That most delightful companion
of latntntr days—the run—km
nlng brilliantly through the open
window into a charmingly appointed
dining-room one bright June morning.
Breakfast waa laid for three. At the
head of the table eat Miaa Pris
cilla Payne, a sweet, gray haired
woman, with what b termed •
•■good” face, though lined with
care and trouble. Vea; the bowl
of happiness was low when her share
wae ladled out. There waa a gentle
look of resignation in her fare, which
wraa the reflection of n brave heart.
8he brightened up aa she heard a
quick, light footstep, and her niece.
Jessie Burton, a sweetly, pretty girl
of about Ifl summers, entered the
room.
"Good-morning, auntie! Is Harry
down?" she asked, kissing her guard
ian.
“Jfo, dear; bnt he soon will be. Pm
sure. He can only have one twenty
flrat birthday."
Many letters for him?"
"A few; one is from Australia."
"Auntie," said the girl, suddenly,
with a tinge of lovely color flaming
her cheeks, “I—I—have something to
tell you."
“I do believe I can guess what it la,
Jessie."
“0, auntie, I am sura you haven't a
notion."
“My dear, your face convinces mo
that my conclusion is correct. Come
here and let you/old aunt whisper it:
Harry has proposed and you have ac
cepted him."
"How did you know?" ejaculated
Jcaaia. “Yes. he proposed last night.
Aren't you going to congratulate me?"
“Tea, yes. darling. May you be
very, very happy.” and she kissed her
niece lovingly. “Arc you quite sure.
Jessie, that you love him. and that
there is nothing that would prevent
you from marrying?"
Jessie replied by a look that indi
cated such a question was entirely un
necessary.
"You know, dear. I was in lova onee,
and some one was fond of me. but—
but—things went wrong. Borne duy
you shall hear tjie story, dear, then
you will Understand how it is I am
so anxious about you. Ah, here la
Harry!"
At that moment a handsome young
fellow entered the room. Jessie ran
and kis-ed him. and led him to her
aunt, she was smiling through tears
of ! nppiiies* and sorrow—sorrow be
cause she foresawa bitter parting with
Jessie.
After oft-repeated congratulations
and many happy returns. Harry was
permitted to open bis letters. The
■ 1T1I
gist of the on* from Australia ran at
follow*:
"Ur li»*r Son: I trurt rou will receive
Ihle on the day rmi attain your majority.
Now that you hava arrived at ar. age of dis
cretion. I with you to hrow ae much ot my
history ae te neceesary. . . . Fray, my
dear sob. do not think hardly ot me. . . .
All I have done I have done tor the beet.
... I have Instructed that good man.
Rev. William Nayand. your gyardlan and
muneelor all these years, te tsll jmu as
much as h* thicks Mt. . . . H* will see.
the lawyers for you. After to-day you will
be abl* to draw H.M» a year. . . . This
will continue until my death, when all I
have goes to you. . . . Wishing you all
happiness, my deer boy. Tour most af
fectionate FATHER.''
Harry reed Ihle through twice, amid
e strange feeling of unraiieese and
emotion. Tt was the flrst letter he had
ever received from .his father. He
sat down, looking rather pale, crush
ing, the letter in hU hand. Wat hie
three months of perfect happiness at
this house to be marred by some hor
rible revelation? Me trusted not.
Somehow or other he thought of
James Harton. his rival.
Miss Payne had taken a great fancy
to Harry when they flrst met. two
years ago. and he had latterly beta
staying with her and Jessie, with the
inevitable result that he fell head over
ear* in love with her pretty face.
“My guardian. Rev. William Nay
In od, will be celling to see me to-day.
Miss Payne,” he said at length, “about
some business matters. And, Jessie."
be broke off, "1 should like te ae*
you in the garden after breakfast.”
The meal having concluded, with
painful evidence that things had gone
ntwiit, Harry strolled into the gar
den with her.
“Darling, what Is it? Whet is the
matter?” she asked, gently nestling
up to him. "Something has gone
wrong, and who should share your
troublr with you but I?” •
The doubts and perplexities which
entangled his mind for e moment
seemed to overwhelm him, then, with
out a word, he took the girl in his
strong arms and held her closslr to
him. ’
"Jessie.” he began faiteringty at
last, "if—If—there should be anything
that might come between our mar
riage. don’t think too hardly of me.
