The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-07-11
" Amt 90 dot enough?" he said.


"Dotty," he said
"Where is your mother?"
"Don't know"
"Where is your father?'
"Don't know"
'fWhere do you kve?"
"Me's dom to live with oo?"
"With me ?"
''Es-my nanny told me SO.
Your nanny told you SO? Where
IS your mammy?"
"Her don'd off -
''What is your mammy's name ?"
He looked me over from head to foot,
mentally gauging the extent of my
idiocy, and then answered scornfully:
NANNY named nlamnay;; don't 90
know dat ?"
"And she said you were to live with
me?"
''Es; she said if me would, God div
me lots of pretty sings"
| felt like the man who drew the ele-
plant by lottery. Its most deuced
COOL l said
"Es, it awfuy TOOL" said the young
man, rising, let's do in the house"
In the house, and Invested of his
wraps, he was rs much at home as if he
had always lived there. The first thing
he did WAS to harness a chair to the
head of the lounge with an old pair of
uspendera. and then to get on himself
and commenced driving, "talking horse"
mos uproarlously.
"Get ape now, won't 90 2" Get ape.
Whoa, Danuary DO long dere, won't
500? Darn 90 fool"
He was evidently all right but what
sort of fix was | in? Well, to con
dense the matter, / gave him in charge
of the landlady, and went out to see if
l could find his mother. 1t was of no
use. / advertised him in every possible
way. Nobody claimed him, and j con
cluded that he had dropped out of the
clouds fer my especial benefit. Per
haps the bread l had thrown upon the
waters had been metamorphosed into
meat, and in this shape had returned to
me sooner than j expected. / would be
careful how | made another compact
with my spirit friends. But even yet
it seemed that they had not fully recon-
pensed me for my kindness 10 the chill
dren of the past Christmas.
L was sitting one evening with Dotty
by the fire, some six weeks after his adj
vent, when there WAS shutllinG i'll the
hall, and soon tiny rap at the door.
/ opened it, and little girl came in
timidly with her finger i'll her mouth.
At first the light dazzled her, but she
soon peered round the table and espied
Dotty. He, too, had seen her, and
with little scream he rushed towards
her, and then commenced the most eX-
travagant demonstrations of Joy ! ever
= Pm l,fn NJ
curious to know what it all meant, but
they did not answer my questions.
They did not seem to hear them. 1t
was ooh, Dotty." and ooh, Lily" kiss
-kiss-kiss. and "Tum up to de fire,
Lily, ct me shake de snow off DOR
cloak :" and "Where did 90 dit dat
petty horsey, Dotty?" and then more
ordinations and more kissing. [ was
utterly bewildered, and after cudgeling
my brain to an extent undreamed of III
all my previous years, ] gave it up as
hopeless for that night at least, and
concluded to sleep on it as soon as they
got Gone kissing. In the succeeding
days / found out, partly by questioning
and partly by guessing, that these chil-
dren were twins. Who they were, or
what the object III palming them of
upon me, remained profound mystery
for years. | will Just say, in passing,
that though a little resentful at first
at what seemed an objectionable liberty
III thus forcing a great responsibility
upon me, / soon became not only rec
onciled, but infinitely happier than [
ever expected to be. My darllngs grew
III grace and beauty. and became the
very life of my life But from the mo-
ment of their entering my house | was
haunted by woman, who III spite of
all my efforts batfied every attempt to
see her plainly One summer eve, as [
sat i'll my little sitting with the
children at dinner, became conscious
of some strange Influence near me, and
glancing around | saw her through the
open window, Just melting out of sight
III the dim darkness. And many a time
after | caught partial glimpses of a
| thin, wasted form but never once was |
in position to catch or detaln her.
At last, moved by compassion for what
] knew to be III that poor mother S
heart, | posted an advertisement on all
conspicuous places near my dwelling,
which was something like this
eff the mother of Dotty and Lily
will come to me openly she shall see
her children without reserve. But III
case she shall have reasons of her own
for not coming, | would like to let her
know that he to whom she gave them
| thanks her with a humble and happy
heart for her precious gift, and will
pledge himself never to prove recreant
to SO sacred trust.
Now, SO far from this producing the
effect | had desired, it seemed to ban
ish the mother entirely away, and it
was nearly twelve years after the chill
dren came to me that the next event
happened.
There was an exhibition i'll Lily's
| school, and she WAS to have the leading
character i'll some theatrical perform
ance. She was pleased and excited
quite bevond her natural self. She
studied her part with avidity, and with
the most thrilling and brilliant action
rehcarsed it again and again before me.
| When the night came, she appeared Oh
the stage in character, exqulsltely
dressed i'll court train and Jewels. 1t |
was the first ime | had ever seen her |
ont of short dresses Who was it she |
reminded me of? Surely ] had known
some one at some time Of life Just like |
my splendid darling, [ listened to her
and watched her, with what pride who |
gan toll until the last act when the |