The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-12-12

can rest ?" asked the stranger, piteously.
II viii not trouble you for anything,
except floor TO sleep on.
NV mistress never lodges strungers, +"
said Joanna, "but come into the kit
chen-Tll see what / can do" 1l.l
By the exercise Of some diplomacy in
behalf of the tramp" as Miss Grey
styled the traveller, Joanna succeeded in
gaining permission for her to sleep on a
pallet in the kitchen.
Give her some SD per, Joanna, 4"
added the mistress. 40 doubt she is
half starved"
After the "tramp had had her supper,
and Joanna had prepared her bed on the
floor, she stood up by the fire. and look
ing Joanna in the face with her large,
black eyes, said suddenly:
Whose child is it you had with
you?"
"My mistress child"
"Not her own child ?"
"No;" and Joanna shut her lips
tightly, as if to prevent the escape Of
further information.
"Do you know whose child she is ?"
emo"
"Did you find her at your door, one
Christmas morning 7" G..
Joanna nodded, looking up in surprise
and beginning to tremble with strange
agitation.
"Then l can tell you whose child she
is."
"We don't want to know" said
Joanna, shortly.
"But I uiU tell you, for you should
know that she is of honest birth"
Joanna folded her arms, and stood
waiting.
1.-TWO years ago." said the woman,
I" / came to America with my mistress,
who was then a young bride, having
married an American gentleman. She
was French, and so was /, but we had
been living in England since her parents
died, when she was child. My mis-
tress was at school, educating herself
for goveIness; but her health gave way,
and she was obliged to give up her
studies. She had no relatives, and she
was quite poor, for she was sent to
school by an old lady who had taken a
fancy to her, and had died leaving her a
sum to educate herself with. Well,
the gentleman had become acquainted
with her case, and IL b,sok care OF her,
and married her in few weeks after
she left school. We came to this coun-
try about year afterward. We lived at
clearinghouse in New York. Soon
after we came over, the gentleman was
obliged to return to England to secure
some property which belonged to him
there. He was to be back as soon as the
trip could be made.
Well, mistress waited as we'll as she
could, poor thing. She was quite alone
but for me. When the time he had set
for his return passed by, and he did not
come, she became quite i'll. 1 don't
know how long we waited---it seemed
like months, and she grew worse all the
time, till her baby was born. Then she
got another lettersfspm her husband.
He had been delayed by business, but
would come in the next steamer, without
fail.
"She was getting stronger fest, and
was looking for him hourly, when news
came that the vessel was lost at sea, and
his name was not among the few that
were saved, She only lived two days.
She begged me to take care of her baby,
and died in my arms.
81 had a cousin living in Pennsyl.
vania; I had her address with me.
took the child and what money my mis-
tress bad left, and went TO the place;
but she had moved West, the people
said. nm. ,...-
II was a stranger, and nobody would
employ me. ] started on foot to the
seaport; for 1 thought il | could only
get back to my own country, / could
live and keep the child. I had still
enough money left me to pay my pas
sage across. But 1 was obliged to spend
some of it, and by the time I reached
this village / was 80 tired and discour
aged that / was ready7for almost any
thing.
"I passed this house in the Afternoon
of that dreary Christmas eve, and il
looked so quiet and peaceful that
thought, What good shelter it might
be for the poor homeless babyl' After
had passed down the hill and left the
village away on my right, / looked bacl
and saw the white house still looking
down on me from the hill, and it seemed
to draw me back. L walked ON till night
but found no place tostay, and then
made up my mind to come back.
~ reached the foot of the hill littl,
after midnight, and walked back ant
forth with the baby in my arms to keeI
warm, until near daylight. 1t soor
began to snow, but wrapped the bah,
go spugly in its blankets that it KEEP
warm all the while in its little baske
where / put it, with few things that
intended leaving with it. After I bat
placed it on the steps, I hid in the grow
Of oaks outside the gate, until / saw tn,
smoke curling from your chimney
Then I crept away, and, leaving th'
village road, kept in the by-ways until
got some distance into the country.
met some people moving into anothe
State, and they let me go with them"
"And where are you going now?'
asked Joanna, looking in her face.
Z" / am going back to my own kindred
II I can live to reach them. I have