Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-06-02

very lITBBuluIly, SO our DfOlner FRANK,
who has lived in the north of England for
the last seven years, volunteered to go and
look up matters for her He has not been
well for some time, and his doctor said
sea voyage would be Just the very thing
for him. The long and short of il is, that
yesterday the mail arrived with letters
from him for us both. He hopes, he says,
to make everything straight very soon /;
found affairs In great muddle, and be.
lieves the agent anything but trustworthy.
In his letter 10 Inc was another enclosure
marked private This | took into my
own room and read. The best way, doc
tor is for you to read it yourself; il will
not take you long"
Miss Dennis handed me the letter, of
which the substance was as followsi
In one of my rambles before the sun
| Is well up, | was walking along path
near Kingston, when l came upon a
woman with two children sitting by the
roadside. The eldest was playing with
little red berries, and seemed between two
ana three years old; the other, quite
baby | should not have noticed them
| much but that the mother spoke GROSSLY
to the eldest as | passed. which caused
me to look at him As | did So | was
staggered to see what at the first glance
! seemed the image of Mary. Then the
resemblance resolved itself into a still
stronger likeness to poor Edward; not in
the features, perhaps, but as he lifted his
eyes TO mine, the same half melancholy
expression looked out from them There
was not the slightest likeness to the woman
in MIN. l stopped in my walk and got
into conversation with her, and as | did
| so the little fellow quietly put his hand in
mine, as if we had been old acquantances
She noticed it by saying Well that is a
wonderl he hardly ever takes to any one
little shy monkeyr The words were said
playfully, but the tone was hardly mother
ly | thought"
questioned her about different things,
and as we talked the wind got much
iresher, and the morning betokened Il
rough day. | made remark on the
| change in the weather.
"'It will be stormy day, fear,' she
said; and 1t is so stupid of me, but ever
since the shipwreck that | was in, | get
quite upset when the wind blows hight
makes me shudderr"
This remark naturally sharpcned my
wits, and got from her the following par
ticulars;
"She was going to England with her
husband and baby, when, within few
days of arrival, the ship struck; a great
many were washed overheard and never
seen again. She and her husband and
baby were in the water some time, and
she and the baby were ultimately saved,
though not together She had given up
! both her treasures as lost and had sunk
into kind of swoon, when a sailor placed
the little thing dripping in her arms.
My joy was great she said simply
and when all hope was gore of my hus-
band being saved, turned to the little
wet bundle in my arms for comfort, and
believe the necessity for giving it food
saved my life. With some others l de-
cided to go back again in the other ship
that offered to take us. What could | do
without my husband in "a strange land?
So | never saw England, sir, and I came
back without money, clothes, husband or
child
"Or childw repeated after her.
Yes, sir. 1t was not my child" Here
she burst into tears. at was not my own
dear baby, but another. / found it out
SOON but for many hours | nursed it as
my own, for lay in a sort OF stupOr, hard
ly noticing anything that occurred around
me, and then sir, what could | do but
keep it? 1t was fatherless and motherless,
as | was husbandlcss and chidless, and
so, sir, have kept him ever snce-this
! little One' She touched the boys fore.
head as she spoke.
&c How did you find out that he was not
yours l asked, with strange tuttering
hope at my heart.
g. BY his clothes first, sir. You see, the
collision happening in the night, there
were hardly any of US dressed. He had
only his little night shirt on that he had
been snatched up in, and when given to
me was wrapped in something thick and
warm by the good sailor; SO it was not
till reused little as some kind ladies
offered me some of their own babies
clothing tor him that found his shirt
was fine and delicate and my boys was
poor andcoarse. 1t startled me at once
and reused me up like shock, and when
l gazed eagerly into his eyes l saw he
was not my own! My boy put out his
little arms and chubby fingers and
crOwed in my tace-this one drank of my
milk, and never cooed or chirped to
thankp"
THE tears were coming fast 10 her
eyes. | pressed the little delicate hand
tirmer to mine as the child looked up
wonderingly to his foster mothers face.
" Were the clothes markedp | asked
Yes, sir; there was Il. II. on the
shirt, and I've always kept it by me
safely"
Now, my dear sister, does not your
opinion coincide with mine, that the
child is our poor sisters lost darling Y'
" saw the likeness to both parties al
once; the shirt is marked with the
initials that would have been on il Il
bring the shirt with mel, saved in the
collision. In fact everything points, in
my opinion, to the same conclusion; and
though | may get a scolding from my
little wife at home, ! have acted to my
firm belief. | told the woman our story
and fully convinced her. Indeed, she did
not need much inducement to give the
little fellow up. She had certain feel.
ing for him, she said, as having nursed
him, but i have never quite got over
the turn he gave me when | saw
he was not my own. God forgive
mel she continued, L have tried to do
my best for him. Last year ! married
again, sir, and have another dear little
one now. My husband never took to
Clyde Il called him after the ship, sir),
but TO please me he remains with us, and
shares the little we have; but / don't
think he'd fret at all at leaving us; he
never took to us any more than my hus-
band to him.
" saw her husband the next day, and
with small sum of money / got him to
resign his paternal charge over the boy
with great alacrity. Mrs. l., the
Consul's wife, has kindly undertaken to
fit him out respectfully, and next week, if
all goes well, hope to start for England
with my-as | drmly believe-long lost
nephew. But what am to do with him
when there / don't know. It's queer
business to force child ona woman who
says she never had one. Surely she'd
say land with seeming truth) that she
ought to know bestp But as | believe
Providence ordered my steps here to re.
cover the poor little fellow l will trust the
same good Providence to restore him to
his natural protectors. If not, why 1t
makes only one more mouth to feed. He
is just Bobbys age within week or two ;
they will be capital playfelows."
Here the letter entered upon other mat
ters. And now" said Miss Dennis,
looking at me steadily with her large
earnest eyes, "what are we to dog"
When does your brother return ~ l
asked.