The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-02
MY TRIUMPH.

possibility az Il would make me only W al
Death shall never accomplish anything 81
fraught with Joy and honor to myself Ny
experience ms teen too extraordinary e
keep to myself, and I propose here, there
fore, to give a calm. cold narration Of the
facts
NV parents had been married about thre<
wears before | was born but lackaday, wher
the momentous event of my birth occurred
nv mother was alone. a series or petty dis
agreements had resulted three months before
in the sudden disappearance Of my father
Thus ! pas-.d through babytood aud the
knee breeches period without the knowledge
OF a fathers loving and correcting hand.
From nv associations with other boys
knew that such beings 81 fathers were but
also observed that they were not necessarily
the most attractive features OF family life
In fact, | had prejudice against fathers as
n class until one day, When | was 10 years
old / was set upon and badly beaten by the
school bully A. was demonstrating with
him. taarlully and spitefu.ly no Interrupted
me with
81 can lick you With ono hand, and my
father can lick your-but you haven't got
any father"
felt the contempt in his tone keenly, but
nevertheless replied
II don't care. If had father he could
lick your father anyhow"
Then for the first time felt the indignity
of being adrift upon stormy life without
paterna appendsge oesought my mother
TO tell me what had become OF my father, or
whether bad ever had one Her eyes filled
with tears"
ayes. Jamie, she said, you had Il father,
but he ran away before you were born. Left
as was with you as the only thing in which
had an interest, It was but natural that
should seek to do that which would benefit
you materially SO whes, several Years after
your birth wealthy and refined gentleman
came to town for the summer I-you must
not think me wicked, jamie set my cap
for him But the first step necessary was to
get free from my former entang cement, so
secured al absolute divorce and permission
to resume my maiden name Alas, alas b.
the time this had been accomplished the
summer had fled and the wealthy and re.
fined gentleman with II. Thus YOU see,
Jamie, you have only me IN the world, and
if the person who should pose as YOUR father
Is alive, YOU have no right TO address him
otherwise than rs a stranger"
| understood but dimly my mothers utter.
ances at the time but her earnestness made
n great impression on me, and as | grew
older her meaning became more and more
clear Her love and care for me have been
so constant that even at this day freely ac-
Quit her OF any indelcacy in arranging to set
Der cap for the wealthy and refined summer
visitor may say that we were not living
in the town where | was born. and then skip
au interval of several Years, during which
my humiliation at my fa-heress condition
grew more and more oppressive.
1t was Just six months ago that nay mother
and assisted at social occasion OF some
Importance 1t was the annual quilting of
blanket for the heather under the auspices
of the First Church Sewing Circle and Mis-
sionary union. With other young and old
men | had put on my Prince Albert coat
and gone down in the evening to eat beans
and exchange greetings with the neigLbor
hood, | had waited on the maiden la
dies and served coffee and tea to the
matrons. and was just turning my atten
ton TO group Of blooming misses when
as | passed my mother, noticed her start
and blush as II violently agitated put my
arm around her waist and supported her
while trying to learn what the matter might
be She pointed 10 a stranger who had just
entered and gasped. There, Jamie, that
nanw / looked toward him in astonish
ment. "WellF / said He is your father,
jamie" she exclaimed, and almost swooued
1 helped her TO the anteroOm quickly ami
we went home The stranger had caught
sight OF her face and also seemed agtated
could not sleep that night The whole
thing seemed so extraordinary a father al
most within my grasp And get for all
practical purposes he might AS well be |, 900
miles away 1t was intolerable. resolved
that il should be the object Of my life to
bring the gentleman 10 a realization OF my
moral claims upon him and 50 restore him to
his family desperate purpose, indeed
but was az desperate In my humiliation and
sense Of bereavement, and would have
stopped at nothing The problem was how
to bring the objects of my manipulation into
each others prcsencei For until had some
opportunity TO Judge Of their reciprocal at.
fractions or the contrary, it would be i'm
practicable 10 adopt final policy A way
opened 10 my thought before morning. and
fell asleep.
AT breakfast my mother said nothing Of
the previous evening, Lat her eyes showed
that she had wept much and slept little |
was strengthened In my purpose al sight OF
Der There was 10 be croquet party that
afternoon &, neighbours TO which both my
mother and | had been invited | rushed
around town in the morning to find whether
1t would be possible 10 get the stranger, my
father, an invitation Somebody who had
beard his name and thought he might be a
relative VI mine few surmised the painful IT.
atty Of my family affairs had already asked
him 10 lie present, and he had accepted |
did not tell this to mother, and SO had little
difficulty in persuading her to go and go
early We were the first TO arrive ] con.
Quoted my mother To seat IN al arbor in o
retired part Of the grounds and then kept
watch for the stranger My heart was in q
state OF great trepIdation, for so much de-
pended on the result Of the day After a long
delay the stranger arrived, and when the
vicinity was free from irtrude,s sent a little
girl 10 the man TO say that person was in
the arbor The message was purposely blind,
for did not want TO compromise my mother
In any way | hii discrectly when he ap
preached He was looking puzzled. Ny
mother saw him first, and, after u painful
start tina, struck me to the heart, stood up
With dignity before him He paused alb