Evening journal., 1889-12-27

She had at least the virtue of cleanliness, and
hour after hour the child played in the taste
ful apartments of the dear good lady, as he
called her, showing no trace Of the obstinacy
Of which his grandmother accused him.
He was a gentlemanly little fellow, and
never broke what he was allowed to play
with, and Lady Vernon, who fancied her
heart grown cold since the object of her
adoration had teen torn from 1t, found her
self once more warmly attached TO living
creature
She began to wish that the child belonged
to her, and from that went on saying to her
self that IL might She could adopt the boy,
perhaps remove him from his grandmother's
influence, educate him, and bring him up as
her son. He was one 10 do her credit Yet
any mother win understand how mother
would shrink from putting another in her
Sead sons place. II almost seems hke treach
- easskxS that oehax nsMrer and delrer one
spI Lady Vernon hesitated, and indeed aban
doned the idea more than once, only to recm
70 it again. She strove hard not to love the
child, but her heart was beyond her control.
Little Martin crept into it, though she
strove to Danish him by the thought Of her
baby Roderick, whose grave was in the sea.
One day, 10 steel herself against this new
love by memories Of her boy, Lady Vernon
took from the depths Of one Of her travelling
trunks box in which she kept Roderick's
toys. She turned them over and her tears
fell upon them.
mo, my baby she said, II win not have
another son to take your place-I viii not.
Then she cried out to Phoebe: "Ah, Phoebe,
here is the mandarin he loved sol He had
the head in his hand when nurse left him on
the shore. Oh, Phmhei"
Dear heart, SO he had, said Phmbe. "He
used TO take the head out always
Al that moment little Martin ran into the
room. He spied the box Of toys and rushed
toward it,
"You must not touch Them said Phoebe.
They are dear little Master Roderick's, and
he is dead.n And she drew him back
For the first time the echild showed the tenn
per the janitress credited him with.
"lhey are miner he said.
He ran up 10 Lady Vernon again and
caught her arm.
say he cried, "they are miner and sud
denly he seized the mandarin in both hands
and dashed out Of the room with it.
Lady Vernon stared in amazement. The
toy he had clutched was in her eyes sacred
relic of her dead son.
"Stop him, Phnbeln she gasped "He is
a had child-a rude little creature. after all
Phoebe started in hot pursuit, but the child
was already back again. He had ayailed
himself Of the elevator which was coming
up. He was radiant, smiling, his cheeks
aglow
Seer he cried TO Lady Vernon, and pre-
sented her with the china mandarin no longer
headless, but wearing his round, smiling face,
mis- arched eyebrows, and his braided pigtail
again.
That is just what he wanted, added little
Martin
Lady Vernon had never tainted in her life
or She would have done so then. She was
bewildered, terrified
She examined the mandarin closely. She
was positive that the head he wore had origi
ually belonged TO him. Besides, the toy was
aot an ordinary one to be matched in every
shop.
This was the head that had been In her
Guilds hand when he was left by his nurse
npou the beach. She looked at Martin
again.
where did you get thatg0 she asked.
''It is mine" )" said the child, land SO are all
those"
Lady Vernon was trembling from head &c
loot. moment moro and she had sent FOR
the janitress
The woman came at once
Where did your grandson get thisqn the
lady asked, pointing to the mandarins head.
"The chany headl He has always had 1t, ,
said the old woman. ut fits the image; but
indeed think he's no thief Anyway, its
been with him since had him.
when did you get himgn asked Lady Yer.
non. "Wherel Whose child is hel You call
MIN your grandchild-is he really sosn
The woman hesitated Then she answered,
slowly;
mo, my lady, I've nothing to do with him
any way. He is nobody's child, I've always
thought William and me never had any
children-we married late in life-and one
day gentleman William had been groom to
came to him. I'm going to be married, VIII.
liam, said be, and there's boy I'd like to
have out Of the way I've been little wild.
and-you understand And William Of
course thought he did. So he told William
that he'd give him a sum of money to take
the child 70 America and call him his grand
child-and it wns enough to open public
house with, and that was Williams ambition.
SO he paid the money and we got the boy the
day we went aboard ship, five years ago this
autumn. He cried good deal and wanted
his mother-some light Of love of the gentle
mans suppose. And he had that chany
head in his pocket. he's kept It ever since
He don't break anything, and-I hope moth
ing IS wrong, ma'amn
"No-go on!" gasped my lady. "Tell me
the gentleman's namein
"The gentleman's name was Mr.. Alfred
Furnham,n said the ianitress. "And nv
poor husband failed in the public house, lost
all, and left the child on my hands besides
when he died. OIL my lady, what is itin
1T is this-n cried Lady Vernon: "Mr. Al
fred Farnham Is my husbands younger
brother Ny child inherited the estates and
title In order to gain them for himself he
abducted my child. and all this while have
believed him dead 1t is he-it Is the little
fellow therel have loved him from the
first Ny heart told me the truth, though !
did not understand. Roderick my darling,
come to mel am your motherln
With a scream OF joy the child few into
her arms.
"And to think that / should never have
known it,n the mother sobbed, ''but for that
little mandarin's headi What blind worms
we poor mortals arel"
| fancy that Mr. Alfred FArnhan hated
his Yankee sister n-law more than ever, and
yet she was lenient to him
Il could punish you terribly she said
But you We're my husbands brother;
shall keep the story to myself. The family
lawyers viii maintain silence. and the world
need only know that my boy-the real Lord
Vernon-is restored to me. Only, as you
nave place in Scotland, you win 20 10 it
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