The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-10-19
MY ADOPTED CHILD

Is that Oldtown church yonder, i
you please, sir?'
A girl spoke to me. / turned anC
looked at her. There are women of six
teen and children of sixteen. This was
child. She wore the scantiest Of cot
ton dresses, belted at the waist, pair OF
leather boots and white apron. In hel
hand she carried a sunbonnet, and hel
hair cropped close like boys, curled in
black rings about her head. The face
was baby's face in sweetness and limo
cence, the little brown hands the hands
Of toll. No young lady this, yet there
was nothing coarse and vulgar about her
unless it was her hands
That i Oldtown church, my dear, =
| said, are you going there?"
" Yes sir, to see the wedding. Are
your
| was, more fool I, though | did not
say so to this child. The bride for whom
the bells were ringing was to be mine
once-would have been but for the acct
dent which had crippled me and changed
her heart. She had done nothing
treacherou,ly, but | saw the truth and
set her free. She took her freedom
gladly and we were two. She had quite
forgotten me, no DOUBT. | believed that
| never could forget her.
/ knew exactly how she would look in
snowy silk and lace and coronet of
pearls | had dreamed of her in bridal
robes 50 often.
/ nodded to the little thing beside me,
trudging over the meadow path with the
tall grass almost to her waist, and look
ING at me 50 Wistfully
9 never saw wedding" she said.
"No?"
No, sir. Grandfather said [ might
come. He didn't care himself. It's a
long walk, too, from the tavern, and he's
very old"
Does your grandfather keep the
tayern?' ! asked.
mo, sir wish he did" said the
child. "He has only his fiddle, and
people half the time don't care for tunes.
What can he do, though? Tonight
there's dance, and he's to play for
them. That's why we stopped"
4 poor fiddler's untaught grandchild
AS poor as decent poverty could be
yet her presence somehow cheered me.
Half-child, half-woman, and all child
at heart. Innocent, beautiful, and
Il
side. | said to her:
Il will show you place where you
can see the bride well. 1t is in the gal
lery Will you like that?"
6 don't know" she said. /" | haven't
often been tochurch. We pray together
in lonely places, grandfather and |.
VIII you be there, sir.?"
g Yes"
7 =
"Come with me then" | said, and she
followed
had meant to hide myself in the gal
lery, and see my lost love married quite
unseen. This companion had not been
in my roll at ALL But | liked it. No
friend, no relation, not my own sister
would | have had beside me; but this
eltish thing was too innocent to fear. |
led the way up the dark old stair, and
towards a spot quite sheltered from gen
eral view. Then | sat down and she
stood leaning over the balustrade
The church was full of bOnnets. Here
and there only masculine head. The
minister was in his seat reading, in a
position taken for effect. He was a
handsome man, and be knew it perfectly
well.
Girls whispered and giggled, matrons
famed themselves and men yawned.
Soon the soft roll of carriages on the
gravel path was. heard, and the bridal
arty entered. | saw her at last, Aletta.
" Is that the bride?' half sobbed the
girls voice at my side. :" Is it real
lady? She looks like wax. Oh, how
pretty, how beautiful! Look Look"
She touched me with her little brown
band and looked at me, her eyes spark
ling
odd You ever see her before?" she
asked.
. Is she like that in everyday clothes
Oh, how pretty, how pref u"
Men have no right to weep. | put my
head down upon the cushion of the pew
and hid my eyes. | felt the child creep
down beside me.
!" Poor man, he's tired" | heard her
whisper, and she put her little hand out
and patted me softly by stealth.
Soon | looked down into the church
again, and saw Grant Stanton kiss his
bride.
g Is it all over?" asked the girl.
. Yes, child, | said, all over"
Then | must go" she said, "Thank
You for being 50 kind to me, sir. Good
bye"
Good bye" | said, and her little
leather shoes patted over the aisle and
down the stairs, and | had seen, as i
had thought, the last of her. When she
was gone | missed her strangely.
| went home when the church wa.
quite empty. II had not been as hard
to bear as had feared, and oddly enough
/ found myself thinking Of that child.
little gypsy head and those beautiful
long fringed eyes. | wondered at myself
but 1t was so.
g / should like to see the child again.
| said and as | spoke 'spied Grove
about tavern door upon the road.
Il was poor place, and poor, rough
people made up the group. But it wa
plainly no common quarrel or drinking
bout which had brought them here. 70
their faces were all grave aud thei
voices suppressed. | crossed the road.
"Whag has happened, friends" l ask
ed Of tinker near by.
Only ablind fiddler dropped dead,
he said. "Bu. there's a gal there wil(
about it.
And then l passed him and went in
An old man lay upon the floor, and acros
his body girl had flung herself.