Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-08-01

! Stamford, facetiously, as Isabel landed al
| her door tired and dusty with travel
"Yes, indeed, we had few words and
| parted replied Isabel, laaghingly, keep
ing up the Illusion, and then she explained
| the circumstances which had led to her ap
pearance in New York alone.
A few hours later they were sitting in
| Mrs. Stanford's own room beside an open
| CRATE; 1t was late 6epember, and Isabel
had told her the story OF her birth, and
Mrs. Stanford had received it as very
pleasant revelation, doing away with the
| shop-girl side of the story completely.
"Realy quite romance" she said, ap-
provingly, land, of course, Harvey will
| spare no pans TO find out If the CARING
tons are yet living"
II presume So" replied Isabel, absently.
II am so anxious TO know II my father is
living, though it hardly seems probable"
The very possibility thrilled her through
| and through.
"What a mercy that Mrs Harmon con.
triyed to keep the locket for you," said
Mrs. Stanford, turning the precious relic
over carefully with critical eyes; dia.
mond loclIet was very gratifying proof OF
| the probable standing of Isabelis family,
| and she appreciated it accordingly. 1T
| will be so necessary for you to have some
thing with which 10 prove your identity, il
| you do find them.n
"And so you met Mrs. Monteith in Phila-
| delphia,n laughed Mrs. Stanford, 1and she
| doubtless thought she was showing me q
favor in crushing you"
Mrs. Stanford forgot that Mrs. Monteith
| had but shown the same spirit she had her
self cherished.
"Really, must contriye to let her hear
| this delightfully."- romantic story of yours"
Mrs Stanford looked at it in mercenary
and social light only, while Isabels heart
was full of the sweet, strange Joy OF having
found out the long-sogght knowledge of
her parentage, and she changed the subject
by telling her sister in-law her plan in re
gard to Lottie Ford The lady was in q
facetious humor, and cried, gayly: II skall
expect TO hear next that you and Harvey
have started an orphan asylum, or at the
least an invalid's retreat" and she laughed
heartily at the brIlliancy of her idea. "But
really, joking aside,' she added, more seri-
ously, sit will be nice for Oracle if the girl
| is intelligent and refined, and of course you
would not think of the thing otherwise"
s'My dear sister, if you could only recover
from the idea that a person is necessarily
vulgar and i'll bred simply because she is
poor" said Isabel, with a deprecatlng
smile.
4 Il
sOh, mother, If you only knew how hard
it is for me to lie here and see you doing so
much for me.n The speaker was Lottie
Ford; she lay upon the lounge, in the one
room which answered for sitting-room, din
ingroom and parlor, and watched the
patient mother as she polished the bosom of
fine shirt she was ironing, for Mrs. Ford
was obliged to do great deal Of fine laun-
dry work now that Lottie was sick and the
expenses heavier.
She was small, spare woman, with Lot
ties gentle spirit reflected in her thin face;
it had been pretty once, in the days long,
long ago, when Mr. Ford, then thrifty me-
chanic, brought her TO a coy nest called
home, and for many years they were so
happy, and the wolf-poverty- kept a re-
spectful distance from their door.
Then trouble came In the form of sick
ness and death, and two lovely children
were laid in the grave, and Lottie had the
fall which resulted in her lameness, and the
little mother was glad TO turn her faculty
for fine ironing to advantage in helping
along, for Mr.. Ford, though the kindest and
most willing of men, was no longer young
anu strung.
''Dont fret, Lottie," she said, as she fitted
the bosom-board into another shirt LET
US be thankful that l can get the work to
do; il could only see you getting better
could work with light heart" And she
sighed as she went into the little kitchen
for fresh iron.
"How wish might hear from Isabel"
said Lottie, as the mother returned. ~
have thought of her so much of late"
''Yes," replied Mrs. Ford, ''that basket of
fruit and flowers she sent you cheered and
helped you better than half-dozen doctors
visitsr
Doubtless she has too many interests in
her new life to think Of poor Lottie very
often, though" sighed the daughter.
At that very moment Mrs. Stanford's own
elegant carriage was at the front Of Q
shabby tenement house, and Isabel, her ia Z
aglow with the delight of meeting her
friend again, ran up the stairs, and, as the
door.was ajar she stepped in without knock
ing, and before Lottie could quite compre-
bend who or what it was, she had her arms
around the poor, pale little figure, crying
joyfully: "Lottie, you darling, precious lit
tle Lottie. have come to take you home
with me!''