Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1881-10-29

arms had clung SO lovingly about his
neck so he said. with blush and the
'aintest attempt at a laugh. Il do not !
s1ow, Mrs. Bronson as | can quite re-
noUDce my claim.
We'll, You have really the best right +
10 1t Of any one, said Mrs. Bronson, |
land you may claim just as large a |
share as YOU choose" Whereupon the !
child reached out its little arms to him.
with look which seemed 10 say, "And
it shall not be very small share
either" a
How old a child should you ca1 it ?"
he asked
about six months, judge. and now,
come to think, she must very soon want
some sustenance and pray, Mr.. Jacob,
by whom am | to send for u nurslng1.
bottle for her | cannot 60 with her
III my arms, and Jane, my girl, has
gone home for the day
"Ah [ am going down street, and
l-aheln-can get one, suppose.
Then the thought of a bachelor Of his
standing asking for such an article
caused him to blush quite to his ears,
but duty again forbade that he should
do otherwise, SO he hastened to the
nearest store, purchased one, and inn
mediately returned with it. By this
time the babe was screaming with hun
ger, and he stayed to witness the first
feeding, which was done amid great
deal of struggling and squirming.
Through the whole of it, the new
mother manifested so much patience
and good-nature, Jacob was lost IN ad-
kmiration, and almost forgot his hurry
to return to the wreck, and, by the
time he did, most of the dead had been
removed to the morgue, and the wound
ed 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.
81 think very likely, he replied, ''and
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
chow drolli it seems" he thought, ''t'
be speaking III the possessive case
heretofore l only found use for tn
pronoun l." But, AS droll as it seemed
he could think it none the less pleasant
So he got to speaking in this way
great deal, as his visits to see the chil'
were frequent, and in course of tim
quite lengthy. SO much so that Mrs
, Bassett, his housckeepcr, becam
5 alarmed lest she should be supplante
: by the widow. Il did not think whe
I | sent him over there with that youn
un,' thought she. ''that he'd have t
spend half his time there. Perhaps b
thinks he can bring them both here
| and I'll stay and wait on them, but
r have been my own mistress too long t
S do that. She is a little upstart of
: thing, anyhow, and believe she ha
: been angling for him some time; there
g | them in the nelghborhood thats S see
r her walk up the street with him as lo'
g ingly as could be under his umberel.
: Then the neighbors began to remar
1 upon the frequency of his visits to Il
r widows house, and most of them Wei
Il glad 10 see him 60, and hoped SOM
!, thing serious would come of it. for Il
h match would be such an eligible on
e But the two principally concerned 81
! their own counsel, and it was a lol
o time before anyone found out anythll
It definite In the matter concerning theI
IS AS no one claimed the bodies Of hit
q Mabels parents, they were burned
!. Jacobs expense, and the trunk aho'
d alluded to was taken charge of by Mr.
Bronson. and was evidently, with !
|. owners, quite recently from Iondo
ii England. So little Mabel was an L
le ghsh girl, and not of poor parentac
either, Judging from the contents of tt
IN trunk, for therein was found: money, v,
~ iable jewels, the finest OF laoes, a.
n costly wearing apparel for both moth
er and child
ut The parents were quite young CO
ple, and i..t.~t lave hal friends son
le where-eo though. the two now III It
ne session of the child, and they VT
AL daily II expectation Of hearing fro
5. them. But six months passed withe
| w a