Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-11-29

Scnuly, am Wiling 10 near ana TO nelp
you. But you had better let me get
you some food; I've brought some with
me.
"Give it to the children, then; they re
hungry enough, poor little souls They
haven had bite or drop to-day. AS for
me, | want nothing. How cool and soft
your hand is! Look at mine You
wouldn't think that mine was ever like
yours. But it was-soft and white, and
all covered with shining rings ! was a
pretty lass, folks said, and hearing my
fine looks talked Of so much made me
vain.
Made me vain and silly, she went on
laughing shrilly; and | broke my prom
ise to the lad who was to be my hus-
band. A good, honest lad he was, will
ling to work for me day in and day out.
| broke faith with him and ran away
with rich man, who gave me fine pres
ents and promised to make me his wife.
He didn't keep his word, of course.
He made me his mistress instead, ca
ressed and fattered, and hung with
golden fetters at first; later, his bond
slave, glad of kind word or glance
We'll, we'll, women are like spaniels,
as a rule; the more their master kicks
and cuffs EN- the better they like him.
| was like the rest. | loved the man
who had deceived and ruined me, and
lived only to do his bidding.
There's no need of dwelling on all
that, however, and breath's short. [
did great many shameful deeds at his
bidding. Last of all, | stole a pair of
twin babes from their mothers bosom.
"What!
"Berenice gave start and then con-
trolled herself.
Go on, she said, gently.
Il Istole them from the little crib where
they lay side by side, she went on, and
left the empty pillow for the mother to
find. What she must have felt-what
she must have suffered. And I'm dy-
ing now, and the Bible tells us that as
we have done unto others so shall we
receive
Go on, urged Berenice, shutting her
teeth hard, to keep down the mad throb-
bing of her heart.
He bade me do the deed, and |
obeyed him-the man who was my mas
ter. He owed the mother of the babies
some sort of revenge | stole the babes
and carried them to New York, and
after a few months he sent me with
them to London, promising to follow
himself soon.
"He came, and babe me murder them;
but | refused He tried to bribe me
with gold; | still refused Then he said
he would do the deed himself, and one
dark night he came and took the babes
from me-
Il had grown to love the little crea-
lures, and | followed him. He carried
them down to the brink of the black
river, but his heart failed him, and he
could not throw them in. He laid them
down, side by side in the cold, black
mud, and turned and fed.
Il gathered them up, and hid them
and myself in the great city That was
six years ago. | have done the best |
could for them ever since-haven't |
Tom and Nan?
The two children standing together
by the hearth replied with one voice.
Yes, granny.
"Berenice looked at them and again
the boys fearless eyes thrilled her heart
to the core, but, with an effort that was
almost superhuman, she kept down her
emotion.
why didn't you make an effort to
restore the children to their mother?
she asked.
"Ay, why didn't |? repeated the old
woman, striking her skinny hands to-
gether Because | feared him. l had
feared him all my life, and | couldn't
throw the yoke off. | dreaded to go
back to America and | hadn't money TO
carry me-and didn't care to part with
the children. We got on snug enough
till | fell i'll, and now I'm dying, and
they'll be left alone in this great wicked
city. You look like good Christian
woman, she added, wistful prayer in
her eyes Will you look after EN-
when I'm gone? They're good children
and may be you may hear of their moth
er If you should ever hear of her, try
and find her, and tell her the story I've
told you; she'll believe dying woman S
confession However, if she wants
proof, I've got it. Nan!
The little graceful girl, her face look
ing out like primrose from a wild
cloud of unkept hair, came forward
Go to the little box under the bench
yonder, and fetch that bundle.
''The child obeyed, while Berenice sat
shaking in every limb from repressed
emotion.
Here's the clothes the twins had on,
and little trinket that was around the
girls neck, explained the old woman,
as Nan deposited faded package ON
the bed I've kept EN- all these years
Berenice could contain herself no
longer She flew at the bundle with a
wild cry
Oh, they are mine, my own precious
children! she cried, as she tore it open,
and her eyes recognized the familiar
little garments her lost babes had worn
my own children; God has given them
back to me at last.
Then the room reeled around and she
tainted quite away.
The soft touches of child's hand
restored her to consciousness some time
later. Nan was smoothing back her
hair, sobbing meanwhile as if her heart
would break, while Tom looked gravely
at the bed where granny lay dead.
She's dead, he said, as Berenice
looked up; granny's dead.
But you have found your mother
my children! cried Barenice, opening
her arms Oh, come to me-Ive want
ed you so long. Oh, Tom! oh, Nan! I'm
your mother.
"And they crept into her arms and
wept out their childish sorrow on her
bosom.
Twelve months later, and, on the
night before Thanksgiving day, Bere-
nice sat watching beside her sleeping
children.
''She had returned to her own coun-
try, and to the handsome city residence
which had once been her uncle's home
Side by side, in their dainty bed the
twins slept, and their mother sat and
looked at them, and listened to the
clamor of the wind and rain just such
a storm had ragged eight years gone by
on that terrible night when her babes
were stolen from her. But God had
given them back to her; yet, while hel
bosom swelled with gratitude, tears ano
from her eyes like rain Where was
the father of her babes? Never, since
the hour when she saw him on board
the out-movihg train, had she heard Of
him. Was he dead? or had he utterly
foruotton bor2