The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-08-01

The brothers faces We're perfect studies
| That two people like this should lay claim Il
| Beatrices boy was simply absurd. "lmpos
| sible!' they calculated in one breath.
Don't say impossible" said Mr.. Rawlings
/ 1--WE may find our little boy at last; we have
/ been hunting about all over England for
! foundlngs such as this. 1t may be this one
| is ours
"Why should it have been sent here"
II can't tell, sir. But won't leave a stone
| unturned. May we see the boy"
| The situation was growing ridiculous, and
/ if the Talberts d!sliked one thing more thar
another it was a ridiculous situation. The
| lest way out Of this one seemed to be that
| Mr.. Rawlings should see the child and tie sat
! isiied it was not his missing offspring, g
| Horace rang the bell and desired tia tn
little boy should be brought down.
Mrs. Miller, the nurse, upon receiving i'll.
structlons to this effect, imagined that her
charge was to be shown to visitors OF in.
portance. So she quickly put on lbs hes ga.
ments, and made him look very cleiu &c
He trotted into the drawing room a cabinet
picture of childish health and beauty.
Rawlings looked at him with excitem. = !.
every Inc of his face His light Liua =.
seemed to be starting out of his l's,..
"Maria," he whispered hoaTsely to his wife.
"look at him. Just what ours would lay,
grown to. The same hair--the sane eyes.
Maria, is thi, not your boyl Answer / e.
and thank heaven we have at last found
him.
The wife looked at the child but did not
answer at once.
1T isl know it is" said the man. 'Tell
them So, Maria
II hope it is, said his wife.
The Talberts ON hearing this looSed stupe-
fed. The case was assuming undreamt of
proportions. Dimly they saw tnat this recog-
milton meant strange things.
MY good man. said Horace, ''you are
making a complete mistake
"Oh, no, sir-no mistake. How can a
father be mistaken Oh, my pretty boy-my
long-lost lamb! Come to me and give me
one kiss! Come to your father!'
He shot out his arms so vehemently that
Harry was frightened, and instead Of accept
ing the invitation ran to Herbert, and hiding
his face against his leg set up howl, which
brought in Mrs. Miller, who at once whipped
him away. Size had strict instructions from
Beatrice never to let the child become nui-
sance Horaceand Herbert, with arched eye
brows, sat staring at their visitors.
1--WE may take our little boy back with us
at once, sir-may we OF" asked Rawlings
Certainly not" said Horace. "You have
not gwen us the slightest proof it is your
child
But it is, sir. know, and Maria knows
it is"
Tell us how it came here. Until You can
do that we cannot admit your claim for an
instant. 1t is absurd-you must be mis-
taken"
Absurd echoed Herbert.
"Tell ne whose child it is, if it isn't nine
retorted TIE man. ''Do that and | VII go
away. don't care how it came bore. | kaow
it. recognize it. 1t is my POOR lost little
bow, AMI will have it,"
The man grew more excited than briore.
Horace was intensely annoyed. He turned to
the woman. "Eou seem to have some sense
he said; edo you claim this child"
She glanced at her husband and tears
sprang into her eyes. ayes, sir she said,
Il believe it is my child The situation
grew worse AID worse. 1t WINS well for the
boy that he had made such friends of Horace
and Herbert OF he must have been sacrificed
forthwith, il only to rid the house of his
self-styled father and mother.
AS it was the Talbcrts temporizea; they
promised to consider the matter for few
days, AID let Mr.. Rawlings know the decision
they might come to. Mr.. Rawlings wrote On
his business card the name OF hotel at
which he was staying, and having again and
again asserted that he would not be robbed
Of his rebound son, at last, to the unspeak-
alle relief Of our friends, drove away in his
gig.
Never had Horace and Herbert teen placed
in such difficulty. They sat strokng their
boards for at least half an hour, but could
see no way out Of it. The arrival Of the
child On that evening of last year was As
nothing compared to the present dilemma.
Then, had they chosen to use it, there was at
least n short cut out Of the difficulty; now
there was none. The more they thought the
more improbable it seemed that these people
could be the parents OF the boy. And yet
the man ut least asserted that IL was so, as il
the matter was beyond doubt. The belief
that the child was ''sone ones" cl.ild still
clung to both Horace and Herbert. II
seemed, moreover, an absolute insult that
the child Of such persons as Mr. and Mr..
Rawlings should have been sent 10 Halle
wood House. Why should they have teen
chosen out Of all the world TO have this
child foisted upon them! Why did not the
unknown sender return II to its righ:ful
home. The whole claim was mistake
whether willful or accidental, il was a mis-
take. Fond as they had really grown Of the
little boy, the Talberts were far too just to
ihink Of wishing to keep him from his legiti-
mate owners; but they had no intention OF
surrendering him 20 the first claimant
Besides, what about Beatricei what would
she sayi Beatrice, to whom the child seemed
as the apple of her eye. Bitterly they blamed
themselves for ever having yielded to her
request that she might keep the founding,
But what was done was done, and could not
now be helped.
Horace wrote 70 Beatrice by the next post.
He told her that some persons had called
and claimed her boy. The whole thing, he
said, was a great puzzle 70 him and to
Herbert. They had deferred their decision
for . few days. fpossible they would do
nothing until her return "a
Beatrice was alone whenshe read that let
ter. She turned deadly pale and seemed to
gasp for breath. Then she rang the bell and