Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-18
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|
alteration had been torn from it, found her
self once more warmly attached to Twin,
creature.
She began to wish that the child belonged
to her, and from that went on saying to her
self that it might. She could adopt the boy
perhaps; remove him from his grandmother
influence, educate him, and bring him up a
her son. He was one to do her credit. Ye
any mother will understand how a mother
would shrink from putting another in be-
dead sons place. It almost seems like treach
cry toward that other nearer and dearer one
and Lady Vernon hesitated, and indeed aban
doned the idea more than once, only to recul
to it again. She strove hard not to love tn,
child, but her heart was beyond her control
Little Martin crept into it, though she
strove to Danish him by the thought Of bel
baby Roderick, whose grave was in the sea
One day, to steel herself against this new
love by memories Of her boy, Lady Vernon
took from the depths of one Of her travelling
trunks a box in which she kept Roderick'.
toys. She turned them over and her tear.
fell upon them.
"No, my baby" she said, "I will not have
another son to take your place. will not.
Then she cried out to Phoebe: "Ah, Phoebe,
I the head in his hand when nurse left him or
the shore. Oh, PhoebeI"
Dear heart, SO he had, said Phoebe "He
used to take the head out always"
At 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
hai &c looI A. 49,. L
| For the first time the child showed the tenn
| per the janftress credited him with.
They are mineI" he said.
| He ran up to Lady Vernon again and
caught her arm.
Say" he cried, "they are mine!" 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, Phgber' she gasped. "He is
a bad child-a rude little creature, after all %
Phoebe started in hot pursuit, but the child
was already back again. He had availed
| himself of the elevator which was coming
up. He was radiant, smiling, his cheeks
aglow.
"See!" he cried to Lady Vernon, and pre.
headless but wearing his round, smiling face,
his 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
oewildered, terrified.
She examined the mandarin closely. She
was positive that the head he wore had origi-
nally belonged to him Besides, the toy was
not an ordinary one to be matched in every
shop.
This was tie head that had been in her
child's hand when be was left by his nurse
upon the beach. She looked at Martin
again.
where did you get thata" she asked.
at is mine," said the child, land SO are all
those"
Lady Vernon was trembling from head to
foot. A moment more and she had sent for
the janitress.
The woman came at once.
where did your grandson get this!" the
lady asked, pointing to the mandarin's head
The chany heada He has always had it"
said the old woman. sit fits the image; but
indeed l think he's no thief Anyway, it's
been with him since / had him. "
when did you get himT' asked Lady Yer
non. "Wheres Whose child is hea You call
him your grandchild-is he really sos'
The woman hesitated. Then she answered,
slowly:
No, 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
chidren-we married late in life-and one
day gentleman William had been groom to
came to him. Pm going to be married, Viii.
ham,' said he, 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 sum of money to take
the child to America and call him his grand
child-and it was enough to open a 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'amW
''No-go on!" gasped my lady. Tell me
the gentleman's name!"
THE gentleman's name was Mr.. Alfred
Farnham," said the janitress And my
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 itr'
1T is this" cried Lady Vernon: "Mr. Al.
fred Farnham is my husbands younger
brother. My 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 l have loved him from the
first My heart told me the truth though l
did not understand. Roderick, my darling,
come TO mel am your motherl'
With scream of JOY the child few into
her arms
known it," the mother sobbed, "but for that
little mandarin's headl What blind worms
we poor mortals arel"
/ fancy that Mr. Alfred Farnham hated
his Yankee sister-in-law more than ever, and
yet she was lenient to him.
Il could punish you terribly" she said.
"But you were 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
have place in Scotland, you will go to it
and never let me see your face again"
And Mr. Alfred Farnham, though before
the lawyers he affected to believe that the
Yankee wife of his dead brother had tricked
them all, was glad to take himself away in
safety.
You aro too merciful, Lady Vernon" one
of the legal gentlemen who kept the family