The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-30

| charity a, the Escriots. But the husband
was still in the Pacific, and could not come
| home.
One night, a winter night, about 7 O'Clock,
the Escriots, grandfather and granddaughter.
were sitting together, when there came
| ring at the bell, at once answered by Nlnelte.
| She admitted tine-looking young sailor, IN
the dress of a man ars-man, who buried
| ly asked her if he could see Nj. Escrlot. M
| Escriot was to the fore at once.
ssYou remember me, sir?' said the young
| sailor
mo"
Il remember you, though" said the young
sailor. 'You were very kind to me when
was on the streets. My father wants me to
see YOU, sir and he is dying"
| That was enough for M. Escriot. He got
his hat and went out into the street with
him. When they were alone together M.
Escriot asked, "What is your fathers
| name?''
.'Akers," said the sailor. 81 expect he
wants to tell you about Mrs. Durnford's busl-
| ness. He wants to make an affidavit That
she was innocent, I think. She were, and
| he wants to right the woman, as he says ne
| can, before he dies" -s,f . ..-.
"Where has your father been?' asked M.
Escrot.
"West Australia. He will do right how.
I am afraid he is going, and he has been
| good father TO me-"
M. Escriot shook his head. Nothing could
be done with these English, they were such
| fools. Akers had been twice imprisoned Ior
starving and beating his children, and here
| was his son and heir crying over Inc ioss Vi
| an excellent parent!
| Yet it is so. A few pence and few KIND
words. now and then, will, in an English or
| American boys heart, atone for months or
years of cruelty and neglect. As for the
| French, we have nothing to say. Their plety
| lin the old Latin sense) toward their fathers
| is more like craze than anything else;
| 1t was late in the night before M. Escflot
had done with Akers. The man was dying,
| and wished to make clean breast OF it. 10
| make a long story short, he entirely exoher-
ated Mrs. Durntord, and ultimately the Judge
| who had tried her allowed that there had
| been miscarriage of justice. We rather an
| ticpate here, because the course OF the story
carries us away with M. Escriot and young
| Akers.
| He came soon after to NJ. Escriot and an
nounced his fathers death. 81 am glad.
| said NJ Escriot, "that he eased ms mlhd.
| Young Akers, the sailor said, "NOw want
YOU to ease mine. Is Mrs. Durnford handy"
Mrs Durnford and Ninette were produced.
"You mind me-, ma'am," said young
| Akers.
81 remember you now, and thank you
for what you have done for me" SAID MRS.
"Yon remember your boy Meerschaum ?"
"Ahr'
aWelL it was I that took him away out of
this. He was too good for it, and so was l,
though never was so good as him. LOOK
him away out of it, and | am proud on 1t.
took him to Field Lane, and then he went
to Great Queen street, and we went TO the
Chichester together, and we were both DRAFT
ed into the Royal Navy"
"And where is my boy now?' said Mrs,
Durnford, eagerly.
tBurn me if / know, ma am. There was
only eight Of us drafted into the Queens ser
| vice that wear, and he might be anywhere, L
don't as much as know what ship he went
into. because left Chichester before he dld.
But don't YOU see what you have got to 40,
ma'am? You 90 to Field Lane, and they
will remember him by his name OF Meer-
schaum, which he always gave there, as else
where, because he thought it would 40 MN
harm to give his real one. Or you might 60
at once to Great Queen street; they VIII tfacA
him for you at once"
l. The lad departed with an extremely CRATE
full recollection of M. Escriots generosity,
The clew was got at once. Field Lane was
| the nearest place, and Mrs. Durnford went
there at once. The manager was at home,
| and she asked him if he remembered boy
called Meerschaum.
ayes, certainly, madam he said;''I re-
member him very well-a fine, handsome
ad marked with M. d. on his lett arm"
l. "That is my son, SIR"
sIudeed, madam But the boy, well re-
| member, Hold me that bis mother was in prs-
i on; and when he came to us he was half ma
ked, and had been fearfully neglected for
some time. 1 don't understand It,"
ellis father was at sea, and was in prison
| for six years on totally false charge. The
| bow must have been two years Oh the streets
| with no one but God to take care of him.
| Now his father and l are prosperous, but our
bow is gone. Can you help me%'
sLet us come together at once" And so
they went along Holborn together, the man
| ager silent and puzzled, wanting to say what
| the manager at Great Queen Street said to
him before they had been in conversation
three minutes. %. ...af 49,.
eff your life, madam, has been such as you
describe,' said the latter, SIS it wise for you
| to drag him back into contact with such as
| sociates as YOU may have formed? l only
ask YOU to speak as mother for your boys
sake"
81 am an absolutely innocent woman" she
replied, ''Your suspicious are natural, al
| low. but they are unfounded. Make any in
| ouiries about me that you like. You are not
| clever enough to see one thing. Ii l had
| wished to trace my soE for an evil purpose,
| should scarcely have acknowledged to you
two gentlemen that had been a convict.
| This was so individually true that the Two
managers looked at one another. Great
| Queen Street smiled and spoke, "Well, God
| deal with YOU as YOU deal with your son
when you have regained your Influence over
| him." 4.stf4 IEfN BCft-sfa
| "Amen," said Mrs. Darnford. "Then he
| is alive? '
CHE IS alive, and he has done SO much bet
| ter than we'll that any antecedents OF his will
make little difference to him now. You
| might have seen the absurd name by which
| we knew him in print had you looked for IL.
| The boy distinguished himself greatly at the
Peiho forts"
Sand where is he now"
"Still on the China station. Address III.
M S. Blonde, Hong-Kong, or elsewhere.
| Would you like to see one OF his letters"'
| She took one away with her. Perhaps the
| manager had forgotten which it was, but per-
haps also he gave it her ON purpose. At the
| close OF a well-written letter in fine bold
| hand he wrote. ''In spite Of what you say.
| shall find my mother out when l get to Eng
land. for tell you that she is the best woman
| in the world" EEfg F'sfE .I5.a
4 Mrs Durnford wrote to her son, but before
| he got her letter the turning point in her Life
had passed.. 'F{t5E.fsf !5, ~,
| One was SlltlilS quctiy oliO hi1ho IL AoA 49,.
| tie back parlor, reading, but not understand
| ing what she read. The lines and words
passed her eye, but she knew not what they
meant. 1t had happened to her often before,
and would most likely happen to her again.
| She was reviewing her life while she was pre-
| tending to read. ..5.
| The time had been when she was very
beautiful girl, well educated as times went,
| lady's-maid in a great family. A handsome
young sailor had made her acquaintance at
| the small seaport near my lords house. She
had given up everything for him. in spite OF
remonstrance from everyone, and at last she
| had married him. ,
| He was true and honest fellow, but at
| that time uneducated. He had been much
| away from her, and she had to shift as best
She might Wheu one of his long absences
| occurred she thought that she had done for
the best. She started that unhappy lodging
| house, and after short time her great treu-
| BILE came She was put into prison, and had
| to leave her boy on the streets. .g.1sA ...
| Six years penal seryitude! At first her
soul seemed to die within her, and she was
| incapable of exertion; but by degrees, with
| her intense vitality, she began to. work. For
| the first two years her husband knew moth
| ing of what had happened to her, SO his let
| tiers were never forwarded to her. Alter TWO