Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-28
whom am to send for nursing bottle
for her. cannot go with her in my arms.
and Jane, my girl, has gone home for the

/ whum am to send for nursing bottle
for her. cannot go with her in my arms.
and Jane, my girl, has gone home for the
day"
"Ah! am going down street, and L
ahem-can get one suppose
Then the thought of 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 FASTENED to the nearest store, pur.
chased one, and Immediately returned with
it. BY this time the babe was screaming
with hunger, 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 moth
er manifested SO much patience and good
nature, Jacob was lost in admiration, 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 wounded cared for. When eve
ming came he could hardly refrain from
going to see his little protege, but finally
| waited till the ensuiRg day. and then ask
| ed 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 pa
rents had given it.
81 think very likely ne replied, sand
doubtless that was the mothers name
| too, for I saw her at the morgue to-day,
poor thing, and across her forhead, which
was badly cut, was bound handkerchief
on which was written, Mabel Harmon.
Oh, she was dreadfully mangled. and the
father too, and how the child escaped inju-
ry is the most wonderful thing imagina-
ble."
"Well, if no one claims the bodies, l
hope we may have the handkerchief, and
every other relic to keep for little Mabel
| II will see to that, Mrs. Bronson, and
there's trunk among the baggage marked
Ell. L. Harmon; that, too, unless there IS
some other claimant, we must have. -
Here Jacob paused: s'How droll it seems. y
he thought, ''to be speaking in the posses
sive case; heretofore only found use for
the pronoun IL But, as droll as 1T
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
child we're frequent, and in the course OF
time quite lengthy. SO much so that Mrs.
Bassttt, his housekeeper, became alarmed
lest she should be supplanted by the
widow. II did not think WHEN sent him
over there with that young un," thought
she, s'that he'd have to spend half his time
here. Perhaps he thinks he can bring
them both here, and II stay and wait on
them, but l have been my own mistress
too long to do that. She is a little upstarG
Of thing, anyhow, and I believe she has
been angling for him some time; there's
them in the neighborhood that's seen her
walk up the street with him as lovingly
as could be under his umberel.''
Then the neighbors Degan to remark up
on the frequency of his visits to the Wld-
ow's house, and most of them were glad
to see him go, and hoped something seri-
Gus would come of it, for the match Would
be such an eligible one. But the two prln-
cipaiIy concerned kept their own counsel,
and it was long time before anyone found
out anything definite in the matter con-
corning them.
Asno one claimed the bodies of little
Mabel's parents, they were buried al
Jacobs expense, and the trunk ABOVE al
uded to was taken charge OF by Mrs
Bronson, and was evidently. with its own
-rs, quite recently from London, England.
so little Mabel was an English girl, ana
not OF poor parentage, either, judging
from the contents of the trunk, for there
IN was found money, valuable jewels, the
finest of laces, and costly wearing apparel
tor both mother and child.
The parents were quite 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 bearing anything from any
one. and jacob then said, Nov, let's call
the child year old about next Thursday :,
and celebrate its birthday by getting mar
ried."
cit shall be as you say the widow re-
piled. and then you can have little Mabel
constantly with you."
''And you, too." he answered, ''notwlth-
standing the rumors Of my contained
bachelorship.''
So they were married, and Mrs. Bassett
went to live with her grandson.
For years they feared Mabel would be
claimed by some relative, but they we're
happily disappointed in This, and she grew
up with them as their own.
How TO SFOIL A HUsBAND.-VOw ven
yeance on all his relations.