The Lincoln County herald., 1869-01-01

her to the oity-that was aunty Green.
After that, there was break in the
chi!d's memories, probably she was i'll
for long time but when she took up
tho chain sho was living with aunty
Green. and we'll cared for. The woman
must have been in i'll l.hoalth and met
with misfortunes. She grew poorer and
poorer-two years before she had died in
tho depths Of misery.
Two terrible years had followed. Elsie
had lived in o wrctched street with O
dreadful woman who sent her out to beg,
and who beat her upon every possible oc.
casion-the record varied little up to
that New. Years Eve.
That she was ten years old was firmly
impressed on the chlds mind, how she
could not tell, but she was very positive.
Her last name she seemed to have no
idea Of.
II never had any," Was her invariable
answer.
She had not forgotten how to read and
write lessons taught her during auuty
Green's life, and for the rest, clothed,
warmed, and fed, sho was fair, sweet.
looking child with earnest eycs-too
earnest and deep for her aye, with tho
hard experience Of the past.
II became known in the family that
Mildred had adopted the little stranger.
aud that henceforth she would bear the
name Of Leytou, aud be treated in all re-
spects as ono Of the family.
Nobody wondered much. They we're
accustomed to her eccentricit,es, as acts
Of goodness are usually called besides
that, they were q loving, warm hearted
race, and readily accepted. the child with
affection and tenderness.
But it was long before they or the
girl we'll understood the deep lovc and
devotion with which Mildled regarded
her charge, which deepened With every
year. and made her young lifc happy as
tho birds in summer garden.
Even among themselves tho matter
was little discussed; but always they re
membered tho incident of that night,
and connected the child with the mys-
terry Of Mildred's past.
Not that they could think evil Of the
woman whom they so loved and honored;
but they knew there was an era in her
life which was never to be mentioned.
How they knew it, even her brothers
could not have told but the mystery
was there, and tho gap which thoy could
not Gil up, and to close which the father
and daughter made no effort when they
returned from their absence Of years.
Could they have seen Mildred Leyton
often and often, in the still night pray.
ing over her charge, kissing and blessing
her in her sleep with on outpouring ol
love the fullness, Of which she dared not
exhibit before any human eyes, il il hard
to say what they might have thought
but never any wrong, never anything
weak or degrading connected with their
Mildrcd-ncver!
As Elsie grew up. she attached tho old
gentleman more to her. He had always
been kind, but there was often q strange
pain in his eyes when he looked at the
child-a constraint, even in his kind.
ness, as If in spite Of the love he wished
to give her, cloud would come between
his heart and her, o dark, lheavy ::cloud,
loft from the long night through which
he had led his idolizcd daughter.
The details Of their lives during the
next few years could not be interesting.
Mildred was still tho light of her home,
and, under her care, Elsie, was growing
into creature almost as bright and beau
tiful as she herself had been in her
youth.
Elsie was almost fifteen when Mildred
learned fully how strange and unnatural
were tho feelings with which she re-
garded the memory Of the fathcr who de-.
serted her.
It all came about oddley enough, and,
with it, a revelation to Elsie, which,
filed her with wonderment for years to
come.
Mildred had not been quite we'll for
several days, and Elsie, as usual, watched
her with unremitting tenderness. Some.
thing that Mildred wanted she supposed
to be in o box in closet Of her dressing
room, and one day, while she slept, Elsie
determined to look for il, and astonish
her by its recovery when she awoke.
Sho went into the closet and pulled the
boxes about. In corner she found q
chest which she did net remember ever
to have noticed. There was no sign of q
lock on it, but the lid could not be raised
In pushing it, che must have touched
some secret spring-the lid few up -
there lay tho contents: . complete bri
dal dress, grown yellow with time.
! CONCLUDED NEXT wEEK.)
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