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Newspaper Page Text
Wffff!S3fczSwttB& wish we had remained so, Miss Boiee," he added almost sorrowfully. Her face was a void of amaze ment. Surely, never had she known so strange a gathering! "That is a hard thing to say, is it not, Miss Boice?" he continued, try ing to force a whimsical smile, "and I must explain. I am a lawyer. I have been sent on a mission most distasteful to me. Be indulgent, dear ' lady. I came from Mr. Gregory Thearle." "The father of Rodney!" mur mured the girl and a slight pallor came over her face. "He objects to the attention of his son to you, Miss Boice," pursued Ashe steadily. "There are reasons, according to his detached point of view they are not mine, believe me. Mr. Thearle is in trouble. There may be occasion for Rodney to stand by his" father and the family I I " The lawyer felt wretched. The sweet girl before him had held him spellbound with the winsome inno cence of her lovely eyes. Now they filled with tears. "Mr. Ashe," she said brokenly. "Oh,, indeed, no attitude of mine shall dis tress him. I would help the poor old man. He does not understand how dearly I love Rodney." The last barrier of suspicions was broken down with the steadfast law yer, but he had his duty to perform. "I am ordered," and he spoke with a meaning and a commiseration that even this artless experienced girl fully understood, "I am ordered to furnish you proof of the possibility of all his means being swept from him, and Wlliam Ashe produced a package of business documents. "These evidence tne iact mat u Mr. mearie aoes not raise nearly $50,000 by the fifteenth of the month his creditors will take all he has." "Or dear! how sorrowful," fluttered Evelyn Boice. "No. no," she demur red, touching the decuments as the lawyer was about to replace them in his po.cket " I am interested, Let A me know all, please. I can perhaps I can help." The lawyer marveled at the sudden change in the girl, the expression of strength that came into her fair face, at her enigmatical manner as she handed back the papers with the simple words. "I thank you. Please tell Mr. Thearle that I sympathize with him' and that I really will not be any added ' burden to his troubles." i William Ashe returned home to an- nounce to his client that the young i lady was reconciled to his stern fiat. Then he partially forgot the lovely . girl amid a hard, but a vain effort to " secure an extension from his credi tors. They had tied up $100,000 in ' collateral that, under a forced sale, would ruin the old merchant "No arrangement can be made," ' reported the lawyer one morning, t "The collateral was closed out yes- i terday and purchased by some out- sider." "Then the creditors will be paid?" asked his client. "Dollar for dollar, but the holder of r the collateral now holds you at his mercy." i Ashe left the broken merchant I making his arrangements to close up i his business and begin life all over ' again. Two hours later Ashe came 1 rushing into the office of gloom, i madly excited. " "Look!" he cried, flinging down a ' big envelope before his client "The note canceled! the collateral" released!" gasped Gregory Thearle. " "What marvel is this?" Then his eye fell upon the name upon the note, that of the person to whom the bank had transferred it "Evelyn Boice!" he fairly shouted, and then before the lawyer could make an explanation the old man col lapsed under the shock completely. " But the full explanation came later ' and a happy chain of circumstances , voh'Pfi indeed. William Ashe sur- ' mised what had transpired as soon ao lie saw that name. The "fortune A ---