes told of indomtable purpose to
| conquer physical weakness.
They had been lovers for so long
that they had forgotten the measure
of the years. Since early childhood
they had been playmates and chums.
but since one memorable day-ah! the
woman remembered the very day and
date, after all-they had been ac-
cepted lovers the one to the other. 1t
was very, very long ago, Is, 16, II
perhaps as much as 20 years back in
the past.
1t was all so full of promise and
happiness then. He was young, bril-
| liant, rich, when he asked her for her
promise, obtained it, and went brave
ly away to college to fit himself for a
great career And in all the land
lived no such happy girl She had
/ found her own true knight and he had
broken his lance at her very feet All
she had to do was to wait and dream.
| What more could fair maid desire?
| And so, meath sunny skies, with no
| cloud on the horizon, the two fond
hearts waited the fruition of their
| hopes. impatient only at the length Of
the days and nights which intervened
between them and bliss
Then came the crash, and in a single
| moment Clarence learned he was the
/ orphan of a bankrupt and a suicide
| and his loved and respected father
| would have been a convict had he not
forestalled it all by taking his own life,
1t was a terrible blow but Clarence
never wavered. He left college within
! the hour, never to return, and bravely
! took up the burden left by his father.
] 1t was an awful task for an inexperi-
/ enced youth, without business train
| ing, who had always been taught that,
/ come what might, the fortune of the
/ family was safe and that his ambi.
tions were to lind an outlet in other
ways than moneygettng. Besides,
he lcathed business with the true alb
horrence of the born aristocrat.
But he never llinched. He mastered
| the situation and started in to work
out the problem After the remnants
| OF his fathers fortune had been gath
cred together and paid to his credi.
| tors, despite the protests of his moth
er and sisters, Clalvnce obtained EN-.
! ployment with a business concern and
pushed along doins, work at which his
very soul abhorred. He supported his
mother and the family, educated his
younger brother and above and be-
i yond it all, paid in year by year what
he could save to reduce his father
| debts
But the years were long and dreary
| and the great cloud of the debts hid
the sunlight beyond Only one ray OF
| light did he have-eXcepting Alice, of
! course-and that was that certain ar
ticles he wrote were accepted from
time to time by magazines of the bet.
ter class. Upon these articles and
their acceptance Clarence and Alice
| built their fondest hopes For Alice
never wavered in her love and accent.
ed the year of waiting as her very
| heritage
The strain on the man was fearful
and he felt things giving way within
| him. One day he consulted phys;.
| clan and emerged from his Office with
an expression on his face which com
| bined resolution with fear. After this
he ever looked haunted, but alwave
Yesolute.
The debts had been paid. the bov
educated, the girls married and the
mother was dead Then came an Of
/ fer from a great magazine to take M
a series of investigations along the
/ lines Of his writings on the basis Of y
/ very liberal salary A representative
| of the magazine had come to see him
| and close with him The interview
was over and he had come straight tc
! Alice
So they stood. she looking into his
eyes with sef-effacing devotion, and
| he locking into hers with the express
sion of a hunted stag,
How did it come out dear?" she
asked. eagerly.
q have signed with them" he said
gravely
"Oh. Clarence" she said, claspine
her hands, and were they nice about
the salary"
"They pay me more than | ever
| hoped to earn" he replied, looking al