Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-11-20

nunluer ot letters and papers from one Of
the commitment of his table and sat down
to examine them.
They we're the same which had been
taken from Rollnd's pocket on the wight
bc:ore. wien he lay, sts one dead, in the rear
cidce
at is best to be safe" he muttered rs he
opened pager after paper and noted its
contents. If anything should fail now, all
would be lost. Tnorc mast he u scrap OF
that womals wrtllng here somewhere.
All here 1t is ~ ne exclaimed, as "A sheet III
ladys handwriting WAS drawn from nt
enve.ope.
Tn. name of Margaret Wauingford was
at the bottom of the sheet.
Gray at once set to work initiating the
style Of the writer. As he was Il sAillful
pcnman, and renark ly good at work like
the present, 1t WAS not long before he
was sufficiently perfect in the style to be-
begin. on a fade snset OF paper evidently
prepared tor that purpose, Il letter pur-
portIn, to be Mrs. Waiiugfords message
10 ner son.
1ue sneet first taken was full of glaring
inaccuracies when the attorney had tinish-
eu, ami he destroyed 1t and patiently be-
gan on new sheet, prepared like the
Alst.
This is what he wrote.
NEW IoEK. Sept. Is. IS.
MY DEAR RoLASD:--l must hand to you
IN wg.tirg that winch | have not the cour-
4ge to tel you. 1 an, not your mother
Ion't hate me tor the deception | nave
alced III prActicin5 upon you, my dear boy.
| have loved you as IonuIy as though you
Atd been all you seemed 10 De, and / would
4 i a. Il,
HE to shield you from this terrible blow.
Bat tnat is impossible. When you know
tae facts OF the case perhaps you will think
more kindly OF nly memory, Tor fully re-
al.ze tnAt am even now one dead.
know that / cannot live week at best.
On the night my child was born, in Mr..
Nallngtorus house, ut Fayetteville. now
nearly twenty -three years ago, the wife OF
a iiY-hand VINO bore his masters name,
AVE birth to u male enid. My marriage
with the mlil-owner's brother had never
been made pubic, and 1t was desired by
Mr.. Wu..iugIord tnau 1t never SHOULD be,
for, ior,etiul OF Ny cItllns upon HIM, my
husband married III France soon ter he
deserted me, and ms wife still lives. I'M
nIcdlately after contracting this marriage
he died, and 1t WAS the one great ann OF his
brother lite to suleid his memory from
dlshonor. For this purpose he even COM
promised himself with The villagers Inc
children Were cainset, and | consented on
the condition tnLt Iay ch4!d should become
Mr.. Wa!lingl 5 hclr. AS that WAS Alr.
| Walln,, toIus only object in making tho
eXchan &c, matters woie soon adjusted. Hs
did not WISH to Recognize child III his "lll
OF whose existence Als brothers second wlle
was entlrey lSuorln for that would lead
to tl.,atlni rs to tht cnllds beng bora III
we.;iock. He also wished to lllve the child
, near h!:n, and my cnii'i-lny DARING babe
-was taken away and placed under the
care OF tie nlll-nand wife l could not
reconcile myself to the change ut hrst, and
pr"sea 10 DC i. Lowell 20 remain Ill the VII
ltse where my boy WAS. but Mr.. Walllns-
tord declared that TO be impossible, aud
sent me here with yoa. l nave allowed
you TO consider yourself as Mr.. Wallng-
ford her because | couli not allow you to
think of me in any but :, Just light. and |
had not the heart to undecclye you. For
GO me, Eoand, and believe me when |
tell you that tnis blow can cause YOU no
o.cicr grief tam it Yes me to write il.
My cnld viii become Mr.. Wallinyford's
heir simply as the MI hands boy, and not
RS the mlil-owners only living relative.
lou nave ouly your own efforts to depend
upon in the future, and | nope and pray
tnlt you wlll succeed us fully as though
!oa Were the heir youiI:tvc always believed
Yourself to be.
AN, III sr.ef and shame, your friend.
| MARGARET WALLINGFoEp.
1t was nearly morning when the attorney
finished TINS letter TO MS satstactiou AS
viii be surniised, he had drawn entirely
upon his fancy for the facts it contained.
There he exclaimed, leann. back in
his chair, "whou Anes has done his work
| am ready to Degln mine. OF course the
people will want to know why my client
made young Walin~tord his heir, and
am prepared for them if anything serious
comes up. although 1t is more than proba.
bic that this ancient bit of paper will never
be used. Still there is no knowing how
many friends he may have ready to hunt
the matter up and must be safe
The artfu attorneys Chain of deception
and villainy scemel perfect indeed, and
Ink after link it WAS closing around its
J vpjtlm.