Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-10
MY TRIUMPH.

years longer (Which is not so unreasonable a
possibility, as it would make me only 80 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 l propose here, there
fore, to give a calm, cold narration OF the
facts.
NV parents had been married about three
years before | was born, but lackaday, 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 l passed through babyhood and the
knee breeches period without the knowledge
of a fathers loving and correcting hand
From my associations with other boys /
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 | was 10 years
old, l was set upon end badly beaten by the
school bully As was demonstrating with
him, tearfully and spltefully, he interrupted
me with:
II can lick you with one hand, and my
father can hex your-buC you haven't got
any father"
felt the contempt in his tone keenly, but
nevertheless replied:
81 don't care, If | had a father he could
lick your father, anyhow"
Then for the FIRST time felt the indignity
Of being adrift upon a stormy life without a
paternaI apperiaGe. | bes0ught my mother
to tell ME - nat had become of my father, or
whether had ever had one. Her eyes filed
with tears"
ives, jamie" she said, 'you had a father,
but he ran away before YOU were born. Left
as | was with you as the only thing in which
| had an interest, il was but natural that L
should seek to do that which would benefit
you materially So when, several years after
your birth a wealthy and refined gentleman
came to town for the. summer, I--yOu must
not think rae wicked, jamie set my cap
for him. But the first step necessary was to
get free from my former entRglement; so
secured an absolute divorce and permission
TO resume my maiden name. Alas, aiasi by
the time this had been accomplished the
summer had fed and the wealthy and re-
fined gentleman with it. Thus you sec,
Jamie, Won 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 as Stranger
understood but dimly my mothers utter
ances ct the time but her earnestness made
n great impression on he. and as l grew
older her meaning became more and moro
clear Her love and care for me have beer
so constant that even at this day freely 40
quit her Of any indelicacy III arranging to set
her cap for the wealthy and refined summer
visitor. l may say that we were not living
il 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.
J. was Just six months ago that my mother
and | assisted 81 a social occasion of some
Importance 1t was the annual quilting Of a
blanket for the beathen under the auspices
of the First Church Sewing Circle and Mis-
sionarY union With other young and old
men L had put on my Prince Albert coat
and gone down in the evening to eat beans
and exchange greetings with the neighbor-
hood. | had waited on the maiden la
dies and served coffee and tea to the
,natrons, and was Just turning my atten-
ton to a group of blooming misses when,
as 1 passed my mother, l noticed her start
and blush as if violently agitated. | put my
arm around her waist and supported her
while trying to learn what the matter might
be. She pointed 20 a stranger who bad just
entered and gasped: There, Jamie, that
mani" | looked toward him in aStonsh-
ment. ''Wellg" l said HE is your father,
JarnieI" she exclaimed, and almost swooned.
I helped her to the ante-room quickly and
we went home The stranger had caught
sight of her face ard also seemed agitated
/ could not sleep that night The whole
thing seemed so extraordinary. a father al
most within my graspl And yet for all
practical purposes he might as well be LOCO
miles away 1t was intolerable. resolved
that it should be the object of my life to
bring the gentleman to a realization of my
moral claims upon him AND SO restore him TO
his family. A desperate purpose, indeed,
but was as desperate in my humiliation ard
sense OF bereavement, and | would have
stopped at nothing The problem was how
to bring the objects of my manipulation into
each others presenoel For until | had some
opportunity to judge OF their reciprocal at
fractions or the contrary, it would be i'm
practicable to adopt a final policy. way
opened TO my thought before, morning, and
fell asleep.
At breakfast nv mother ssdd nothing OF
the previous evening" but her eyes showed
that she had wept much and slept little. L
was strengthened in my purpo Sc at sight OF
her There was to be Q croquet party that
afternoon at a neigltbor's to which both my
mother and I had been invited / rushed
around town in the morning TO ihn whether
1t would be possible 10 get the STU anger, my
father, an invitation. Somebody who had
heard his name and thought he M ght be
relative of mite few surulised the painful re-
ahty of my family affairs had already asked
him to be present, and he had accel,ted l
did not tell this to mother, and so had little
difficulty in persuadins her to SO and so
early. We were the first TO arrive. I con-
Quoted my mother 70 Z seat in en arbor in a
retired part or the grounds and tlsen iaspt
watch for the stranger. Ny he2rt WIS III a
state of great trepidation, for so much de-
pended on the result OF the day. After lIUs
DELAY the stranger arrived, and when the
vicinity was free from IntrUde.s / sent little
girl TO the mar to say that Ii person was in
the arbor. The message 0yas purposely blind,
for did not want To compromise my mother
In any way | hid discreetly when he APP
preached. He was looking puzzled Ny
mother saw him first, and, after a painful
star. that struck me TO TIE heart, stood up
with dignity before him lie paused 25-
ruptly and in confusion, and then, lifting his
hat, said: Excuse me; thought there was
somebody here who wanted 70 see me,
~ did not send for YOU, sir, > responded my
mother, with ~ eior14
He bit his lip. "Tlen am to understand
that YOU 30 not wish TO see me" he said
81 did not say that she answered, 'bue
will say that hai known you would De here
should have stared away
He looked very grave and bowed 81 will