The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-25
True TO EACH OTHER.


agony in seeing them perish one after
another in infancy and early childhood,
till not one of the little flock remained
to bless and brighten his existence
He was thinking even now, as he rode
along through the binding snowstorm,
of the last little golden head that had
vanished in October, and the six little
mounds in the snow in the churchyard
of Ashburnham.
The road from Merrimeeting to Ash
burnham was unfrequented, back
country one, anu rs he reflected sadly
upon the loss OF his little ones, he saw
an object by the roadside that resembled
human form. covered with snow. He
refined in his horse suddenly and took a
more careful survey of the object.
He was so far satisfied with his con-
lecture, on IA second examination, that
he alighted from his sleigh and ap-
proached the motionless snow-covered
object.
He excitedly brushed away the accu-
mulated snow from the part of the OBJ
jrct that bore resemblance TO human
| head, and the next moment his hand
came into contact with the rigid, frozen
features of corpse.
A further examination of the body
showed it 20 be that of u woman, and
in spite of the wan and sorrowful face,
Young and once beautiful one. She
was poorly clad and held Something
closely wrapped in the folds of a faded
shawl.
He undid the shawl, and discovered
therein, still alive, though seemingly
mueh benumbed from the exposure to
which it had been subjected, a male in
FAINT, some five or six months old.
With some little trouble he succeeded
in placing the form of the dead woman
in the bottom of the sleigh, and then
wrapping the babe snugly within the
folds of his heavy fur-lined cloak, and
pressing it warmly to his bosom to en-
sure extra warmth, he drove rapidly in
\ to The village ef-Ashburnham.
4 s@gFhe post-mortem examination ELECTED
nothing further than that the woman
had probably come to her death from
exposure and exhaustion; and from a
letter of an anterior date. found with
1
| dated from New Bedford, addressed to
Mrs Rosina Somers, and signed by Oh
liver SlOcum, shipowner, stating that
Jesse Somers, second mate of the Dol
.phin, had been lost sin gale off the
Cape de Verde Islands, they arrived at
the CONCLUSION that theman lost must
be the husband OF the dead woman and
the father of the child.
The woman was buried at the ex-
pslse OF a lew charitable persons, and
| tie ratir Jesse Showdown Somers, as
| @.Na f;tAed, was adopted By Squire
F. scr che to the identity of the
posed To be his parents was
ever afterwards obtained, so that Squire
Burleigh and his wife finally came to the
conclusion, to use familiar expression,
| that "inders should be Keepers so
that it naturally came to pass that the
child soon came to be regarded in pre-
cisely the same light AS one of their own
offspring
Two years after the adoption of little
Jesse. Mr.. Burleigh presented her hus-
band with an infant daughter, who, con-
trary to all expectation, lived and
thrOve, and in defiance of the oft-recur-
ring precedent of hereditary disease,
grew fat, chubby, and rosy, and was
never known to have q sick day, ex-
cepting from those almost unavoidable
ailments incident to childhood.
When Florence Burleigh was sixteen,
she was as perfectly matured as most
young ladies of twenty, and Jesse Som
ers was fine, robust, manly intelligent
Young fellow.
Years before, through the gossip OF
outsiders, they had become conversanl
with the fact that no blood relationship
1 existed between them, and the remark
able affection which they had felt for
each other before, believing themselve4
to be brother and sister, now deepened
into a tenderer and more absorbing
love.
Squire Burleigh. Engaged in law and
speculation. knew nothing of all this.
| When Florence was sixteen, she was
acknowledged the loveliest girl in Ash
burnham.
Lawyer Guppy was bachelor OF forty
and in the receipt of handsome in
come from his professional practice
He WAS avsricious, tnprineipled, anC
cringing.
To those incapable of arriving at {
just estimate of character, Guppy woulC
have been considered all that is desira
bic in sutton; but Florence was favor.
ed with an intuitiYe perception of his ma
ture, and she shrank from and repealed
his insidious advances.
| When a purpose once entered the heat
and animated the heart of Guppy, TIT
stubborn current of his unrestraineC
selfishness drove him irresistibly on tt
its fultillment..
He was not to be put off by simple
maiden's frowns. He knew course
worth two of that.
He laid his grievance before thu
squire, and wound up with a propose
for Florences hand.
The squire was elated at the condo
scension aud preference of Guppy, ant
promptly accepted him in Florence's be
half.
The fair victim was summoned, ant
the intended honor to be conferred wa,
proclaimed.
The proud-spiritsd girl gave a point
blank refusal. and rushed with rebel
lious haste from the presence of the con
spirators-
| The squirewas astonished, afterward
bewildered. then indignant. Guppy sug
gested that there might be o rival at thu
bottom Of II.
..lmpossiblel'' roared the squire in
dignantly.
i s'Tske no offence. squire, expostul
ated Guppy. II merely limited at thu
possibility of such a thing.
II am puzzled at Florenceas conduct,
the squire admitted. ''She has Away.
been so used TO submitting to my wish
es in everything
IF might suggest" meekly inter
posed Guppy, II should hint, at a ven
ture, that the rival / have reference +,
1 i. - 1 =.