The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-02-09
What should I do about it all?

What should do about it all? /
cogitated over and over again. IRE.
tire at once. now that the business
Tor which you came is ended" said
the conventionalities. "But you can.
not leave these two penn,less and
iriendless IN a big city," urged the
heart within me. and the latter argu.
ment seemed the stronger of tho two,
so broke forth at last, awkwardly
(for l am not a man OF tact at any
time), but to the point. "You accept
sion from heaven when a strange tate
brought her to your door, and why
may l not accept the care of both of
you as my commission until some
thing better can be done?"
The effect OF this speech was simply
startling. Miss Adele flushed and
turned pale by turns, but she said,
looking straight at me. with womanly
courage flashing from her large violet
eyes: "Sir, you have been so kind to
my dear little Eva that will not be-
lieve you intend less to me"
"God knows that I do not" re-.
piled, feelinely. pardon me, but
your little charge has given me some
idea OF how you are situated; would
like to befriend you both while you
need a friend"
Miss Adele searched my face long
and earnestly to discover if perchance
there lurked some sinister motive
there before she said, "sir. your offer is
a very extraordinary one"
"Not more so than your own course
in sacrificing yourself and all that you
possessed to this child's care"
'But that was the will of heaven for
me-" Miss Adele said with deep seri.
BUSINESS, II could not do less. But"
she added after a moment, 1--WE do
indeed, need Il FRIEND"
do you suppose that 1 would tres.
pass longer upon your privacy were
it not so?' asked earnestly, may,
trust me and you shall have no cause
to regret it!'
Then Miss Adele spoke out like the
laree-souled woman that she was, II
will trust you, sir, for my little Eva's
sake"
Matters proved quite as bad as fear
ell. They were at the end OF their money,
and no immediate prospect for getting
more opened before them. Miss Adele,
whose musical gifts had been rec
ognized as pre.eminent in her native
village, had thought it would be easy
enough to secure pupils in g. great city
like New York, but alas! from bitter
experience she had learned that this
commercial Mecca towards which so
many young aspirants for success
turn their footsteps held but disap.
pointment for her.
The end of long discussion of the
pros and cons involved, resulted in
Miss Adelle's accepting assistance
from me as a loan, and !, in turn,
promised her pupils from among my
friends, taking upon my shoulders the
doubtful task of coercing all the ia
theirs and mothers of my acquaintance
into giving their children over to her
training, beginning with my own mar
ried sister. And it was fortunate that
made my beginning there, else it is
probable that should have misera-
bly, failed in my undertaking, for my
sister, Mrs. Northumberland me
scornfully when laid my plan before
her, II cannot be thankful enough,
Tom. that I am the first one to
whom you unfold your Quixotic
scheme, for nothing could be more ru-
nous to girls prospects. situated as
Miss Adele is, than to have a bachel.
or like yourself going around advocat-
ing her cause. Just take me to see the
girl, and if she is not mere aiven-
turess you may count upon my doing
what l can for her."
That my sister was wholly satisfied
with Miss Adele will 20 without the
saying when l tell you that she took
her home within the week as musical
Roverness to her own children, and
personally solicited patronage for her
among the "dear 500 friends"
In less than three months from the
day that first discovered EVA, Miss
Adele found herself with more work
upon her hands than she could pos
sibly attend to, and found myself
but no, will tell you about that lat
or, for now comes the most remark.
able part OF this narrative land there
is nothing so very remarkable in the
story of free man who is often
thrown into the society of good and
beautiful woman falling in love with
her) and that which emphasizes the
fact that truth is stranger than fiction.
One day there drew up before my
sisters door the well.known equipage
OF one OF the city's most successful
bankers, and from it alighted O. gen.
tleman who eagerly requested to see
Miss Adele. The result of that visit
was nothing short of the restoration
of little Eva to her parents and home,
for she was proven to be the long lost
and sadly mourned daughter of the
banker, stolen by a former servant,
the only object that could be dis
covered to extort money for her re-
turn. In order probably to render
the scheme successful the child had
been taken lar away where it would
be difficult to trace her. The mystic.
rious death of the woman had inter
ferel with the original plan and lett
no clue by which the agonized parents
could possibly discover their child,
and long since she had been given ur
for dead.
In the course of its progress from
person to person, the story OF the
young music teacher and her little
charge had reached the banker and
his wife, who FASTENED to convince
themselves that Eva was their long
lost darling; tho diamond crescent
which had been stolen for that very
purpose no doubt furnishing evidence
# more had been needed than the
child resemblance to her mother.
1t is needless to say that the CRATE
full parents insisted upon adopting
Adele into their hearts and home as
q daughter no less than their legiti
mate offspring, and for me they de-
clared eternal friendship.
| With this l should have been quite
satisfied under ord inarv circuna sfanc