The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-02-16

ing him to take care that no harm happened to
the poor, forlorn little boy.
Left alone, / drew my chair to the window,
and looked out with beating heart at the
guilty house. [ waited and waited through
what appeared to me to be an endless time, lln-
til heard the wheels of a cab stop at the end
of the street. looked in that direction, and
saw Trottle get out of the cab alone, walk up
to the House, and knock at the door. He was
let in by Barsham's mother. A minute or two
later, a decently dressed man sauntered past
the house, looked up at it for moment, and
sauntered on to the corner of the street close
by. Here he leant against the post, and light
ed cigar, and stopped there smoking in an
idle way, but keeping his face always turned
in the direction OF the house door.
[ waited and waited still. I waited and
waited, with my eyes rivited to the door of the
house. At last thought [ saw it open in the
dusk, and then felt sure I heard it shut again
softly. Though I tried hard to compose my
self, trembled SO that was obliged to call
for Peggy to help me on with my bonnet and
cloak, and was forced to take her arm to lean
on, in crossing the street.
Trottle opened the door to US before we could
knock Peggy went back, and went in. He
had lighted candle in his hand.
'.It has happened, mas am, 1 thought it
would he whispered, leading me into the baro,
comfortless, empty parlor. s'Barsham and his
mother have consulted their own interests, and
have come to terms My guess-work is guess
work no longer 1t is now what felt it was
truth !"-
I Something strange to me-something which
women who are mothers must often know
trembled suddenly in my heart, and brought
the warm tears of my youthful days thronging
servant by the hand, and asked him to let me
see Mrs. Kirklands child, for his mothers sake.
eff you desire it ma'a1n," said Trottle, with
a genteness of manner that 1 had never no
ticed in him before. ''But pray, don't think
NE wanting in duty and right feeling, if beg
you to try and wait little. You agitated
already, and first meeting with the child will
not help to make you SO calm, as you would
wish to be, if Mr. Forleys messenger comes.
The little boy is safe upstairs. Pray think
first of trying to- compose yourself for a meet
ing with a stranger; and believe me, you shall
not leave the house afterwards without the
child" .
I felt that Trottle was right, and sat down as
patient as [ could in chair he had thought
fully placed ready for me. [ was so Mortified
at the discovery of my own relations wicked
ness, that vixen Trottle proposed to make me
acquainted with the confession wrung from
Barsham and his mother, I begged him to
spare me all the details, and openly to tell me
''All that can be said for Mr.. Forley, ma am.
is, that he was just scrupulous enough to hide
the child's existence and blot out its parentage
here, instead of consenting, at the first, to It's
death, or afscrwards, when the boy grey mp,
to turning him adrift, absolutely helpless in
the world. The fraud has been managed,
ma a'am with the cunning of Satan himself Mr..
Forley had the hold over the Barsilams, that
they had helped him in his villainy, and that
they were dependent on him for the breadthey
eat. He brought them up to London to keep
them securely under his own eye. He put
them into his empty house (takingi it out of the
gents hands previously, ON pretence that he
meant to manage the letting of it HIMSELF and
by keeping the house empty, made it the
surest of all hiding places for the child. Here,
Mr.. Forley could come, whenever he pleased,
to see that the poor lonely child was not abso-
lutely starved; sure that his visits would only
appear like looking after his own property
Here the child was to have been trained to be-
lieve himself Barshams child, till he should
be old enough to be provided for in some stu
alton, as low andas poor as Mr.. Forley uneasy
conscience would let him pick out. He may
have thought of atonennent on his death-bed
but not before-I am only too certain of it
not before!" 5
A low, double knock startled us.
s'The messenger!" said Trottle, under his
knock, and returned leading in respectable
looking elderly man, dressed like Trottle, all
in black, with white cravat, but otherwise
not at all III resembling him.
..I am afraid 1 have made some mistake"
said the stranger.
Trottle, considerably taking the Office of ex-
planation into his own hands, assured the gen
tleman that there was no mistake; mentioned
to him who 1 was; and asked him If he had
afoI lafl
Mr.. Forley. Looking greatly astonished, the
gentleman answered, "Yes,'' There was an
awkward moment of silence after that. The
stranger seemed to be not only startled and
amazed, but rather distrustful and fearful of
committing himself as we'll Noticing this, l
thought it best to request Trottle to put an end
to further embarrassment, by stating all par
ticulars truthfully, as he had stated them to
me; and I begged the gentleman to listen pa
tiently for the late Mr.. Forley's sake He
bowed to me very re respectfully, and said he was
prepared to listen with the greatest interest.
To evident TO me-and, [ could see to
Trottle also-that were not dea11ng, To say
the least, with dishonest man.
"Before 1 offer any opinion on what have
heard,'' he said, earnestly and anxiously, after
Trottle had done, E'I must be allowed, in jus
tice to myself, to explain my own apparent con-
nection with this very strange and very shock
inc business. I was the confidential legal adj
wiser of the late Mr.. Forley, and am left his
executor Rather more than fortnight back,
when Mr. Forley was confined to his room by
illness, he sent for me, and charged me to call
and pay certain sum of money here, to a man
and a woman whom should find taking charge
of the house. He said he had reasons for
wishing the affair to be kepta secret. He beg
ged me so to arrange my engagements that L
could call at this place either on Monday last,
or to-day, at dusk; and he mentioned that he
would write to warn the people of my coming,
without mentioning my name (palcott is my
nane) as he did not wish to expose me to any
future opportunities on the part of the man
| and woman I need hardly tell you that this
| commission struck me as being strange one;
but, in my position with Mr. Forley, I had no
| resource but to accept it without asking ques-
tons, or to break off my long and friendly con-
nection with my client. I chose the first al