The morning call., 1890-12-25


not say; but know that she fixed her n. ind
sternly on certain worldly subjects (for in
| stance, Reggy's Kindergarten and heard as
| little as DR.. Rollins melodious, and mag
! netic voice would let her about ''the greatest
/ of these"
The Rollinses were late in joining her in
the vestibue; the reason for " hch Instantly
| appeared, i'll spite of Mrs. Rollins warning
| elbow.
"You must excuse us, Miss Wilder" said
the rector, ''the fact is Mrs. Dubarry was
| just telling us Mrs. Braces little girl has
been kidnapped =" Here, aware of the ell
bow. lie turned his mild, inquiring counte-
nance on his wife.
She certainly was not so conscientious as
he, for she asked him If he was not on her
skirt. which be was nowhere near, and then
| took the kidnapping business out of his hands,
=, II she has any heart at all, !" thought Mrs.
Rollins, "she'li want to hear about kid
isn't it awful! 1t is the most mysterious
| thing, too. Her father was walking I'D and
| down the hill with her-just to. let her try
her new trlcycle-and almost opposite their
own drive. you know how the hills slope up
on that side the street, and how far back the
house is. so Won can see it from the sidewalk
we'll, do you know? the little thing wanted
| 20 run home, minute, TO get something or
other to show play that she saw; my
dear. she ran up that asphalt drive. with her
father watching her, and into the shadow of
| the stone porch-you know how dark IL is
| with those heavy pillars and the arch and
all; she ran there-and that was the last
| seen of herY'
don't understand" said Miss Celia !;
They walked on, DR.. Rollins in his turn
explaining.
! Mr.. Brace, of course. thought the child
was safe. In the house they supposed she
was with him. He met-well, Miss Wilder
| 1t was whom he met, and we cbatted to-
geiher pleasantly. He is a very cultivated,
noble young fellow, Mr. Brace" (Dr. Roll
Inns could not resist the opportunity, land
not bit spoil, d by his money; l like to talk
to him. After he left me he returned to the
house, and then, Tor the first time, dis
covered that the child was missing. No one
had seen her since she left with her father.
/ There was instant search and inquiry.
Nothing was found Only as nearly as they
could calculate at the time of Gracir's dis
appearance, yelled woman in a long cloak
was hanging about the yard"
II don't believe she took the child" said
Mrs. Rollins; people don't rig themselves
up. In striking clothes when they are going
to kidnap babies"
Miss Celia asked no questions, but in
wardly She was in flame. Had it been any
| other. woman In the town she would have
sent Feretzle with profferS of sympathy and
aid; now she was silent: she let the talk
flow over her as rock does not resist high
tide.
At dinner the very servants were agi-
| tated. She could catch whispers in the
| buffers pantry. Elna, the Swedish nurse
| maid, bad stopped at the kitchen in passing,
| TO Tell her story OF grlel and frantic search
The police were securing the town and line
two towns across the river. Every house in
the neighDorhood had bein visited, every
loot OF the Braces house and stable searched.
| While they sat at table, with the flowers
and light, they could hear the crer shouting
a description of the LOST child, and presently
| they saw COY run by over the snow, with
his arms heaped with posters.
DIR. Rollins said: That is the boy from
the printins-offiee with the offer Of the re-
ward. Five hundred dollars offered. They
will be pasted all over the city before night
! TALL. lie had just returned from searching,
having parted from the ladies at Miss
Ceiia's gate. He was agitated and could
talk of nothing else. Both the Rollins boys
had remained TO help. though what they
could do was vague enough.
Even Henry Fereizle had gone; having
presented himself 10 his mistress and asked
| to go with Elna "t0 look"
| All the time they could see people pass
inc, women as well as men, talking eagerly.
| The suspicious woman had been arrested,
protesting that she was only member of
the Salvation Army. and showing some
lurid tracts in evidence; but she had been
| taken to Jail, where at last accounts she
Was exhorting the prisoners.
| Miss Celia wished that DR.. Rollins would
not describe the fearless anguish Of the
mother, Who yet thinks of every one" he
said, with moist eyes, ran after tue nurse
cup OF coffee-and all the time keeps her
senses in the midst of the confusion"
Celia felt her heart contract. She re-
membered her father in emergencies-so he
| used to act-thlS was his true daughter
Insensibly she felt her stony control CIV
| ing way under the tide or sympathy She
asked questions: ''Who WAS the playmate
that Grace thought she saw?" Couldn't
they discover something from him?"
Il believe there is chance there" cried
Mrs. Rollins. Wouldn't Reggy know?
| Where is hep"
Now Reggy had behaved very queerly.
| lie had been keen TO sit at the table with
| his aunty up to that very day; yet immedi-
whisper that he didn't want to go to the
table; he wanted to stay out with his DON
key. He so carefully avoided giving his
aunt rear view of his small person that
she suspected some grievous mishap to his
best clothes-suspiciOns that graZed GER
tainty during dinner when she heard
| Teenas voice uplifled wrathfully through
the slide.
II shouldn't wonder if he has sat down in
the pudding" thought Miss Celia
Never was such a tumutuous dinner
known in that well-ordered household; the
immaculate Maddox forgetting her cap;
Lizzie trying TO pour champagne out of a
| corked bottle, sounds of wreck and crash
| twice emerging from the kitchen.
! Ordinarily Miss Celia's decorOus soul
| would have writhed at such service; now
| she hardly noticed it. Her whole being was
shaken by distfacting emotions-pity, anxi-
| ETY., cllnging resentment, long-silent instincts
| OF kinshp, and strong and stronger all the
| time frightened tenderness for the little
| helpless innocent child. her very own little
| niece. Perhaps this minute she was shiver-
ing in some CHASTITY howell
something rose Ill her throat to choke her;
| she could not eat; the wine that she drank
feverishly might have been water.
When Mrs. Rollins proposed questioning
Reggy 1t was as is the strained cords snap
ped; neither pride nor anger could hold her
| heart in their leash any longer
Yes, Mrs. Rollins" she said, lifting her
| head with look on her faded and delicate