The Penn's Grove record., 1888-02-18

6uu lit Will dSSuituIl uOb w 5U,
| rejQined her husband, still smiling.
"How," gasped she, paling. ''how do
you know of whom | spoker"
"Come, my dear, said he soothingly,
II know to whom you allude. Confde
all to me. and this terrible incubus
shall be forever removed"
"Oh, God, has he dared to tell
you" She interrupted herself at
this point, and buried her face in her
hands.
mo, Elinor,' said he, she knows
better than to kill the goose that lays
the golden eggs"
"a faint shrek from her followed
these words, then the woman's dignity
and self-esteem asserted itself. Said
she:
81 see that he has betrayed me, for
l wrote those words in a letter to him
to-day. Is it not SOP" asked she, in
stern tones.
"Mr. Helmbold was about to explain
the true state of affairs-how the letter
was obtained-when l hastened to pre-
vent it. Quickly approaching him, so
that Mrs. Helmbold could not see my
face. l did some vigorous winking as l
said:
"Show your lady the letter she sent
him this morning."
'He produced it. One glance was
sufficient; she would not read it, but
said:
81 know Its contents too well; they
are imprinted in indelllble characters
on my memory. and since he has gwen
you cause to suspect terrible things of
xnnr yuifa 7 chali in inotiaa fn rpvoo1f
tell all-that is, all that has been told
me, for I know nothing more than that,
since 1t took place when / was a babe
if 1t is the truth"
'She then made the following state
ment:
"Some six months ago she was &C
costed by Corney, who pretended to be
startled at beholding her, then asked
her IL her name was Louise Simmons.
She informed him of his mistake, when
he smiled and said:
"What a Ounce l am, to be sure.
How should you know the name you
bore in your infancy, when it was
changed for another when you were .
year old? Your name is Elinor Hard.
Ing. is 1t not?" then asked he.
"She said that was her maiden name,
but now she was called Mrs. HelmbOld.
mot the wife Of Joseph Helmbold,
| the wealthy retired m%erchant?" asked
he.
1.-THE same," was her reply.
"a prolonged whistle escaped the
mans lips as he eyed her curiousIy,
filling her mind with an underlined fear
that she was about to hear something
dreadful.
MADAM, said he, In a most respect
full tone, ~ am sorry TO hear that you
are married to SO worthy a man, for
your true name is Louise Simmons, and
your mother Is still living, and resides
not six blocks from here"
"She told him her mother died in her
presence. but lie gazed at her commits
erately and said:
''She whom you always took for your
mother Is dead, 1 grant, but your real
mother is living and in this city, long
ing to see her child"
"Then he told her how Mrs. Hard
ing's child had died, aud she subse.
quently adopted that Of Mrs. Simmons,
and by his specious pleadings Mrs.
Hslmbold was persuaded that he was
speaking the truth. She took Mrs.
Simmons address, and promised to call
on her the following evening.
"She went to the house-a mean
frame shanty-and saw the woman who
claimed to call her daughter. The
first sight of her filed her with loath-
Ing, and when she spoke her disgust Of
the woman was extreme. She RAJ a
tall and muscular woman Of about filGy,
and very-slovenly looken. Her language
betrayed her coarse nature, and Mrs.
Helmbold could have shrieked out like
a mad woman when she thought of
this woman as her mother.
"After telling the unhappy young lady
the same story Corney had told her,
Mrs. Simmons observed:
son course, now as you are a fine
lady you don't keer to have your poor
mother round you. You'd be ashamed
of me, but children should never forget
their mothers, and Pm a poor creetur,
and money is awfully skeerce with ME,
so as you wouldn't keer to see me
CALM at you're fine house I'll expect
| you to call or me onc in a while and
not forfeit to bring money with you"
"Poor Mrs. Helmbold gladly prom
ised anything so that this creature
would not come to the house and pro-
claim herself as her mother. The bare
thought Of such a possibility was mis-
cry.
"She gave Mrs. Simmons what money
she had about her, and promised to call
on her frequently.
'tShe called The next day and made
the woman take an oath on the Bible
never to let Mr.. Helmbold know that
she (Elinor) was other than the daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs. Harding.
1.-The woman took the required oath
after Mrs. Helmbold gave her her
sacred promise to give her ten dollars
per week while she lived.
"This l would not have minded SO
much" said Mrs. Helmbold, in conclu-
sion, ''although l placed myself in a
very questionable positioD-robbing my
husband to purchase her silence, but
another calamity came upon me. This
monster, Corley, stopped me on the
street one da and began in a round
about way telling me that Mrs. Sim
mons was "a very dlsreputable person,
having served several terms in prison,
and her presence in California was
owing to some crime she bad committed
III oOokOus AtOb q NSAy NtoiiaoAC
| mother-in-law for Mr.. Helmbold, |
should thinkp he added, with a mali
cious laugh. He then said that he
needed money occasionally - pretty
large sums-and IL l valued his silence
at the estimate he put on 1t she might
trust to his honor to keep her uDpleas-
ant family secret from Mr.. Helmbold.
lie has written I've or six letters al
ready, demanding more money with
each letter, and in the last n / re-
| ceiyed he demanded two hundred dol
lars. I sent him fifty. 1 expect he
will rave at this aud send me a threat
| ening letter. But l have broken the
| chain he had thrown around mel
have told you all, my poor, wronged
husband, aud now l defy him, no mat
| ter what your deelsiCN may be-"
my decision, my dear little woman,
is lust this" said her husband, as be
| ta,larly f,nU hor hand opd uraeaad ~