San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-11-20

pool, anu lOltl l1oItl CaIASNobu VI TIC DlIbil
of a little granddaughter
eve shall call her Ismay,' wrote the
hapless young mother; land | am sure
that you would love her if you saw her.
She has my face and my hair. Dearest
papa, forgive me for my little daughters
sake
Then came a most despairing letter,
written from Chester. They were starv-
ing, Mrs Cameron said, and her husband
was ill., The lawyers strong voice trem-
bled as he read the heart-brOken supplica-
ton that followed. If Lord CarlswOod
would only send them bread TO eat-if he
would but give them the crumbs from his
table-the aims that he would throw 10
the poorest beggar.
''She must indeed have changed" said
the ord of Bralyn. SHEA Carlswood-
to beg for bread''
Another letter told him that her hus-
band was dead, and prayed him to let her
come home to die.
IL have parted with everything had in
the world she wrote, except the little
gold lOcket that you gave me with your
portrait and the little ring that you took
from my mothers finger for me; | shall
have those buried with me-"
The last letter but one said she was
about to start from Chester, and would
walk to the town of Ashburnham, where
she would wait and rest for a few days.
The last letter of all came from Ashburn-
ham, and was dated July the ninth. Sure
ly there was never more pitiful petition
presented; there was an appeal that would
have touched the hardest heart, and Lord
Ill nfl far wit
as he listened. Katrine wrote from
small statiOners shop, and the last penny
she had in the world was to pay for the
postage of the letter. She besOught him
for her dead mothers sake for the love of
Heaven. to send her Il little mOney-to
save her from starvation and death-'ever
so little" or she must take her child III
her arms and lie down by the roadside
and die
This was the last-there the tragedy
euded.
"lf you had received that letter. asked
Mr.. Ford, would you have refused her
| help
May Heaven be merciful to be- he
said, with a deep sigh. Il believe that |
should have done So"
What can have happened" questioned
Mr.. Ford, muSingly. She never wrote
another letter Did she die in Ashburn-
ham. wOuder,"
Lord Carswood's face grew white as
with the pallor of death.
Die" lie said-'die of starvation? Do
not even hint at anything SO terrible. For
Heavens sake, let us see about this at
once. Shall we go, | shall never rest
again.
The lawyer was just rs anxious, but he
foresaw difficulties. He knew how hard
| it would be to discover what had happened
| to poor and lonely woman 50 many years
| ago.
Il will go to Ashburnham myself, said
Mr.. Ford; II will lose no time. | will go
at once, and the moment | discover any
thing will send II telegram to you
Lord CarlswOOd could hardly control his
Impotence.
You think it better" he said, THAT l
should not gO."
Decidedly" replied Mr.. Ford. 81 can
act more quickly, more promptly, and
more energetically if go alone"
He went that same day, and the result
of his journey was more satisfactory than
he had ventured to hope it would be. He
took up his residence-nOt at the principal
hotel-that was not likely place to OH
tain such information as he sOu0ht-but
at an oId-fashioned inn: and, at night
when he had invited the landlord to join
him over glass of wine, he cleverly
turned the conversation on the subject of
strange and sudden deaths.
Then he heard the whole story-hOw a
certain poor lady that had come to the
town had died without telling her name,
or saying to whom she belonged, or any
thing that could throw any light upon her
history.
She really died in that strange way"
questioned Mr.. Ford. breathlessly: and the
landlord, all unconscious of the great in
terest at stake, anSwered-"Yes. that was
how she died"
"And the child" pursued the lawyer
''what became of the child"
He could hardly bear the moment of
suspense before the landlord answered
him.
''The Hopes adopted her, and she is the
prettiest girl in the whole countryside.
lsmay Hope they called her"
The lawyer started as the familiar name
fell upon his ear.
'Ismay,' he repeated-''tha is a strange
name"
Her mother called her by it before she
died, and she has kept it ever SINCE
''She is beautiful, you say; and what age
may she be?"
That cannot tell-she was quite young
when she married"
Mr.. Ford interrupted him somewhat
rudely.