The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-25

have insisted on my speaking, and because I SEQ
that I am alarming You by my silence. When I
told the poor lazy whose portrait you have got
there the name by which her infant was chris
tened in the Founding, 1 allowed myself to for ;.
get my duty, and dreadful consequences, I I'M
afraid, have followed from 1t. I'll tell you the
truth, as plainly as I can. Afew months from
the time when I had informed the lady Of her
baby's name, there came to our institution in
the country another lady 70 strangely, whose
object was to adopt ono of our children.
She brought the needfui permission with.
her, and after looking at q great many Of the
children, without being able to make up
her mind, she took q sudden fancy to one
Of the babies-a boy-under my care. Try,
pray try, to compose yourself, siri It's no use
disgusting it any longer. The child the stran-
ger took away vas the child Of that lady whose
portrait hangs there [" .o.
Mr.. wilding started to his feet. "Impossi-
blsin he cried out vshemsntly. what are you
talking aboutI What absurd story are you tell
ing me now There's her portrait !! Have MT I
told you 60 alreadyr The portrait Of my
mother" f..-il
"when that unhappy lady removed you from
the Founding, in after years, said Mrs. Gold
straw, gently, "she was the victim,9 and you
were the victim, sir, Of . dreadful mistske."'
He dropped back into his chair. "The room
goes round with me- he said; "My head! my
headl" Tho housskeeper rose IN alarm, and
opened the windows. Before she could get to
the door to call for help, Q sudden burst oftears
relieved the impression which hadatfrst almost
appeared TO threaten his life. He signed en-
treatingly Ito Mrs. GoldstrawInot to leave him.
She waited until the paroxysrn Of weeping had
worn itself out BE raised his head as he recov-
cred himself, and looked Of her With the angry
unreasoning suspicion Of . weak man.
"Mistake 2" he said, wildly repeating her last
word. "How do I know you arc not mistaken
yourself7"
"There is no hope that I am mistaken, sir. !
viii tell you why, when you are better fit to
hear it."
"Nowi nowi" 90
The tore in which bio spoke warned Mrs. Gold
| straw that It would be cruel kindness to let him
| comfort himself o moment longer with the vain
hops that she might be wrong. Afew words
more would end it,-and those few words she
determined to speak.
"I have told your she said, "that the child
| Of the Indy whose portrait hangs there was
adopted in it's infancy. and taken away BY Q
| stranger. lam as certain Of what I say as that
I am now sitting here, Obliged to disl ess you.
| sir, sorely sgainst my will. Please to carry
| your mind on, now, to about three months after
| that time. I was then atthe Founding, In Lon
don, awaiting to take some children to our In.
~stitution in the country. There was q question
that day about naming an infant-a boy-Who
hsd Just been received. We generally named
| them ont Of the Directory. On this OCCASION, one
Of the gentlemen who managed the Hospital
happened to be looking over the Register. a
| noticed that the name Of the baby who had been
adopted e Walter Wilding) was scratched out
for the reason, of course, that the child had been
removed for good from our care. Here's
. name to let,' he said. GIVE it to the new
founding who has been received to-day The
name waa given and the child was christened
You, cir, were that child"
The wine merchants head dropped on hif
breast. 81 was that child r. he said to himself
trying helplessly to fix the idea in his mind. 81
was that child"
"Not very long after you had been received
into the Institution, sir" pursued idrs. Gold
straw, st left my situation there, to b
married. II you will remember that, ant
II you can give your mind to it, you will see fol
yourself howIthe mistake happened. Between
eleven and twelve years passed before the
lady whom you have believed to be your mother
returned to the Founding, to find her son, ane
to remove him to her W homo. The lady only
knew that her infant had been called 'Waltel
Wilding.' The matron, who took pity on her
could but point out the only walter Wilding
known in the institution. ], who might have go
the matter right, WAS far away from the Found
ling and all that belonged to it. There wa
n~othlng-there was really n~othing-that coult
prevent this terrible mistake from taking place
I feel for you'll do indeed, sirl You must thinl
and with reason-that it was in an evil hon
that I came here (innocently enough, I'm sure)