The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-12-07

great change came over him. He felt
that he had AN object in life; was ready
10 undertake any honest job, to worn
early and late, 30 that he might keep
Elsie with him.
And when the story got abroad and il
was seen how thoroughly in earness he
was, much sympathy was manifested fol
Bob and "Bob's baby" as the child
came to be called; and many kind
hearted people were ready to aid him IN
his endeavora SO Bob succeeded as he
deserved to do, and nothing more waf
ever said about sending poor ELSIE to
the poor-hOuse.
She, meanwhile, continued to grow
and thrive. In fact, she quite ousgrew
her original wardrobe, which was care
fully folded away in Mrs. Darby's best
drawer, and new and coarser clothing
had to be provided for her use.
Nearly . year had passed away and
people were ceasing to speculate upon
the mysterious advent of Bobs baby,
when the affair was revived again by tire
appearance of an advertisements in New
York paper headed, "Child Lost. "
| lQeu IOllOWtu u ucbcIiPeiOu VI VIC Cnihu,
of its clothing, with a statement of dates
and circumstances which seemed 10 iden-
tify Elsie as the lost one beyond doubt.
The address given was Amos Mark
ham, Box 1929, New York city.
Poor Bob! This was terrible blow
to him but he felt that he ought to do
all he could to restore Elsie to her par
ents 30 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 Darbys door. Bob
fastened to open it, and a single glance
at the lady's face told him that she was
Elsie's mother.
els this the place "-began the gen.
tleman, but with faint shrek the lady
darted through the open door and
caught little Elsie in her arms.
go my darling" sobbed she; for
neither time, nor change, nor absence,
could deceive the mothers heart.
If further proof was needed it was
found on Elsie's clothing, which, as we
have already said, Mother Darby had
carefully preserved, and in the complete
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 q nurse in whom they had
confidence. They kept up constant
communication with the woman until
their return, when, to their dismay, they
found both nurse and child were miss.
ing from the house in which she had
lived when they had left the country.
They could obtain no trace of her, and
only recently they had received mes.
sage from the woman, through third
person, that she had left the child al
some station on the line of the New
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
with which she had been literally sup
piled, and rid herself of the burden Of
caring for the child.
To Mother Darby, Mr.. Markham paid
for her care of Elsie twice as much as il
was worth, which she received with {
|, grateful courtesy, but to Bob he said
; az don't know how can pay YOU"
81 don't want any pay. I did i
because I loved her." answered Bob
with quivering lip.
shall remember you, though" sale
he, and led his wife to the hack which
WIS awaiting them outside the gate; but
when he would have lifted Elsie in, sh,
, chung to Bob, crying
"Bobbie go, too! Bobbie go, too I
"And why shouldn't he go, too? I
is very cruel to separate Them" sait
> Mrs. Markham.
Then they talked few minutes in
low voice. and, turning to Bob, Mr.
Markham said, "How should you ik
to go to New York with us ?"
| "To New York and be with Elsie /?
: cried Bob, his brain hardly able to tax
in two ideas of such magnitude at once
/ Eyes; to be with Elsie always. d,
{ you think you could be happy with us !?
"Happy? OH" was all Bob coul
| answer.
t Another Christmas morning dawned
) and again Rob rode from the station wit
Elsie in his arms; not, however, in tn
poor coal-heaver's cart, but in Mr.. Mark
y hams comfortable carriage.
Q Presently the carriage stopped-not q
a Mother Darby's little one-story house i
{ the outskirts of Wakesha, but at pleas
ant, commodious dwelling in New Yor
g city. Mr. and Mrs. Markham alightet
a and went up the granite steps, followe
8 by Bob, leading Elsie by the hand.
The door opened, and warmth, an
e light, and beauty greeted them which
r ever way they turned. Such was Bob
o entrance into his new home. Can we d
2 better than take our leave of him thel
g by wishing him merry Christmas