Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-21
OR, THE QUEEN OF THE FACTORY.
by j. NGONK FOSTER,
Ian Rights Reserved. ]

below them in the lately inundated val
ley hundred lights were twInkling in
and about the white hosts Of canvas
tenemeuts.
cit may be as you say. Mr.. Lin
wood, - Mark said slowly, thoughtfully.
at must bel' was the elder man s
emphatic rejoinder. HYour history cor
responds in every particle with that of
the man / have been seeking. Your
parents names are the same; your place
of birth Identical; your age-what is it? -
Mark told him.
"That Is a further proof that you are
my daughters child-my graudson?'
Paul Linwood went on. "Hsr child
was born at number 20 Washington
avenue, New York, on the 9th of July +,
1864
~ was born on the date named, and
in the house mentioned" Mark ex-
claimed. fThere appears to be no
further room for doubt now. But how
did You learn all thiss, Mr.. Llnwood?"
al will tell you. Do you remember q
woman of the name of Hannah VIII
ford?''
"Hannah Wilford?" Mark questioned
himself refiectivelY, and he cast his
thoughts backward, backwards till he
had reached the utmost verge of tbs pc
riod when recollection began. But his
memory did not unearth any form con-
nectad with the name his companion had
mentioned. Still the name had a not
unfamiliar ring in it.
"You do not remember her then? She
was a nurse
81 remember her now!" Mark broke
in audi ;nlya I,,
Mr.. Linwood's last word. "Hannah
MILFORD was nurse in the orphanee in
which 1 was placed. She it was who
told me what little knew of my moth
er. They had lived in the same hotel
together, aud when l ran away from the
institution Hannah MILFORD was staying
at the New York orphanage.
"Well, 1t wa this woman who told
me my daughter s sad story. Let us sit
down here, Mr.. Eliot, and 1 will tell you
the whole thing, from the very begin
ming. -
They went n few PAGES further along
the hillside road, to where fallen log
lay alongside the hedgerow. Upon the
sprouting trunk they seated themselves,
the shadows of eventide falling thick
about them, and after a few moments
of silence the elder man began his narra-
tive.
Twenty-Five years ago." he COM
menced quickly, as if he were, address,
ing himself, ~ was a struggling attor-
ney in the city of New Orleans l was
still very poor man, but my practice
was increasing; and having some ambi-
ton and friends, was sanguine of doing
well in my profession. My family con-
sisted of my wife, myself, and one child
my daughter and your mother.
"Annie was then nineteen years of
age, and one of the most beautiful and
high spirited girls in the whole state. a
friend of mine-a man of my own age
and profession-made an offer of marriage
to my daughter. He was refused, of
course. He was Richie stood at the
head of his legal brethren in our country,
aud was to become candidate for con-
gress at the next election, with almost
certainty OF being returned
al suppose, sir, - he said pathetically,
as he glanced at Marks impassiYe face,
that you can guess what followed.
thought Annie was mad to refuse such
chance of settling herself comfortably
for life. The man who loved her was in
every way eligible; he was not bad LOOK
ing, was clever, had reputation, and
with him for a sou-in-law my own sue
cess would have been greatly acceler-
ated. -
az need not trouble TO tell you in de-
tail how the matter went. Perhaps l
was too severe with Annie, and may
have been inconsiderate in pressing my
wishes upon her. 1t Is sufficient to say
that she ran away from home. and 1
was too proud, too self-satisfed to at
tempt to follow and bring her back.
thought she would come back to her
nome when her anger was over, and so
permitted two years to drift
by. -
"wheu did look for my daughter it
was too late. l did everything 1 could
think of TO find Ler, but without avail.
1 advertised, but never received any in
as to what had become of her;
and at last, quite despairing, ceased to
search for her. Only when It was too
late did l see my attempts to force her
into a loveless marriage, in its true
light.
1.-THE distress of mind it has caused
me during all these years 1 will leave
you TO imagine. Annie IS disappearance,
and the uncertainty which enshrouded
her fate, had much to do, 1 believe,
with her mothers death. -
Mr.. Llnwood's voice grew tren Llous
with suppressed emotion as he reached
this point, and he had to cease speaking
for brief space in order to control him
self. Mark had no comment to make,
aud for some minutes they sat there in
silence. Then the elder man returned
10 his narrative.
"Until about two years and half ago
remained III perfect ignorance of my
fate. Then, by the strangest
full knowledge of her unfor-
.unate end was revealed to me. II hap |
pened in this way. My old housekeeper, |
who had been with me from the time of |
ny wife's death, died, an d in order to 1
i'll the place she had vacated, adver-
Used in the New Orleans papers.
"Among those who applied for the |
situation was woman of about fifty, |
named Hannah Wiford-''
"Hal 1 understand" Mark broke in |
here. lit was the Hannah MILFORD I |
Knew at the orphanage. -
"The same. But the woman had been |
IN inmate of my house for some months
before discovered that she knew any
hing of the daughter / had lost. One |
lay, however, she came hurriedly into |
ny room, carrying in her hand large |
album which had belonged /
o my dead wife. Miss MILFORD IS manner
vas most excited, and before could ask
What was the matter, sne had laid the |