Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-04-01
WHEN CRASH GAME
Then His Sweetheart Stood by
Him 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-under-
stood not at all what his trouble and
his fear was, but understood that it
was the desperation OF brave man;
and her heart of hearts yearned to
help him aud 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 own-patient, passion
ate, loving and self-abnegating.
He was 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 indomitable 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 interviewed
between them and bliss.
Then came the crash, and in a single
moment Clarence learned he was the
orphan of 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.
It 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 find an outlet in other
ways than money-getting. Besides,
he loathed business with the true alb
horrence of the born aristocrat.
But he never f1inched. 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-
er and sisters, Clarence obtained en-
ployment with business concern and
pushed along doing work at which his
very soul abhorred. He supported his
mother and the family, educated his
Younger brother and, above and be-
yond it all, paid in year by year what
he could save to reduce his fathers
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 ne 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 accept
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 physi-
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 always
resolute.
The debts had been paid, the boy
educated, the girls married and the
mother was dead Then came an Of
fer from a great magazine to take UP
a series of Investigations along the
lines of his writings on the basis of a
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 to
Alice.
So they stood, she looking into his
ewes with self-effacing devotion, and
he looking into hers with the express
sion of hunted stag.
How did it come out, dear?" she
asked, eagerly.
81 have signed with Them" he said
gravely.
ooh, Clarence" she said, clasping
her hands, "and were they nice about
the salary"
They pay me more than I ever
hoped to earn" he replied, looking at
hIo