The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-29

money!
With a heavy heart and weary, lag
ging steps departed on my hateful
errand. All our things had been
sold; we had preferred to lose them
to going into that last disgraceful
refuge of the dcsttute-a London
pawnbroker's.
Arrived outside, l paced to and fro
until my tottering limbs, weak from
illness and continued fasting, warned
me that my strength would not hold
out much longer.
entered. Only one other person, n
tail, dark gentleman, whose face
l could not see in the semi-dark-
ness, stood there talking to the shop
man.
81 tell you, my man, the plate is
here. IL has been traced by clever.
detective, who will join mo here
in few minutes. He is only delay
cd because he thinks he has traced the
thief and has gone to follow up the
search"
well, sir, l am sure you are mis-
taken, but my principal will be here in
few moments; you must talk to him.
What can | do for you, young wo-
MANI" he asked, turning TO ME some-
what eagerly, evidently glad OF an
excuse to evade his unpleasant VISITORS
conversation.
Unable to speak,.I drew forth my
treasure. The shopkeeperlooked sus-
giclously ut me as he took it up and
tested it.
t'Your name and address. please"
he said sharply ..And how much do
you wanta"
II want a--n little money, if you
please faltered.
AS spoke the gentleman turned
and could feel a pair of bright, keen
eyes scanning my pale face. ! grew
more helplessly confused; my tongue
| refused to utter q word.
'.rell the shopman how much you
want and your name. my good girl =
he said, in \ kind and pittying tone.
Then, for the first time, I.rajsed my
eyes to his face, feeling that / had
| found friend. Merciful heaven! was
/ dreaming, or had my late troubles
driven reason from my brain and filled
| it with wild de!usiye fanciesp
Surely there stood the original OF
Aunt Betsy's portrait, but young and
stalwart as he had been forty years
ago, when it was taken.
In vain I tried to speak. ] could
only point helplessly to the portrait;
the shop with its occupants and its
contents swan around me, and with
cry for help l sank fainting to the
ground.
/ When next awoke to conscious.
ness was lying on an improvised bed
/ on the old couch in our sitting room
at home. l moved my head; it felt
weak and sore. Then tried to lift
my hands, but to my surprise ] was
| powerlcss to do so. A woman, plain
! lv dressed, with kind, motherly face.
was sitting near me, and rose as
i moved.
looked around bewildered.
Mammal called, fcebly.
'.Hush, hush, my dear miss said
the kind looking woman, soothingly.
"You must not speak; your mamma
is asleep and you might wake her. +"
/ So l lay still, wondering weakly
who she was, and Who had sent hel
there; but presently, seeing her sti,
the fire into a blaze, ! forgot her eau
ton, as all my old anxietics came
back, and said, pleadingly:
] '.Don't poke the fire, please. 1t viii
burn out too quickly, and we have NJ
more Goals.
..Uh. now. miss, YOU have beer
dreaming. The cellar is nearly full
the Goals only came last week. y
Again assayed to answer, but was
SO gently, yet with such authority
ordered to be quiet that l was glad /,
obey. so l lay still, enjoying the sen
sation of being able not even to think
In a day or two grew stronger, ant
one morning. to my delight, my moth
Ell came in, and had leave given me
to talk little.
Then l heard all about my late ad
venture.
'sIt is really n most wonderful event
my dear, and reads like a chapter ou
of three volume novel, said III,
mother, when, by the way, locke,
quite bright and strong again. "Whel
! you fell down in Il faint YOU let fall
the envelope IN which you had carrie
, the manintuIe, and the gentleman VIII
wasin the shep-'
II remember him. mama, cried
excitedly, ''he was the very image q
the portrait. fancicd | must b
dreaming.
, That is the strangest part OF til
/ story, but you won't let me tell it t
you properly, my dear. That gentle
man saw Your name and address
: brought you home III cab, sent
| nurse in and everything we wantee
] and has been our good angel eve
S since. He is Arthur Rashleigh, til
only son of your Aunt Betsy's oil
Y lover, who, after mourning the supo
: cd faithlessness of his old love, mll
n ried late in lie. and has not long bee
t dead, leaving Arthur a large fortun,
His astonishmcnt at seeing you wit
o his fathers portrait, You may be sur
: was very great. However, it was
very lucky thing for us; after all, Au1
/, Betsy's present was not such a poo
: one. BY the way, here it is; Mr.. Ras
l leigh was kind enough to bring it bac
It with him.
v There was one thing which did NJ
V appear to concern my mother in Il
least, but made my pale face fam
9 and that was the idea of receiving a
= these benefits from II mere strange
l. upon whom we had not the slighte
claim, unless the fact that his fathe
e forty years ago had been my aunt
II lover could be considered one.
Il So l made up an eloquent speech,
e which ] thanked him warmly for /,
If his goodness. and delicately yet fir,
ct iy conveyed the information that
g intended to repay him rs soon rs
could get work again.
re But. carefully as rehearsed 1t, til
Id eloquent speech was never uttere
* nor did wonder at my mothers wi
ingness to receive benefits from h
as. when once had seen and talked wi
i'd him. He was SO lonely. he said,
~ had not friend or relative in Fir
Nv land, and man servant whom he b