Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-02
MY TRIUMPH.

SeaA . iOA6Cl 0NAASu AS HUI 6O uuI0a5OuaDl0 U possibility. as it would make me only 99 at death) shall never accomplish anything so fraught with joy and honor to myself. My experience has been too extraordinary to keep to myself, and propose here, there fore, to give calm, cold narration of the facts.
 My parents had been married about three years before was born, but, Iackaday, when the momentous event of my birth occurred, my mother was alone A series of petty dis agreements had resulted three months before in the sudden disappearance of my father. Thus 1 passed through babyhood and the knee brooches period without the knowledge of fathers loving and correcting hand. From my associations with other boys l knew that such beings as fathers were, but also observed that they were not necessarily the most attractive features of family life In fact, had prejudice against fathers as class until one day, when l was 10 years old, was set upon and badly beaten by the school bully As was remonstrating with him. tearfully and spitefully, he interrupted me with:
 Fl can lick you with one hand, and my father can lick your-but you haven't got any fatheri"
 felt the contempt in his tone keenly, but nevertheless replied:
 Il 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 a paternal appendage besought my mother to tell me what had become of my father, or whether had ever had one. Her eyes filled with tears"
 'sYes, Jamie" she said, ''you had father, but he ran away before you were born Left as was with you as the only thing in which 1 had an interest, it was but natural that should seek to do that which would benefit you materially. So when, several years after your birth wealthy and refined gentleman came to town for the summer, I-you must not think me wicked, Jamie-l set my cap for him. But the first step necessary was to get free from my former entanglement; so secured an absolute divorce and permission to resume my maiden name. Alas, alasi by the time this had been accomplished the summer had fled and the wealthy and re- fined gentleman with it. 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 stranger"
 understood but dimly my mothers utter ances at the time, but her earnestness made a great impression on me, and as l 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- l quit her of any indelicacy in arranging to set her cap for the wealthy and refined summer visitor. may say that we were not living in the town where was born, and then skip an interval of several years, during which my humiliation at my fatherless condition grew more and more oppressive.
 It was just six months ago that my mother 1 and assisted at social occasion of some fho .,f~ blanket for the heathen under the auspices | of the First Church Sewing Circle and Mis- sionary union. With other young and old men 1 had put on my Prince Albert coat 1 and gone down in the evening to eat beans l and exchange greetings with the neighbor- | hood l had waited on the maiden la- 1 dies and served coffee and tea to the matrons, and was just turning my atten- tion to group of blooming misses when, as passed my mother, l noticed her start and blush as if violently agitated l put my l arm around her waist and supported her l while trying to learn what the matter might be- She pointed to stranger who had just entered and gasped: ''There, Jamie, that l manlr l looked toward him in astonish- l ment. 'sWellT' said. ''He is your father, Jamiel" she exclaimed, and almost swooned. 1 1 helped her to the ante-room quickly and we went home The stranger had caught sight of her face and also seemed agitated I could not sleep that night. The whole | thing seemed so extraordinary A father al 1 most within my graspi And yet for all l practical purposes he might as well be 1000 l miles away. It was intolerable I resolved that it should be the object of my life to | bring the gentleman to realization of my I moral claims upon him and so restore him to | his family A desperate purpose, indeed, but was as desperate in my humiliation and sense of bereavement, and l would have stopped at nothing. The problem was how to bring the objects of my manipulation into each others presence7 For until had some opportunity to judge of their reciprocal at fractions or the contrary, it would be i'm practicable to adopt final policy. A way opened to my thought before morning, and fell asleep.
 At breakfast my mother said nothing o1 the previous evening, but her eyes showed that she had wept much and slept little was strengthened in my purpose at sight o1 her. There was to be 8 croquet party that afternoon at neighbours to which both my mother and 1 had been invited l rushed around town in the morning to find whether it would be possible to get the stranger, my father an invitation. Somebody who had heard his name and thought he might be 6 relative of mine flew surmised the painful re allJy or my IdulIy dHa1TSb ndO aT0duy aSKeC him to be present, and he had accepted did not tell this to mother, and so had littlt difficulty in persuading her to go and ge early We were the first to arrive. con ducted my mother to seat in an arbor in z retired part of the grounds and then kep,
 watch for the stranger. My heart was in { state of great trepidation, for so much de pended on the result of the day. After long delay the stranger arrived, and when thu
 vicinity was free from intruders sent littl, I girl to the man to say that person was ii
 the arbor. The message was purposely blind
 for did not want to compromise my mother
 in any way. hid .discreetly when he ap
 preached. He was looking puzzled. My
 mother saw him first, and, after painful
 start that struck me to the heart, stood u]
 with dignity before him. He paused ab
 ruptly and in confusion, and then, lifting hi
 hat, said: Excuse me; thought there wa
 somebody here who wanted to see me"
 "I did not send fer you, sir, ? responded m,
 mother, with an eff rt.
 Mechanics Hotel. \ 149 so. MAIN ST.