Phillips County herald., 1923-07-05
: HIS REWARD
BY MoLLlE MATHER
20. 1923, Western Newspaper Union,

"TuDIE" cried grandmother's voice,
y shrill and imperative.
The girl, lying prone on the balcony
floor, crept closer to the palings.
Grandmother, peering out into the
darkness, went into the house, appar-
entity satisfied that her charge was not
there.
judith laughed softly, then sighed.
Douglas was so long in coming.
II was wearisome to wait thus, night
after night, for the mere comforting as
surance of seeing him come up the gar
den path TO pass into his study; there
to remain reading until long after sleep
had sealed Judlth's blue eyes.
Twice lately her guardian had asked
the girl perplexedly, what was the
matter. You are so silent when with
me; so constrained, dear" he told her,
! gently.
Douglas friend, John Tabor, spoke
often of an old love affair which had,
disappointingly, left the adored guard
ian of Judith confirmed bachelor.
In Douglas Manning's library there
were few new books, the ones there
accumulated during his fathers time.
In this library Judith found saint
Elmo" to read, and other tales of
standard fiction, where heroes were
older and wiser than new generation.
When she had returned to the old
Manning home Douglas had been sur
prised ut her advent into womanhood
Since that time two yenrs ago Ju-
| 9th had learned the art of homekcep-
Ing and Douglas, returning from fire.
quent business trips, was always
| pleased over the girls management and
happy in her welcome.
I But this love that had entered ner
i heart was n serious and perplexing
| problem, TO be constantly considered,
/ and Judith found il impossible, no mat
ter how hard she might try, to transfer
that love to the altogether suitable Bob
Gates, or other would-be suitors.
Douglas Manning, coming presently,
! stood for a moment on the moonlight,
unconscious of his watcher The moon
shoDe on the whitening places in his
! dark hair, on his fine upraised face. He
/ picked rose carelessly then, with an
impulse, Judith leaned forward on her
balcony and called to him. A quick
light of pleasure crossed the mans face
and he tossed the flower up to her
Come down for few moments,
sleepy hend," he said.
Granny grumbled us Judith passed
out through the porch. There is dew
at night Granny warned.
And roses" the girl laughed back.
Douglns looked very tired in the
white light that gloriled the porch
vines. ''lf you were not always here"
he told her, Il think sometimes that i
should run away. Business is wearing
and the long ride out from she city
would be unbearably lonely II you were
not at the end OF the journey"
Judith earnestly regarded him.
Douglas" she asked, do /, then, In
way, repay your faithfulness? You Will
NJ er know how grateful am for that
care. often ! wonder about it-you
must have been very young man,
Douglas, when you brought me from
! abroad. So you brought US back 10
your great home and acted ns guar
dian over my affairs, as my mother
would have wished you TO do. You and
she were playmates here, In this town,
as children, Mr.. Tabor says, and when
she went abroad for u year everyone
thought she was to come back as your
wife. Is that true, Douglasf You can
not think how much ] want TO know"
81 did not want 10 tell you all the
truth, Judith, dear" he snid, "but as
you have begun TO wonder-well, yes,
! did love your mother She was the
grent fact In my life, from our first
childish days at school. And her father
and mine were agreed regarding our
marriage later So. upon that corrdl'
tlon, your grandfather left TO his dnugh-
Ter Judith his entire fortune. II she
refused TO marry me--for, Of course, II
was understood that | would ask the
question-ihen all his money would go
10 an institution. Judith agreed, In
good faith. Then. because she was
very young md also, II was decided
that she should 20 abroad for = years
{ ANNfA hHh fluuAs NJ Ahe thh VI wv
year her father and ! were TO 20 10
bring her bnck, when she would be-
come my wife when we found Judith
she had broken faith with me and had
married, secretly. n humble young nun
whom your grandfather IN his pride
aud humiliation, nngrliy dlsnpproved.
judith hoI-cd that. through her fathers
affection for me, might he able Ia in
fuence him regarding n pnrt Of her
legacy, at lenst. now sadly needed. Hut
your grandfather left her without II
parting word nnd the money WIS willed
10 nm Institution. ! was sorry for the
girl. promised still 10 be her friend.
when. some time Inter, wus noii-
fed of the double tragedy which left
you mn orphaned baby. why ] went TO
make amends for ny innocent part In
/ the tlps.ree which los your mother the