Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-09-26

! you and l were left alone"
"My poor, darling mamma" said Isabel,
with tear of pity for the young mother
she had never seen, land my father-my
| poor, brave papar'
'Never came back, and we never heard
from him after that day, when he left US so
heart-brOken at leaving you, his little
Isabel you were named after your grand
mother), and the grave of his Alicia, whom
! he loved with an almost idolatrous passion,
/ and vet so eager and earnest to Join his
! oountrymen IN their struggle. 1t is prob
able that he was killed in the first battles of
! the war, and that his letters to his people
miscarried in the excitement of the times,
| for l have never heard a word from any of
! them"
sit may be none of them survived the
fortunes of war" said Isabel, thoughtfully;
''but please tell me more of my parents,
have so longed to know of them, and thought
it strange that you were SO reticent concern
ing them, and now my interest is re-
doubled"
''You resemble your father" said Mrs.
Harmon, raising her chin and looking IN
her face, though your eyes and hair are
like your mothers; she was avery beautiful
woman, but your father was plain, though
with a face of great intelligence and
strength; you are like him in character, too.
1 have both their pictures in a locket
which was left in old Chloe's care for
you, and l have always intended to
give 1t to you, but the right time has
never seemed to come until now.
have been obliged to hide it, for it is very
valuable, and l feared it would be sold with
the rest of our valuables," and hot blush
Of or hay 70. no
DRY of the dead, and rising, she dragged out
the old bureau, bringing out box from be-
hind it, which she placed in lsabe's hand.
1t was an old-fashiOned locket, of solid,
heavy gold, set in rim of small, sparkling
diamonds, and suspended on chain of rare
value. 1t was indeed beautiful girlish face
which looked out at Isabel as she touched
the spring reverently; the other face was,
as Mrs. Harmon had SAID, one of great
force and character, and she could see her
own resemblance to it as she looked at it
long and earnestly.
This is indeed a revelation, Aunt Debby,"
she said, pressing the pictured face to her
lips, ''and you were wise that you did not
tell me before, for it would have made the
unhappy phases of my lot doubly unhappy
if 1 had known they were not my birth
right, and still have been powerless to rem
edy the wrong, but now l am sure Mr.. Fal-
coner will never rest until he has found out
all there is to know about my family"
''You see now, my dear Isabel" said Mrs.
Harmon, that it is not right for me to &C
cept this assistance from you, now that you
know the facts"
81 only sec that / am the more indebted
to you, since there is not even the slight
ties Of blood which l supposed to bind me
toyou."
''But flowed you, child, and so much that
l did not call you by your own name, fear
ing that you would not love me as well if
you did not believe yourself to be my kim
dred," said Mrs. Harmon. Il fear have
been too selfish in my love, and l ought to
have brought you up as Isabel Darlington"
"And don't love you, toO?" cried Isabel,
impulsively, ignoring Mrs. Harmon's self
reproach; "and yet you refuse me the
small pleasure of making you comfortable
after the long, weary years of trouble you
have endured; but l shall not listen to your
objections" and she shook her head will
fully, ''as you will find out whea unfold
my plans, since you object to planning for
me-"
1t was very pleasant to the widow to have
a stronger will to plan and think for her.
and she submitted with gentle remon-
strances, while Isabel made the purchase
of larger and more convenient house, re
furnishing and stocking it with necessities
to last for months, and purchased new
wardrObes entire for the children, who
looked upon her as if she was a veritable
fairy godmOther, and, lastly, bought new
sewing machine, with every modern i'm
provement, to take the place of the noisy
heayy-running, old ''rattle-te-bang," as one
of the children irreverently named the
WORKOUT machine, which had so long done
its unwilling duty in earning the family
living.
Il think you can do good deal of the EN-
broidered fancy work which is so fashiona-
BILE now,n said Isabel, as she looked at the
embroidery attachment to the machine.
'Its nothing but a pleasure to turn this
beautiful thing" said Mrs. Harmon, de.
hghtedly, as she made the wheels spin
around. 'and l have regular customers
enough to keep me in steady work"
Isabel hao placed sum in the bank also,
which, with the insurance, when it came,
would cause the widows bank book to pre-.
sent quite respectable appearance, though
this Mrs Harmon did not discover until
after Isabel had gone, and she found the
certificate of deposit in an envelope under
her pillow.
Isabel paid a reverent visit to the graves
of her fair young mother and of faithful
Chloe, and with her own hands cleared
away the weeds and planted white rose
on each sunken mound. A plain monu-
ment, bearing the words MY Mother"
with the name and date, and a plain slab
for Chloe's grave was her next labor OF