Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-06-01
NO. XIV.
More Romance than Reality.

The Bucyrus iOhio) Journal, famous for 70.
mantle stories, publishes one which we condense.
Fifteen years ago there resided in Homer, New
York, man named s., who had wife and
one child. daughter. When the daughter was
five years old, the mother died, and the father.
inconsolable at the loss, determined to leave the
scene of his Affections. He sold his property.
converted his whole effects into ready money.
and con6ding his daughter to the charge of q
friend, left the country. For ten long years he
was absent. In that time he had visited all
parts OF the globe. He delighted in adventure,
and the wider the excursion, and the more dam
ger that accompanied it, the more it pleased
him. he never corresponded with his friends
at home, and all that time he bad heard no t.
dngs from them. Finally he tired of adventure
and turned his thoughts homeward. He came,
but alas new and terrible misfortune awaited
him. The friend to whom he had confided his
child had ded-his wife after his death had
placed the child in other hands, they had NOV.
ed westward and died, and the child was lost
sight OF entirely. He bad no hope of being able
to recognise her, for ten years had elapsed-since
he had seen her, and in that time she had grown
from child to woman, and there were but
two marks by.which he could identify her
while a child m axe had fallen and cut off the
sion she had been severely scalded on the right
arm near the shoulder. He made all tue search
possible, but was finally forced to give itup, and
nally settled near Bucyrus, and married again.
About six weeks ago, he happened to pass by
the room in his house occupied by servant girl,
who had resided with him for nearly two years,
at a time when she was about to retire, and the
door being open, he saw her foot. He merely
Aapeed at it, and happened to notice that the
hue toe of the right foot was missing. He
thought nothing of it at the time, but after re-
tiring the idea struck him that it might be the
daughter he had searched for so long. At first
he dismissed the thought as improbable, but it
still forced itself upon him, until finally be re-
uuested his wife to go to the room and ascertain
whether there were or not marks of a scald mp
on her right arm. She went, and to bis i'm.
mense delight reported that the mark was there.
The poor man was SO far positive OF her identi-
ty that the girl was awakened, and in the mid
die of the night was questioned as to her origin.
She could only tell them that she did not know
her parents, and her earliest recollections were
that she had lived somewhere in the east, with
q family named --; that at their death she
was taken charge of by the overseers of the poor,
a place provided for her, that she had come to
Bucyrus with family, and had supported her
self by doing housework since. This Tailed so
nearly with the already ascertained facts in the
case, that the next day the father started east
with her, and visiting the different points she
bad named, ascertained to his great joy tha. she
was in truth his daughter. She is now at Gran
vile, Ohio, receiving an education to ht her for
the new station she has assumed in life.
The Story is not badly told, but to our appre-
hension the ''inconsolable" husband was not
very tender father, or he could not have ne
elected his poor child SO far as not even to in
quire after her during ten years. His subse.
ouent anxious search for her smells fsby.