St. Landry democrat., 1882-09-02

| OF jewels which she had sold secretly.
"Why did you not tell me of it:9'
said !, half angrily.
because it would have been too late
| if had waited for your return to the
| city; and besides l wanted to have it
entirely for myself; | want to call'it my
own" said she poutingly.
My horses, my dogs; her canaries, her
gold fishes-that | could endure; but
that she wanted to have her child for
| herself alone, that was too much for me.
The thought of it tortured me one, two
having gone out in her carriage, there
came a yelled woman and demanded
entrance. 1t was the mother. Like. a
shadow she glided into the room, and,
with half-suppressed sob, begged to
see her child once more. She could not
part from him forever, without imprint
ing one more kiss upon his cheek. [
opened my safe quickly: Here, my
good woman said l, ':take that, they
have not given you enough. Hottears
fell down her wan cheeks; she begged
me not to Judge her too harshly; she bad
another child, a cripple and helpless;
she herself was sick and would not live
much longer, and what was to become
OF the children? Then she thought
myself had finished the sentence, which
a violent fit Of coughing had interrupt
ed. "Yes,' she had thought, 81 will
sell the healthy one, in order that the
money may help the cripple when am
dead and gone
No, she must not be Judged harshly;
we rich ones know but little of the trials
and temptations of the poor.
! When my wife returned, [ gave her
an account of the call had had, adding
that had given to the unfortunate one
exactly the same amount as she had.
"And now,' said I, "you see the child
belongs to both of u.s. She bit her lip
with her little white teeth
1t is all the same to me- said she,
after a moments reflection, and with
that she pressed tender kiss on the
little boys mouth. 1t sounded almost
like challenge.
"Our child!' I scarcely ever saw It.
And the changes that were made in our
household for his sake were made en-
tirely without me. Sometimes, after
the most important things were decided,
my consent was then asked. 1--WE are
obliged to have nurse, | hired one.
Anselm II nodded SILENTLY We
must fit up nursery; that room is too
warm for the child" / nodded silent
ly, but | heard the sound of workmen,
who We're already busy in the hall.
What could do better? Was it not all
done for our child?
My wife and did not talk much about
the child, and when we did mention it,
we used only the name cit But this
cit - could be heard through the house
at almost any time Of the day.
Flush! not so much noise! Itsleeps.
1t must have it's dinner! 1t should be
taken out for drive. 1t has hurt it.
self!'' And so the whole house began
| to turn round our cit" This nameless
neuter veXed me.
1T must have its own name," said l,
one day.
81 entirely forgot to ask the mother
i mean the woman-What its name
is" answered my wife. ''She intended
to come again. But she does not come,
she is certainly sick. Now, I call it
Max. Max is a pretty, short name; is
it not9 Hem" returned I, between
two draughts of my cigar, Fritz would
also be a quite pretty name.' Zone can
not change the name now, on account of
the domestics," answered she, shortly,
and then called out loudly: lis Max
up already? Never mind, was it not
our child?
Once, though, played my justifable
part toward our child. At dinner it was
always served at little table in an ad-
joining room. At such times we could
hear, between the scantily dropping
phrases OF our conversation, its merry
prattling, accompanied by the clatter-
ing of its spoon. My wife had no rest;
there was a continual going and COM
ing between US and him; the soup might
be too hot, and perhaps he might eat too
much!
"Wife," said l, very quietly but very
decidedly, Iron tomorrow it shall eat
| with US at our table. 1t is old enough
now, with its two years.
From that time on 'sIt' ate with us.
He sat there in his high chair like
Prince, close to my wife; both opposite
to me like declared enemies, as it were
The yellowish paleness of poverty had
yielded to fine aristocratic pink in his
little cheeks, which, now becoming
quite chubby, sat comfortable On the
stiff folds of the napkin. 1t worked
powerfully at its soup; and now that it
had finished, set up the spoon like a
scepter in it's little round fist on the ia
BILE. Ny wife and [ had exchanged a
few words, and now again we sat 81
lent. Apparently on account of this 81
lence, its large eyes began to open wider
and wider. They stared on me, stared
at my wife, with surprised, almost
frightened expression, as if they had a
presentiment that all was not right be-
tween us. | confess that these eyes