If there be a secret in my family, and (
have kept it from you. believe me
when I say that it was through no
fault of mine. 1 had no intention to
deceive—”
”0, Harry! Harry!" sobbed Jessie,
now thoroughly alarmed. “I don't
know what you mean, indeed I don't,”
she concluded, with a flood of tears,and
nothing would comfort her till she
bad sobbed out her heart to her aunt.
That afternoon. Rev. William Xny
land railed, and was closeted with Har
ry for nearly an hour. Harry had the
greatcat admiration and affection for
his guurdian, who had been like a fa
ther to him for 17 years, and had he
mown the painful nature of the duty
which the clergyman had to perform
that afternoon he would surely have
Bad* it a lighter task.
i
"I would first of all fell you, Hsrry
that 1 have an unbounded faith and re
gard in your father, who, under the
moat adverse circumstances, has won
the raterm and respect of all with
whom he has conn in contact since re
siding in Australia. He only ntude one
alip in his life, hut it has cost him—
well, tldd only knows what! When ha
left he expressed a hope to me that, if
he married, 1 would take care of any
children with whom he was blessed
and bring them up in total ignorance
of who.their father was. This I prom
ised to do. lie married out there and
you were born, but in giving birth to
you your mother died. When you were
four years old he sent you to me.
When you attained your majority he
instructed me to tell you the secret of
hia life, and begged that you would
not judge hinrtoo harshly. Through
hard work ha has gained a substantial
fortune, and from this day yon will
receive from the lawyers sufficient
capital that will yield an income of
tl.SOO a year. You will now hear—"
"Stop!” said Harry, quietly, with a
strange, hard look in hia fact. ‘T can
not and will not touch one penny of
my father's money. He has deceived
me. He had no right to bring me up
with the thought that his life had
been beyond reproach. It waa cruel—
cruel—cruel!”
He waa pacing the room no#; hia
face waa white and act.
"Jessie—the girl to whom I am an
gaged—what will she aay? What am
1 to tell her?—I, who have always
been taught to be truthful and open
ever since I learned to speak, I have
been kept in ignorance of that which
1 ought to have known, and what shs
ought to hare known.”
"It was done with a noble purpose,
and worthy of the noble mind that en
tertained it," broke in his guardian
quickly. "Were your fiancee to know
the whole story she would revere
and honor the name you bear,”
”1 shall hear nothing until we ara
married,” retorted Harry, with rapid
ly rising anger. "Is it not enough that
my—my father baa killed my faith in
him? How you wish to kill her faith
in me. Ho! no! no! 1 can't hear the
truth;” and he strode from the room.
He staggered blindly into the din
ing-room. But be paused on the
threshold. Hesaw Jessie standing near
the window, and by her, with his hand
roughly seizing hers, stood James Ban
ton, hia rival.
"Jessie, I desire an explanation,” he
said, quietly, but with a voice that
shook with tupprassad passion and
jealousy.
With a startled cry the girl turned
round.
“My explanation is thia,” put in
Banton, with a sneer, "that the eon of a
common forger is not a suitable hus
band for Miss Payne’a niece!”
"Recall those words!” ahouted Har
ry, “you lying scoundrel!"
"They are true,” sneered Banton.
“Twenty-three years ago your father
■a - - -
forged a check, was convicted. intpris
oned. and finally left for Australia,
where he has since lived. If you don't
believe it. I have ample proof. Uo and
ask Itev. William Nayland.”
"It is a lie! a lie! liar!" thundered
Harry. *
“It isn’t true. It ien’t true,” cried
Jessie, moving towards him.
The shout had brought Miss Payne
and Itev. Navlanri into the room.
“You are not the son of Henry Dain
ing. ns you think, hut of Janies Tren
ton. the forger, one aud the same
man!”
At these statements. Miss Pdyne gave
g strange cry. Jessie ran to her.
"Atfntie, auntie, say it’s not true.”
Then He*. Nayiand stepped forward
and told rtirm a tale of how a man had
falh-n among evil rompanionit had got
into debt anil hail forgetka cheek; how
he had once been engaged to Miss Pris
cilla Payne, and how he had gone to
Australia to start life afresh, feeling
that he was unworthy of her great
lo»*. He told them of the honored
name he had won. of his hard, bitter
struggle, aud of his fortune reaped by
long years of toil, of his marriage to a
woman who. in giving birth to Harry,
hail died; how the father swore that
his child should never know what hla
father had been, so he sent him tixlive
in America at a sacrifice that none
would ever know.
