South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1885-03-20
JOHN s DAUGHTER.

II
will not let my little oae suffer r
| My old friend an college chum.
John Harmon said this as he wrung
my hand hard. repeated my prom
zee hat in my own home nest, where
there Was nursery full of little ones,
Susie Harmon should h. Id daugh
ter's place.
W. were standing upon the wharf
waiting for the signal that it was time
for my friend to stel aboard an out
going California steamer. He had
lost his wife within the year aud soon
after was beggared by fire that 10
tally destroyed the cotton mills in
which he had he the position of su-
perintendent for ten years. With his
home desolate, his purse empty, he re.
solved, Ne many q man had done be-
fore him. to- seek his fortune III the
moderu Ell Dora O, and dig for gold
in her mines.
/ The only drawback to this scheme
was the difficulty OF taxing his three
year Old daughter, who had been in
tee care OF hired nurses since her mo-
Their died. I.who shared every thought
of Johns mind, talked with my wife.
and found her eagerly willing to take
care OF tie little one.
Il am sure l loved Mary a. we'll 10
you loved john she said, 'and there
Is 70 one can have "a stronger claim
upon the child than we have
SO, cure OF her cordial welcome IN
our nursery l made John the ctfer OF
meme for his little enc, and it was
accepted IS lovingly as IT was offered.
This C. re removed, my friend hasten
ed his preparations for departure, and
l accompanied him to New York and
| saw Eim OFT
The next morning | returned nome
to find Susie almost inconsolable, cry
ing perpetually Tor papa to come to
/ Susle'
My wife was distracted at the fail
ure to comfort this childish SORROW,
and our own three children looked Oh
wonderi gly at -
Naughty Susie, who cried cried,
after mamma told her to be quiet
Fortunately, Susie was accustomed
10 see me To snuggle IN my rms VIII II
| talked with John. to associate me
with her father, aud she allowed me
TO comfort bel. In time this violent
griei wore away and the chill, became
very - la our care a., business.
that OF "a hardware merchant, beng
very prosperous, we did not feel the
ad, itioual expense of the child's sup
port bur den; and Us the Years wore
| by. site was az dear to Us as our own
little cnes.
But che understood always that size
WAS not our child, but had Il dear ia
Their who loved her iondly, and was
away from her onl y to make "a fortune
! for her. AS soGn as she was old en-
/ ough she had her fa hers letters read
TO her. and er fire, efforts tpenman.
ship were letters to Papa
John wrote often for ten years, re-
counting ms varyl z success, some.
times sending money TO by presents
for Susie. He WAS winning fortune
slowly, not at the mines, where is
/ health broke down, but III the cmplo,
OF Al San Francisco merchant, and some
! speculilt!ons III real estate,
lie was not rich man. he wrote,
after All absence of ten years, but pros
| pering, when he purposed pay ing Us IA
Wit lie wrete hopefully of seeing
bis child, perhaps of taking her home
with him, setting TO definite time, but
!ead,' q Us To expect soon to see him.
! 'Ihan ms iatfa-c .nusnI ,,,J ho ,IiI No,
come. wrote again aud again Su-
sic wrote. No answer came TO ell
Their Que or the other. Ne did not
know the name OF his employer, and
after neaTl, two Years more passed Z
sadly thought he must be dead.
Ii might h We seemed to many uu-
natu al for Susie 10 grieve 40 deeply
as she did for father almost unknown
to her III reality, bnt she was girl OF
most sensitive feelings, with teuder
loving heart, aud We had always kept
her fathers name before her, striving
TO win him place IN her iondest a.
fiction That We bad succeeded OF. ~
to well was shown by her sorrow.
when week after week passed, and
there was no gOOd news from CalliOr-
nia.
When we had really lost q ] hope. il
became Sn les great pleasure to sit
beside me and ask me again aud AGAIN
for the stories remembered OF her
fathers boyhood and youth his col.
lege life. our many EXCURSIONS, and,
ahov all, OF his marriage and toe gen
tie wife and mother 50 early called To
heaven.
She dearly loved those talks. aud no
eWones were more precio ~ than NV
description oi ter fathers pam IN part
ing from her. and biz de-ire to win
money In California only tor her
Tine sottened SusIe'- grief. and at
eighteen che was one oi the swee est