The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-06-22
KENOsHA, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, JUNE, %, 1865


lIently, and with indignant virtue advise
the removal of the child to the workhous,
he regarded their suggestion az little les
than iinpious, and expressed his determine
ton of taking the little one home wit
him.
His old housekeeper and tie younge
servants we're not little surprised, perhar
they were even scandalized, to see the mer
chant come home with such Christina
offering; but Mr.. bryce vas master in hi
own house, and the little guest was fec
Then Doctor Banks was sent for, and he de
clared that it would be necessary to provid
a nurse, while as luck would have it he ha
that very morning Christmas morning
been sent for to see a casual applicant 70
relief at the Union-a woman who had jus
lost child Temporarily she might d,
well enough, and Doctor Banks wanted t
get home to dinner; SO away went the hous
keeper to cab, with a letter from the doc
tor, and in two hours came back bripgiu,
with her pale pretty young woman who's
name was Jane Harris, and who her nus
band having gone abroad and left her witt
a child which she had just lost, was reduces
timid, and had at first such scared look
that Mr.. bryce had much trouble to induc
her to stay; but it was quite wonderful thu
way in which the child took to her, and 81
a room was got ready for them both, ant
she was comfortably settled, almost as tn.
housekeepersaid, ':as if she was q lady
though for the matter of that DIR. Banks
knew more about her than he said, anc
things looked very queer" At any ratt
Dr. Banks said, the next day, after he haC
little conversation with the new nurse
that she was thoroughly trustworthy, and
that he himself had known her father, who
once held a very respectable position in the
city, butfwas now dead So Mrs. Harris
became an inmate of the dim old house, and
her charge throve under her care.
He was a bonny boy, and every day lis
little baby ways became of so great inter
est to the lonely old man, that he was never
happy after business hours until he had the
little fellow in the room. He never stayed
at bis old tavern more than half an hour
beyond the time it took him to eat his din,
ner, and even went SO far as to tell two or
three Of his friends what he had done. and
invite them home to see the child, in whom
themselves fathers of families
could see nothing extraordinary, and
wondered at themselves at old Dryce's
strange infatustion. '2
When the boy at last grew able to crawl
about, and even walk from chair to chair,
he seemed to have so grown to the old
tnat's heart that bryce became subject to
a kind of transformation. His laugh grew
more mellow, as though the violin had
been laid near the fire and played upon
gently; a dozen old and forgotten picture
books were disinterred from some box, and
,oys streWed the floor of the dingv sitting
Dom. At'about this time Mrs Harris was
or aweek or more strangely agitated by a
etter which was brought to her one morn
ng, and came as she said from her hus-
oaDd who had been for some time in Aus
ralia. sf
Upon her recovery, Mr.. bryce inquired
title into her husbands circumstances, ard
rearing that he was endeavoring to estab-
ish an agency in Sydney, wrote a letter re-
Iuesting him to make some inquiries about
arge consignments, but whose promised re-
nittance had not duly arrived He soon
lad enough to occupy him, however, for
christmas was coming round again and
with something like resumption of the old
vigor in his business habits he had Gale d
ior the books, for he had had some serious
osses lately, and began to think it necessa.
y to give some attention to the current ac-
counts. Still every day he had his little pet
INTO the room to play about his knees, and
indeed refused to part with him even when
Harris came to put him to bed, often MAX
ng Der stay and take some wine or consult
ng her as to some future provisions for her
charge, for whom she seemed to have even
more affection than the old gentleman
himself.
1t was on another Christmas eve that he
'at talking to her in this way, but still
With rather absent manner, for his absent
edgers and cash books lay beside him on
he table. She would have taken the child
way, but Mr.. bryce. told her to let him re.
main, and at the same time asked her to
tep down into the counting house, and if
Mr.. Jaggers had not left for the night, to
lsk him to come up <r
Now Mr.. Jaggers had so ,ldom been in
1ited to come up stairs, that, although he
# course knew of the adoption of the little
oundling, he had never seen the nurse,
out that was scarcely. any reason for her
stopping on her way down stairs and press
ng her hand to her side with a sndden
,pasm of fear. bis
She got down, at last, however, and
opening the two doors which led to the pas
sage, at the end of which was the private
counting house, stood there in the shadow.
and lookedim rs Laa--
MIR. Jaggers was busy at his desk, tear
ing up papers, some of which already bIazed
upon the hearth. The desk itself was open,
and by the light of the shaded lamp she
could see that it contained heavy bound
box in which hung bunch of keys As
she delivered Mr.. Dryce's message, still III
the shadow Of the door, he looked up " it'll
a scared face, and, dropping the lid OF
the desk with a loud slam peered into the
darkness.
Mrs. Harris repeated her message, and
returned quickly up the stairs, nor stopped
even to go in for the child, but shut herself
into her own room. Somehow or other,
MIR. Jaggers felt a cold persperation break
out all over him, and yet he need scarcely
have been cold, for he already had his great
coat on, and there was decent fire in the
CRATE, burning behind guard. Still he
shivered, aud after taking the lamp and
once more looking into the entry, gave a
deep sigh of relief, and in a half absent
manner locked both book and desk and care
fully placed the keys in breast pocket
Leaving the lamp still burning, he wen
up stairs and found Mr. bryce alone sitting
at the table with the books open before him
He looked up as hrs clerk entered.
Take a seat Jaggers', he said Il shall
want you for an hour or more, for ther
are several things here that require expIa
nation
Mr.. Jaggers turned pale, but he took o.
his coat aud laid it along with his hat o
the great horse hair sofa at the other en-
of the room. Then both he and bis en-
ployer plunged into figures, till the sound
| of a distant clock sounded nine.
/ 1--WE lnust finish this the day after Chris
mas Day. Jaggers," said Mr.. bryce.