The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-02-04
81 dare say as soon as we begin to
get fond of the child, we shall have to


send her off, said she.
But in. this she was mistaken. 1t was
true that hitherto Bob had not been
over fond of work, and had given her
some ground for the taunt that he hard
! ly earned the salt he ate. But now a
great change came over him. He felt
that he had an object in life; was ready
to undertake any honest job. to work
early and late, so that he might keep
Elsie with him. And when the story got
abroad, and it was seen how thorough
" in earnest he was, much sympathy
was manifested for Bob and Bob's ba-
by," as the child came to be called; and
many kind-hearted people were ready
| to aid him in his endeavOrs. So Bob
succeeded, as he deserved to do, and
nothing more was ever said about send
ing Elsie to the poor-house. She, mean
while, continued to grow and thrive. In
fact, she quite outgrew her original
| wardrobe. which was carefully folded
away in Mrs. Darby's best drawer, and
new and coarser clothing provided for
| her use.
| Nearly year had passed away, and
people were ceasing to speculate upon
the mysterious advent of Bob's baby,
when the affair was revived again by
the appearance of an advertisement in
New York paper, headed, ''Lost
Child" Then followed description of
the child, of its clothing, with a state
ment of dates and circumstances which
seemed to identify Elsie as the lost one
beyond doubt. The address given was
Amos Markham, Box 1929, New York
City.
Poor Bob! This was terrible blow
to him! but he felt that he ought to do
all that he could to restore Elsie to her
parents; so he Immediately wrote a
letter in answer to the advertisement,
and having dropped it in the Office, re-
turned home with heavy heart.
"Mebbe she don't belong to them,
after all" said Bob to himself, "and
they've got to prove it before they take
her away"
This was the one hope to which he
chung, but it speedily vanished, for only
three days later lady and gentleman
stopped at Mother Darby's door. Bob
fastened to open it, and a single glance
at the lady's face told him that she was
Elsie's mother.
g Is this the place. the gen.
tleman; but, with a faint shrek, the la
dy darted through the open door and
caught little Elsie in her arms.
go my darling, my darling!' sobbed
she; for neither time, nor change, nor
absence could deceive the mothers
heart.
If further proof were needed it was
found in Elsie's clothing, which, as we
have already said, Mother Darby had
carefully preserved, and in the COM
plete harmony of the evidence on both
sides.
!, The story Mr.. Markham told was
this: His wife being an invalid, he
had, by order of the physician, taken
her to Italy to pass the winter, leaving
Elsie in charge of nurse in whom they
| had confidence. They had kept up a
constant communication with the wo-
man until their return, when, to their
dismay, they found both nurse and
, child were missing from the house in
which she lived when they left the coun-
) try. They could obtain no trace of her,
and only recently they had received a
) message from the woman, through a
l third person, that she had left the child
e at some station on the line of the New
3 York Central Railroad, but the name OF
: the place she had forgotten or failed to
!. notice. Her object in this transaction
was, of course, to appropriate the money,
n with which she had been literally sup
: piled, and rid herself of the burden OF
n caring for the child
To Mother Darby Mr.. Markham paid
: for her care of Elsie twice as much as
: it was worth, which she received with
grateful courtesy, but to Bob, he said
l. 81 don't know how can pay you.'
L IL don't want no pay. l did 1t De
cause | loved her, answered Bob, will
d quivering lip.
it II shall remember you, though,
8 said he, and led his wife to the hacl
II which awaited them outside the gate
but when he would have lifted Elsie in
y she chung to Bob, crying
e "Bobbie 60, too! Bobbie go, too!
h "And why shouldn't he 60, too? 1
d is cruel to separate them," said Mrs
Markham.
Is Then they talked a few minutes in
e low voice, and turning to Bob, Mr.. Mark
, ham said, elbow should you like to 9
to New York with us?''
lie "To New York, and be with Elsie!
sr cried Bob, his brain hardly able to tax
20 in two ideas of such magnitude at once
g eyes, to be with Elsie always. D
he you think you could be happy with us?
7, "Happy? o." was all Bob coul
he answer.
Another Christmas morning dawnee
h and again Bob rode from tie static
T. with Elsie in his arms, not, however,