The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-08-19

How Two Long-Separated Child
ron q the saDe Hemily Hot;
:: 4 .''':::)ilCg:.')'~''[s,,

y IS1N<
FROM the Reading tPa-l Eagle.
The following story is we'll authen.
sie.sed. The names Of persons and
places are changed for obvious reasons
Yesrs, .aapI . family, consisting OF
father. mother and two children.
lived 10 q small town in western Ohio.
The head of the family. Mr.. Lawton.
eoa lswysrana speenlatpE and bad
beea smaShsnt He had grown
Tich. very rich for those days. and
Was noted for his keen business
sae.city and his honest and kindly
heart. His wife had been q delicate.
pretty girl when he married her, and
after her second child was born her
health broke down.. and che became
confirmed invalid. The couple La'i
two children boy named Michael.
who W., at the time geferred to:
about eight wears old. and Mabel. who
was then the "baby, and was ah'ut
Eve years old. Mabel was u pretty
child, and her parents petted her and
dressed her in style that made her
the envy Of all the mothers in the
neighborhood.
One day Mabel went into her
mothers room and told her she wanted
to 90 and play with some other little
girls who lived on the next street.
Mrs. Lawton gave her consent, hut
told her to be sure and come home to
dinner. Mabel promised, kissed her
mother gaylv, and ran out OF the
room-out of the world as far as the
moor mother was concerned, for she
never saw her again. Mabel did not
come home to dinner, and at supper
time Michael was sent after her. He
soon returned. with a pale, frightened
face, and told his father that ms
sister had started for home ut noon.
and no one knew where she was.
Search was made for her in every
direction, but without avail. No
trace of the lost one could he dis
covered. A month afterward the
mother died heartbroken, and the
father sold bis property and became q
homeless wanderer. with but one
object in life-the finding OF his lost
one, Taking his son with him. he
Travelled from State to state. visiting
public institutions where children
were cared for. and going through
cities making inquiries which he
thought might lead to the desired
result. From the United States the
search was extended to Europe. and
finally in q Spanish city MIR. lIawton
caught q local fever and died in a few
DAYS, leaving his son. then boy of
nineteen, ali of his fortune. MIR.
LAwton told his hoy that be had no
near relative except Q brother, who
had gone 10 California in the first
flush of the gold tever, and had never
been heard of afterward.
Michael Lawtou came back to this
country, entered college in the East
and graduated with honor. He stadied
Law in the Office of a famous New
York lawyer and after being admitted
to the bar he went West and made
his home in q newly-settled State.
where he soon built up good practice.
One winter LawtOn went to New York
to visit a college chum, Marchmont,
Who had married and gone into bust.
ness. Marchmont hal several
Young sisters, and one afternoon
lfawton was introduced to Miss Mabel
Letcher, a young lady who was their
music teacher. She was exceedingly
pretty and a lady in manner and
mind, and Lawton fell violently. in
love with her. and before he left the
CITY he asked her to marry him, and
she accepted him. They were married
the following spring, and went to
lLAwtonis western home, where they
lived happily for six years. during
which time two children were bornftO
them. Miss Letcher told LAYTON
after their engagement that she was
IN orphan ; that her parents had died
when she was q child, and she could
not remember them at all. She had
been named by . kind-hearted lady
in eastern Ohio. She had taught
school and made sufficient money to
leuter . school in the East, where
she studied music, and after she had
graduated she got class Of girls for
pupils, and while thus engaged she
met LAwtOn.
Lawton was sitting in bis Office one
day, when an old-looking elderly man
came in IN asked for "Mr. Lawton.
An introduction took place, and, after
the usual preliminaries, the stranger
said he was . lawyer from San
francisco. He then asked Lawton il
be would tell him his fathers name
and where he had been born. AL.
though surprised at the questions.
LAwton complied. and the stranger
then explained his errand. "YOu
have heard your father speak. /
suppose, of . brother who went to
California q good many years ago.
and Who did net write home of his
doings. Well, l am his Representa-
tive, and l WAS bis friend to the
hour he died. Years ago he went to
- (mentioning the town where
LAYTON was born), and there he
heard Of the manner IN which your
little sister disappeared, and Of your
fathers departure. He tried to End
him for while. but did not succeed,
and then he went home again.
"He made up his mind to find your
sister If it was possible. He employ
| ed several skillful detectives. and
spent a great deal Of money in the
search. A year ago he died. and in
his will he directed that you should
be his herr unless your sister was
discovered. In that event she was to