The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1869-12-15


membered it, and as she had heard it from
the lips of her foster mother, the gypsy who
had confessed to her that she had been
stolen in infancy from her parents Gn &C.
count Of her black eyes and dark checks
which had struck her gypsy fancy. b.
MIS- Clarke was extremely agitated and
smoke in trembling voice as she asked !:
ffsDid the gypsy give any particulars q q
your parents home, or the manner In WHICH
YOU were taken from themp 3se olg q
0She described the house. II must have
been yery much such one as this. 1t was
near city, too. She said ! was an only
child. that my parents had, been married
sfonr Years. and thct at the time was stolen
they were attending wedding, and was
left in the care of q nurse who LETT me asleep
in a crib and went out to visit frieno.
The gypsy knew my parents and nurse were
away and went into the house with the IN
tention of begging Of the servants and tell
inc their fortune But seeing me as she
said living wide awake and all alone she COW
cred me with her shawl and ran away"
Mrs. Clarke listened to this recital with
euspenled breath. When Amy ceased
speaking, she ran up to her and clasped her
in her arms, exclaiming >. -
Heaven has answered my prayers at last.
You are my child, my darling, May"
II was some time before Estella and the
children could get chance to kiss and en-
brace their new found sister. Their mother
chung to her as though afraid to loosen her
from her clasp lest she should again lose her.
The father was summoned to the room and
was; oyerjoyed to find his long lost daugh-
ter in the arms of his wife.
"You are mine," the mother said, while
tears of 10Y rolled down her cheeks, II know
You are nv May, but if you only had some
thing that was taken away with You to
show us 'twould make assurance doubly
sure" ......-s --.,sy j.,
al have an embroidered skirt which had
on when taken by the gipsy," said Amy.
looking very happy through her tears, the
first tears of joy she had ever shed. "fhe
skirt is in my trunk. Mrs. Scott promised
to send it down this afternoon by the stage"
It would soon be time for the stage to pass
and Mr.. Clarke sat down in the window to
watch for it while Amy was carried away by
Mrs. Clarke and Estella to change her cloth
ing. ..
/ Ere long the stage came rumbling along.
Mr.. Clarke hailed the driver and asked to
be given Mrs. Lees trunk. A box scarcely
enough to hold dolls wardrobe was hand
ed him. 1t was well filled, however, and
the family gathered eagerly around while
Amy took out one garment after another in
Quest of the skirt which was to decide be-
youd a doubt whether she had any claim
upon the love that was being already lavish
ed upon her. 1t was found in the very bot
tom of the trunk, and Amy united the string
and unfolded it with trembling fingers. Mrs.
Clarke recognized the skirt at once. 1t was
one she had embroidered with her own
hands for her first born.
Amy has found home and loving friends
at last. oi ast
Towards shutdown Mrs Clarke csught
sight of Harold Scott driving slowly and
with an air of extreme detection. homeward,
He had been to the city in fruitless search
for Amy. He had hoped to be able to find
her, assure her of his regret at her leaving
his mothers house and render her some as
sistance in her march for place.
"Call Harold, Charles We must tell
him of our new happiness, his mother will
rejoice to hear that our darling is found;'
said the happy mother.
So Harold came in to find Mr.. Clark's
new found daughter in the person of his
lovely Amy.
1t was long after the moon had risen that
night ere Hareld reached home.
His mother sat in sullen silence waiting
for him to give the result of his drive, ar
IDENTIFY hoping that he Lad seen nothing Of
Amy.
"Cheer up, mother" Harold said, at last
tired of waiting for her to question him. 81
shall never marry Amy Lee, am engaged
to Mr.. Clarke's lovely daughter"
Mrs. Scott seemed to think this piece oil
news too good to be true and looked up in
credulously.
ats fact mother. and want you to
go with me tomorrow to pay a visit to
my betrothed."
down next day at Mr.. Clarke's gate Mrs
Scott did nothing but pour praises of Es-
tella Clarke into her sons ears He smiled
to himself as he listened, but his mother
did not suspect but that all was as she wished
it. Harold entered the parlor with his
mother and introduced her to his promised
bride, Miss May Clarke, shortly in an
aside:
"She was your first choice, mother, as she
is mine, and besides that, Estella is spoken
for"
Mrs. Scott was bewildercd but understood
it at all at last, and quite forgot that May
had been her hired servant, and by the
time Harold's wedding day came she was
fully satisfied that he was getting the best
girl in the State, not excepting the brides
sister, Estella, who, by the way, was mar.
ried on the same day to one to whom hel
troth had been plighted for years.