The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-03-12
"NIistress. y 1 exclaimed. sprinpinp to

IlHlIlS ulbO lTOlu Vie cllillr, anu clutCIlLB
ut the back for support. chow, how dare
you brighten me like this, and talk like
this to me?"
"This is not Paul, it is not my darling;
it is not like him now. Oh! what have
You done with him; my God! what have
you done with him?"
81 tell you"
- will not have you lie to me-you
to whom l have looked up 30 long.
Don't speak, don't say another word just
now; but listen," j cried. "That is IL
strange child put there, and changed for
Paul; dead child is brought in, and the
living one il given up to the man down
stairs-the wretch who would have
tempted me with his money-who could
only come here safely when was turned
away. will tell all about it; no matter
what means-unless you give me back
the child loved. You must find him;
he must come back, / sayw
Mrs. Mayfield dropped into the chair,
and covered from me now. Her hus-
band entered; he had been startled down
stairs by the loud tones of my angry
voice
"What is the meaning?" he began,
then he stopped as pointed to the right
wrist of the dead boy and looked at him
defiantly.
"What il the meaning of this Arthur
Mnyteld? this is not your son, ," said.
Il protest against"
81 proclaim to God that this is not
your son. / will tell the doctor, l will
call in your neighbors, will go to the
nearest magistrate and say there has been
foul play, l will disgrace and ruin you
if You will not tell me where my Paul is.
And if he is safe
"Well, if he is safe?"
"And III health, not done away with,
| will say nothing to any living soul"
81 will tell yOu-for mercy's sake,
don't think of betraying those who have
been always kind to You"
Where is the boy?"
81 have always trusted you az n
friend, L have tried to make you love me,
Martha, and to save you," murmured
Mrs. Mayfeld.
"Where is the boy?" demanded.
- don't know"
"What!"
"Pray be silent, and listen. Az God
is my judge, do not know. BE satisfied
as l am satisfied" said the husband,
"and grieve with us too, and rs We
grieve for this"
$50 on, go on" j cried impatiently.
BE assured with us, good Martha, I"
said Mr.. Mayfield, "that little Paul is
well. 1t should be happiness to you,
instead of grief, that it is not our darling
lying there. Try and think Of us, will
your"
eyes, am gia,l. But who is this I?
and why have you given up the living
for the dead?"
( Il cannot tell you"
" II is not true. 1t is another lie!
sit is the awful fact, Martha" said
Mr.. Maytield suddenly; "we do not
know, and we shall never know, the
whole reason of it all. We can but
guess closely Mt the truth. With that
child's death, and whose child it it,
heaven knows, there should have passed
away grand inheritance, and il is very
important that the death should not be
suspected. Between the child and our
| Paul there was marvellous resemblance,
and the heir WAS sinking fast. They
have replaced him by Paul; that is MI
know: they have bought our little boy,
and he will grow rich and great away
! from us, and never see us more"
"And they Will not tell you where he
is-at any time?"
"No-that will be to betray great
secret"
"To sell your own flesh and blood
you two!" muttered.
! / went away from them without an
other word. | only saw those poor,
weak, tempted wretches once again. j
heard that they were rich, and five years
afterwards they splashed me with their
carriage-wheels, as stood barcfooted Oh
the curbstones waiting to cross the
muddy roadway. This is the fine moral
of the story: They had prospered, and
was begging and stealing for my daily
bread! l sank from bad TO worse, i
went back to my two old companions,
drink and the devil; lost all the good
that was in me very quickly; only the
sight of n little child would make me cry
ing drunk ut times got to the prison
again and again, to long sentence
! finally, which shall cheat the Judge out
of, not having many days to live, ! fancy.
The last shock was my death blow, it
was strange one, but it has s0bered me
for all time. have seen my little Paul.
God let me live long enough to see him.
l am rs sure it was he rs l am lying hero
past hope of lie. Yes, it was my boy!
though the matrons may tbiuk old Mar
thu raving.
1t was in the prison intirmary that /
saw him; he came in softly, hat in hand,
out Of respect even To sick crime, and
| there followed hIm some half dozen
/ gentlemen, hats in hand also, with the
lady superintendent of the prison, the
/ deputy aud officers all bland and COM
PLEASANT, and white with righteousness
and awe. He was seventeen or eighteen
years of age and very handsome, az 1
knew he would be; but they were the
same features, | was sure, unless | iUaS
mad.
"This il the prison infirmary, Your
Highness," heard the lady superintem-
dent say.
He looked round Mt our prison beds,
and then at me.
| "And who is this ?"
"This is Martha jacob, woman
who has been some twenty times in the
prison."
"m?"
every i'll. Your Highness."
"POOr woman
He put his right hand to his chin
whilst he looked mt me. l thought, was
the scar on his wrist Yes, it was there"
"Whut II life here must have been,
Baron" said the prince, turning to tall
man ut his side, mt whom Inow glanced
for the first time, having had eyes only
for Paul till then. Yes, there was no
mistake. There was the man with the
dark eyes and long moustache, which
was az white as snow now, the man
who had bought Paul Mayfield and
made prince of him to save dynasty
some can scarcely realize it, Your
Highness," said the other.
"Ah! well, life is IN enigma, Baron
Baumann, and this depresses me. Let
us getaway.
He turned, without looking ut me
again; and his suite fell into position be-
hind him, and away they all sweep, out of
the iniirmary into the lime washed cor
ridors beyond.
Yes, life is nm enigma! If the prince
could have only guessed that i had been
mother to him once, and loved him
solely and desperately well, if it had been
only possible for him TO believe the wild
story of my life and his, what dream
land he would have passed from, and to
what IN awakening!
WIN. BURGER, who nearly Il score of
years ago was a prominent oarsman ON
the Upper Hudson, died mt his residence
in West Park, N. Y, recently, from