The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1917-01-18

I'D 9UVTT o. TIIG TTIIUT WdT NUITNIUUNN
the mother led them to her private sit.
ting room; and, closing the door. she
stood facing them all as half breath
less with the excitement of the moment
they stood in a row before her.
My three dear children!" she muir
INJURED. Gordon's eyes lit with JOY and
his heart thrilled with the wonder OF
1t all. Then the mother stepped up tc
him and. placing her hand on his arm
led him over to the couch and made
him sit beside her, while the brother
and sister sat down together close by
NOW, Cyril, my new son." said she
deliberately, her eyes resting APPROX
story. l see my girl has lost both head
and heart to you and / doubt If she
could. tell 1t connectedly."
And while Celia and jeff were laugh
Ing at this, Gordon set about his task
OF winning a mother, n incidentally
an eager eyed young brother who was
more thai half committed to his cLuse
already.
Celia watched proudly as her hand
some husband took out his credentials
and began his explanation.
First, / must tell you who I am,
n these papers will do 1t better than
l could. Will you look at them. please? %
He handed her a few letters and
papers.
These papers on the top show the
rank and position that my father and
grandfather held with the government
n in the army. This is n letter from
the president to my father congratu-
lating him on his approaching mar
riage with my mother. That paper con-
tains my mothers family tree, and the
letters with 1t viii give o al idea Of
the honor in which my mothers family
was held in Washington and in Vir-
ginia, her old home. / know these mat
tiers are not Of much moment, and say
nothing whatever about what / am
myself, but they are things you would
have been likely to know about my
family II you had known me all my
life; and at least they will tell you that
my family was respectable"
Mrs. Hathaway was examining the
papers, and suddenly looked up, ex-
claiming: My dear! My father knew
your grandfather. 1 think / saw him
once when he came to our home In New
York. 1t was years ago and I was a
young girl, but ] remember he was a
looking man with keen, dark eyes,
and a heavy head Of iron gray hair"
She looked at Gordon keenly.
Il wonder If your eyes are not like
his. 1t was long ago, of course"
They used to say l looked like him.
l do not remember him He died when
l was very young"
The mother looked up with a pleas
ant smile.
Now tell me about yourself" she
said and aid a gentle hand on his.
Gordon looked down, an embarrassed
flush spreading over his face.
There's nothing great to TELL" he
said. I've always tried to live n
straight, true life. and I've never been
in love with any girl before" he
flashed a wonderful, binding smile up
on Celia.
sJ u,as loft alma In {bo u,orla ub.n
quite young and have lived around in
boarding schools and college. I'm a
graduate of Harvard and I've travelled
a little. There was some money left
from my fathers estate, not much. I'm
not rich. I'm q secret service man, and
l love my work. ! get a good salary
and was this morning promoted to the
position X in rank to my chief, so
that now / shall have still more money.
l shall be able to make your daugh-
ter comfortable and give her some of
the luxuries, if not all, to which she
has been accustomed"
my dear boy, that part is not what
/ am anxious about" INTERRUPTED the
mother.
Il know" said Gordon, but 1t Is
a detail you have a right to be told. /
understand that you care far more
what l am thar how much money / can
make, and ! promise you i am going to
try to be all that you would want your
daughters husband to be. Perhaps the
best thing / can say for myself Is that
I o her better than my life, and ]
mean to make her happiness the dear
est thing In life to me-"
The mothers look of deep under
standing answered him more eloquently
than words could have done, and after
a moment she spoke again.
But I do not understand how you
could have known one another and I
never have heard of you Celia is not
good at keeping things from her moth
er, though the last three months she
has a a sadness that / could not
fathom, and was forced TO lay to her
natural dread Of leaving home. She
seemed so insistent upon having this
marriage just as George planned it
and l was so afraid she would regret
not waiting. How could you have
known one another all this time and
she never talked to me about II, and
why did George Hayne nave any part
another? Just how long ave you
known each other, anyway? Did II be-
gin when. you visited in Washington
last spring, Cellar"
With dancing eyes Celia shook her
head.
mo, mamma. II I had met him then
Pm sure George Hayne would never
hhaN tA1N p'hy iAAh ~ ~ "Akih hAS AAh%N
ter, for Cyril would have known how
to help me out of my difficulty"
II shall ave to tell you the whole
story from my standpoint, and from
the beginning" said Gordon, dreading
nov hat the crisis was upon him, what
the outcome would be. II have wanted
you to know who and what i was be-
fore you knew the story, that you
might judge me as kindly as possible,
and know that however i may have
been to blame in the matter 1t was
through no intention Of mine. My story
may sound rather impossible. i know
it will seem improbable, but it is new
ertheless true, everything that l have
to tell. May I hope to be b~elieved?"
II think you may" answered the
mother searching his face a~nxiously.
"Those eyes Of yours are not lying eyes
Thank YOU" he said simply, and
then gathering all his courage he
| plunged into his story.
Mrs. Hathaway was watching him
with searching interest. jeff had
drawn his chair up close and could
scarcely restrain his excitement, and
when Gordon told Of his commission
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