The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-03-12
IFr'm Dy!graNis.l
Martha Jacob.
BY L. ". ROBINSON,

tSIdI lIId OdCODI.
BYF. W. ROBINSON.
| WAS forty-iivc wears of age when |
left the Fulham Refuge for service with
the Nayiiclds. They had been forty -
five strange, wicked years to me, and |
was glad L. turn my back upon them. I
had been more than one" III prison. ana
had heen more than once sorry for the
SINS which | had committed. This is
the last time, | had always said when
my prison days wore over: and This il
the very Last, ! protested when thc
rem e h"d given me- good wor,l, ana
thor had CONE to lay Improbable life
another Glance. At iurty-fvr | had
learned something Of what wis right
before then had Guessed nj il. and fol-
lowed wrong us easier work for me.
They were Young couple, those
Mayhelds-they had not b.cn married
three months when 1 entered their ser
vice. They hau known trouble quickly
after their wodding-day. There are
some people born unto il, and the Nav
fields were two of them. Ia tI,r,r
months they had dpcpped like stone
huucymOOn as well. Arthur Nuyticld
held a responsible post as buyer III Il
Wholesale city house, and on the strength
III his position, his future, he married
tDr love. lie hal been four weeks Oh his
wedding tour when the news came that
ms firm had failed smashed up" for
huu'rcds of thousands, carrying away
other firms IN the crash. and sending a
little army Of old servants adrift on the
world
Tie and his wife were both religious
folks who went regularly T. church and
dealt IN long graces before meals, after
the fashion of their parents before them,
l suppose. | had turned" good" but
did not like two much uf this-it embar-
I1ssed me, and reminded nae If the
prison chaplain dr"ning away daily and
wearymg Us 10 death. was never re-
hglous-l never got religious. not even
when the lady superintendent of the
refuge say God bless her for that
told me she would trust me- again with
MI her heart and advised others to trust
me. The MayiielIs took mo away to
their honest home. saving:
Come with us Martha, we know what
misfortune Is, and We sympathizc with
it-espccitlly such misioltun" MS yours. s"
"A misfortune brought about by nv
own hUnis-my own sheer badness.
madam, I confessed to the Young wife
when | Wus duly installed III her service.
g." \" mater how, if You are pemitrnt-
is it,"
"No."
"And no one to blame but yourself
no on" dragged down 10y YOU, or with
You; that should surely be some consula-
ton, Mnrtha?'
- dare say il isl don't know"
answered, moodily.
When thcy Thought was in bed, ill.,
stead of listening un the stairs to learn
what WAS the matt r, they talked Of their
ill-tortunc, thvlr expenses. the money
melting away in III" bank, the bad times
IN tn" city; ard Il was always the woman
who cherrd NJ Ill' man, and W ho would
not look At the dark side of things, but
prophC sled thr SlmShiuc-which never
came, however, such devils luck some
people have.
Arthur would brighten up ut last aud
believe ia h,r.
eyes, is long lane which has no
turning, Jenny h" would say, taking
her IN lis arms md kissing her, land We
have few r"umus vet in the money box.
And presently, 10 make our hearts re-
Ioice-pcrlmpa IL turn our mck-the
baby, Jenny go
I'll thought, Arthur, you might
fancy the baby would bc-a httle-ex.
pensivc for Us iGst now. | hope Won
don't, sh" munm,d.
at will he c,mfurt-a blessing
l.IIhG l,lssSl,ttr l,,,,.Nr
"My own dear husband :" cried Jenny
Mayiicld raptwously.
| had listened enough went up
STAINS with II choking, GaspinS feeling at
my heart and thr0ut-thcre was Il mcan-
ing III their words which stabbed me
terribly. ! thought that night that |
would run away from them, that ought
to tell them everything, or go-and then
that could never say one solitary worl,
or they would hate and louthe me.
But stayed with them; aul month
or two after this, their little baby-boy
was born.
The baby had been christened Paul.
In the mothers delicate state Of health,
II had become necessary 10 wean it few
weeks after its hirth, and the greater por-
ton Of the care of the child devolved
npon me.
They We're not afraid TO trust me-
they would not have known what To do
without my love and forcthought, they
said-ttcy hoped tie time would come
when they would be- able tn show sub
stmtially their gratitude To good, honest,
faithful MaItha--as they called me |!
They know well enough, for there was
no hiding it away, that / loved the little
child-tiat IL was II mad love, more like
the mothers than the nurses, and
stronger too; but they did not know that
killed my baby, years and years ago,
when j was scarcely more than a child
myself, and been put III prison for it and
suffered long and Justly. / had thrown
mine in the river, in despair and mad
ness, and this was like the child again
blue eyes, fair har, my sin come back tn
life, aud Ia he loved now with all my
poor dark souls great strength.
They called il "Martha's baby" Jest
ingly, whilst the mother lay weak, and
the father was praying on his knees; and
strange il wis perhaps that Ia my inner
most conviction came the assurance that
i was most loved by the baby, most
needed-thc only one, thank God, with
power 10 soOthe its restlessness, and
change il into smiles.
How proud | WAS Of this how began
to think that tins was forgiveness for INV
past offence, my ticket leave, by
heavens will, at last. / did not know
! could not see-that this WAS heavens
extra punishment. l was content t.
know That the baby loved me best Of
them all-I knew ] loved it best, ani