The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-09
CHAPTER 7 (Continued)

CHAPTER I (Continued)
That one look answered Virginia S
qoeStion. The father she loved the
parent who had been both mother
and father to her since the time,
two years after her birth, when he
had looked upon her face for the
first time, was dead.
Until then his grief at losing her
mother had driven him to far cor
nerS of the earth, fighting his I'M
natural reluctance to look upon the
child that had cost him the life of
the only woman he ever had loved.
Then one day he had come home
to take up the responsibility of rear
ing his motherless daughter; and
with the first grip of her chubby
little fingers around his own, which
trembled, and her first friendly
smile, he experienced a poignant re-
gret>for the two lost years.
Virginia had grown up nurtured
and protected by great love. With
no brothers and sisters to share it,
there was developed between father
and daughter a companionship that
narrowly missed being a complex
in the life of both.
Richard Brewster had made not
the slightest objection to Virginia's
choice of a husband. He returned
the liking that Nathaniel felt for
him, and while many of his friends
regarded the prospective groom as
beneath VirginiaS station in life,
Mr.. Brewster only smiled tolerantly
at their yelled comments. He knew
that most of them had missed the
indescribable happiness of a great
love, and he believed that Virginia
would know it with Nathaniel Damn.
His great fear and dread had been
that she might love the wrong kind
of man. But that fear had vanished
when she told him she wanted to
marry Nathaniel Damn. After that
he had had but one worry-a wor-
ry, however, so consuming that it
had shortened his life.
For years he had carried a secret
burden, unknown to his world eX-
cept for a few persons who did not
talk of what they knew.
The marks of his mental suffer-
Ing showed plainly upon his fea-
lures now, and Nathaniel thought,
as he stood helplessly watching Vir-
GINA when she rushed forward and
threw herself frantically upon the
lifeless body, that he had never seen
face so altered.
For a while no one dared touch
her, so piteouS we're her efforts to
reclaim her father from death. Then
the doctors hands fell firmly upon
her shoulders and he nodded to
Nathaniel.
Nathaniel half led, half carried
her into the drawing room, where
she lay on the sofa shaking with
heartbreaking sobs. He tried to
talk to her, but she seemed not to
hear him.
It caught him unprepared with
an evasion when she drew herself
up suddenly and cried, "Niel, did
you notice that awful expression on
his face?"
Before he could stop himself Ma
thaniel had said yes.
do you suppose some one did
something to him?"
Nathaniel read the fearful thought
behind the stumbling words.
Certainly not" he replied earn
estly: didn't you hear what DR..
Meyerling said? 1t was his heart,
Virginia. He couldn't have suffered
much; the end came quickly"
Il can't help thinking that some
thing terrible happened to him."
she persisted 20, Mel, think of it
b.. he might have been calling me
=. and I was dancing and having
good time
Virginia, you must not talk like
that Your father wouldn't like it."
IT can't help it. It's SO CHASTITY
to think of his going like this while
we were so happy
Virginia, please. Here, Doctor,
thank heaven you came in. Miss
Brewster needs looking after"
Send in the housekeeper," DR..
Meyerling directed Nathaniel. 1--WE
will get this young lady to bed"
1--WE given her an opiate," he
told Nathaniel later
Nathaniel looked at him oddly,
then spoke as though he were some
what ashamed of his words. WAS
it altogether a p. natural death,
doctor?" he asked.