Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1880-12-16

first feeding, which was done amid a
great deal of struggling and squirming.
Through the whole oft, the new moth
er manifested so much patience and
good-nature, Jacob was lost in admira-
ton, and almost forgot his hurry to re-
turn to the wreck, and, by the time
he did, most of the dead had been re-
moved to the morgue, and the wounded
cared for. When evening came he
could hardly refrain from going to see
his little protege, but finally waited till
the ensuing day, and then asked Mrs.
Bronson what name she proposed to
give it. She said she found the word
Mabel engraved on the blanket pin,
and thought that might be the name
its parents had given it.
Il think very likely" he replied, land
doubtless that was the mothers name,
too, for ] saw her at the morgue, to-day,
poor thing, and across her forehead,
which was badly cut, was bound a
handkerchief on which was written,
Mabel Harmon Oh, she was dreadful
ly mangled, and the father too, and
how the child escaped injury is the
most wonderful thing imaginable"
"Well, if no one claims the bodies,
hope we may have the handkerchief,
and every other relic to keep for little
Mabel
Il will see to that" Mrs. Bronson,
''and there's trunk among the bag
gage marked ii. l.. Harmon; that, too,
unless there is some other claimant,
we must have" Here Jacob paused:
show droll it seems" he thought, ito
be speaking in the possessive case;
heretofore i only found use for the
pronOun l." But, as droll rs it seemed,
nc could think it none the less pleasant.
So he got to Speaking in this way a
great deal, as his visits TO see the child
were frequent, and in course of time
quite lengthy. So much 50 that Mrs.
Bassett, his honsekeeper, became alarm
ed lest she should be supplanted by the
widow. II did not think when sent
him over there with that young un,"
thought she, ''that he'd have to spend
half his time there. Perhaps he thinks
he can bring them both here, and I'll
stay and wait on them, but l have
been my own mistress too long to do
that. She is a little upstart of thing,
anyhow, and believe she has been
angling for him some time; there's them
i'm the neighborhoOd that's seen her
walk up the street with him as loving
ly as could be under his umberel."
Then the neighbors began to remark
upon the frequency of his visits to the
widows house, and most of them were
glad TO see him go, and hoped some
thing serious would come of it, for the
match would be such an eligible one.
But the two principally concerned kept
there own counsel, and it was long
time before anyone found out anything
definite in the matter concerning them.
As no one claimed the bodies of lit
tie Maberssparents, they were buried at
Jacobs expense, and the trunk above
alluded to was taken charge of by Mrs.
Bronson, and was evidently, with its
owners, quite recently from London,
England, So little Mabel was an En-
glish girl, and not of poor parentage,
either, judging from the contents of the
trunk, for therin was found money,
valuable jewels, the finest of laces, and
costly wearing apparel for both mother
and child
The parents{ were quite a young
couple. and mUSt have had friends
somewhere-so thought the two now
in possession of the child, and they
were daily in expectation of hearing
from them. But six months passed
without hearing anything from any
one, and Jacob then said, "Now, let's
call the child a year old about next
Thursday, and celebrate its birthday
10y getting married.
cit shall be as you say" tie widow
replied, and then you can have little
Mabel constantly with YOU"
"And you, too he answered, mot
withstanding the TumOrs of my con-
lirmed bachelorship."
So they were married, and Mrs. Bas-
sett went to live with her grandson.
For years they feared Mabel would
be claimed by some relative, but they
were happily disappointed in this. and
she grew up with them as their own.