“And you, James Ranton.” thun
dered the clergyman, with righteous
wrath, "you, the only one in the fam
ily who knows the’ secret, through
Jealousy must use your knowledge iu
a base and foul way. in order to c rush
the love of tbut true, pure girl there”
pointing to Jessie—"for Hurry, the
son of that splendid spirit. James
Trenton, threatening disclosures un
less he sent you inure money. Check
after check you received—’’
“It is a scandalous lie!” gasped Ban
ton. with a livid face. “No one can
gainsay it.”
“Yes. 1 will gainsay it!” said a low,
i|Uiet voice: “I arrived from Australia
last night. I am James Trenton, alias
William Huiniiig.”
All looked up startled. In the door
way stood an old man with bowed
head. Miss Priscullu looked up:
“O. James, Janies!” she cried, run
ning to him, “you come back after ail
these years! Thunk liodj Thank
l«od!”—Chicago Tribune.
•he Comprumlied,
Friend—1 thought you said you in
tended to put on mourning for your
poor husband.
Widow—I did, but it was so very un
becoming that 1 compromised by wear
ing black stockings.—Denver Repub
lican.
_.__ s
The Wardiwell family, of Detroit,
comprises a mother and 16 brothers
and sisters, all resident of that city,
except a brother, who is in the Klon
dike, and a sister. The oldest is 73. the
youngest 45 years old. There has
never been a death among the broth
ers and eisters in the family.
• ----- -
D. C. Brownell*
HARDWARE j
%
Homestead Location Notices.
Placer, Quartz and Oil Land
Location Notices.
For Sale at PROSPECTOR Office.
*M —-lj.._t_ ■ i
_ •
Spend Your Evenings at
« «•
Montana
Concert - -Hall
A High Class Vaudeville Performance
Every Night.
*
- •• ■
Carpet Department
NEW CARPETS MATTINGS
LINOLEUMS WINDOW SHADES
OIL CIA »THS ()R I EXTAL DEXAM
fl SWELL 5H0W1NQ sr
SPRING STYLES.
SPUING OFFERINGS IN
Drapery Department
NEW PORTIERS SMYRNA RI GS
LACE CURTAINS WILTON RUGS
SILKALENES CR ETON'S
MEN’S
Latest Suits
Underwear
Pants
Overshirts
Linen Golf Shirts
Collars
Neckwear
Sweaters
Fancy Hose
Gloves
Hats and Caps
Shoes
-1 I
Our splendid display of Spring Novelties in Women's Wearables
is not equalled in any other store in Alaska, and is a showing which .!
will Ik* a source of delight to every woman who sees it,
W e are agents for the celebrated |
MARQUISE WAISTS
* m
In Cheviots. Piques, Lawns. Butcher Linen. (Irass Linen and other
styles and qualities too numerous to mention.
New Neck Ribbons
Shirt Waist Sets
Stock Ties
Silk Collars
Lace and Lawn Ties
New Chatelaine Bags
Veils for Hats
Girdles *
Belt Buckles
Hair Ornaments.
LADIES’
New Silk Skirts
Sateen Skirts
Sweaters
Hosiery
Muslin Underwear
Silko Vests
Slippers
Dress Linings
Hose Supporters
Notions
Outing Flannels
Scotch Zephyr Ginghams
Shoe Department
We carry the finest line of shoes
in Alaska.
MINERS anil PROSPECTORS SHOES.
ENAMEL VICI KIDS CORDOVAN
MIRROR CALF VELOUR CALF
! GLAZED KID
in the latest lasts, Lined and Unlined.
Crockery Glassware
Hardware Groceries
IN OUR GROCERIES We are receiving on Every
Boat shipments direct from our Coast Agent-insuring to our patrons
freshest Goods Obtainable. New fancy groceries just received.
o Bedding Department
> SHEETS BEDSPREADS PILLOWS
FLOSS COMFORTS NEW BLAEKETS
. PILLOW CASES
■ TABLE LINEN NAPKINS TOWELS
C ft TOWELING CRASH
VJ J BUREAU SCARFS
Goods Delivered Free to A T T F V V 0 P
mA, L. Lc V I a IU **,ki1