Litchfield enquirer., 1880-02-12
WHOLE NO. 2781

What is the meaning ?" he began, then he stopped as pointed to the right wrlst of the dead boy and looked at him defiantly. What is the meaning of this, Arthur May | field ? this is not your son, I said II protest against, II proclaim to God that this is not your son. will tell the doctor, will call in your neigh bors, will go to the nearest magistrate, and say there has been foul play, I 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 in health, not done away with, will say nothing to any living soul"
 ''I will tell you-for mercy's sake, don't think of betraying those who have been al- ways kind to you"
 "Where is the boy"
 "I have always trusted you as a friend, have tried to make you love me, Martha, and to save you," murmured Mrs. Mayfeld.
 "Where is the boy?' l demanded sternly still
 II do not know" "What !"
 ..Pray be silent, and listen As God is my judge. 1 do not know. Be satisfied as 1 am satisfied" said the husband, "and grieve with us too, and as we grieve for this"
 "Go on, go on?' cried impatiently.
 "Be assured with us, good Martha" said
 
 should be happiness to you instead of grief, that it is not our darling lying there Try and think so with us, will your"
 "Yes, I am glad. But who this? and why have you given up the living for the dead"
 Il cannot tell you"
 "It is not true. This is another lie!''
 'It is the awful fact, Martha" said Mir. Mayfeld suddenly; i've do not know, and we shall never know, the whole reason of It all. We can but guess closely at the truth. With that child's death, and whose child it is, Heav- en knows; there should have passed away a grand inheritance, and it is very important that the death should not be suspected. Be- tween the child anu our Paul there was a marvellous resemblance, and the heir was sinking fast. They have replaced him by Paul that is all 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 he to betray great secret" "To sell your own flesh and blood-y two!" muttered.
 "We were very poor in another moment we should have been starving in the streets" said MT. May6eld.
 "You deserved to starve; you will starve yet!'
 "No, not now. There was heavy recom- pense, Martha, and it has saved us. And it has bettered little Pauls position" "Whe! l was young woman, crushed by shame, I killed my baby" said sternly; 'but think yours is the greater crime, and you will suffer for it."
 You regard this too gloomily," said the husband.
 "And the man who bought Paul was he who looked in just now?" Yes" And vou trusted Paul with him s'
 ''Yes; am sure he will be treated with every care to his life's end. We have been saved by that man, he has left one hundred pounds for your silence too, here it is"
 "It is blood-money; will not touch it" cried Sit is the price of my lost darlings life and love-I will not take penny of it :"
 "And you will betray us ?'
 "No, can't do that" went away from them without another word 1 only saw those poor, weak, tempted wretches once again. l heard that they were rich, and five years afterwards they splashed me with their carriage wheels, as stood bare footed on 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 sank from bad to worse, I went back to my old companions. drink and the devil, lost all the good that was in me very quickly; only the sight of little child would make me cry. ing drunk at times. got to prison again and again, to long sentence finally, which l shall cheat the judge out of not having many days to live, 1 fancy.
 The last shock was my death blow, it was a strange one but It has sObered me for all time. have seen my little Paul again. God let me live long enough to see him. 1 am as sure it was he as am lying here past hope of life. Yes, it was my boy though the matrons may think old Martha raving.
 It was in the prison infirmary that saw him he came in softly, hat in hand, out of re- spect even to sick crime, and there followed him some half f-a-doZen gentlemen, that's in hand also, with the lady superintendent of the prison, the deputy, and officers all bland, and complaisa ant, and white with nervousness and awe. He was seventeen or eighteen years of age' and very handsome, as knew he would be; but they were the same features, l was sure unless 1 a0Gs mad
 'Thls is the prison infirmary, Your High ness" beard the lady superintendent say.
 He looked round at our prison beds, and then at me.
 ''And who is this?"
 "This is Martha Jacob woman who has been twenty times in prson."
 "Ill?"
 'very ill, Your Highness."
 Poor woman!'
 He put his right hand toehis chin whilst he looked at me. l thought, was the scar on his wrist ? Yes it was there.
 What life hers must have been, Baron, said the prince turning to a tall man at hIs side. at whom 1 now glanced for the first time, having had eyes only for Paul till then. Yes, yes, there was no mistake. There was the man with the dark eyes and the long nous tache, which was white as snow now, the man who had bought Paul May6eld and made prince of him to save dynasty!
 '' One can scarcely realize it, Your High ness said the other.
 "Ah! well Life is an enigma Baron Bau- mann, and this depresses me. Let us get away" He turned, without looking at me again; and his suite fell into position behind him, and away they all swept out of the in- firmary into the limewashed corridors beyond.
 Yes Life is an enigma If the priuce could have only guessed that 1 had been mothert to him once, and loved him sorely and desperate ly we'll, if it had been only possible for him to believe the wild story of my life and his, what a drean,-aud he would have passed from, and to what an awakening !-Bet9rGvto.