Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-13

naughty little girl"
81 know" came the confident reply !;
"she will look at me as if she is going TO
beat me, then she will cry, like She does
when ask about papa"
But any other condolences were checked
by the arrival of the cab at the police sta
ton. The interview was not, however
entirely satisfactory. A stern.looking but
kindly guardian of the peace, replying to
Graham's questions, vouchsafed the in
formation that no less than FIVE people had
visited the station during the previous
night in search of lost children 1t was a
common occurrence enough, though usually
the children were speedily found. In his
perplexity Graham suggested that if the
officer saw Miss Nelly he might perchance
be able to give some information; in an
swer to which the Constable shook his
| head doubtfully. Directly he saw the
child his stolid face frightened.
"Bless me, of course l know her =" he
exclaimed. my wife keeps a lodging
house, and this young lady's mother lives
in the same street. can give you the ad-
dress if you like, sir, or will take charge
of her."
Graham demurred to this proposal for
two reasons; first, because he felt strange
reluctance in parting with his tiny friend,
and, secondly, he felt some curiosity to see
| the mother.
The house to which he found himself
directed was by NJ means striking look
ing one, nor by any stretch of imagination
could it be called aristocratic. There was
about it general air of pretentious seedi-
ness-dingy curtains, and windows more or
less grlmy, in contrast TO a new red front !;
house to be summed up in the expressive
expression, shabby genteeP-such an
abode, In fact, as is usually affected by
those who have s'seen better days" In
answer to the bell, and on inquiring for
| Mrs. Gray, swarth domestic vouchsafed
| the Information that she was in, coupled
| with side whisper to Miss Nelly contain
| ing the dire intelligence that she would
'catch it," Mrs. Gray was not yet down,
Graham discovered, having been out very
late the previous night in search of her
/ child. In answer to an invitation Graham
followed the dusky maid up the innumer-
able stairs leading to Mrs. Gray's room
and sat himself down patiently to await
her coming.
| He had ample time to note the common
hard furniture, the never-failing neutral
sAAN>0 ~ oocSio Noi pSt, anu tuC
glass, termed by courtesy mirror, over a
mantel decorated with those impossible
| blue shepherdesses without which no Lon
don lodging house is complete. Some wax
| flowers under glass case and few play
bills scattered about completed the adorn-
ment or an apartment calculated to en-
gender suicidal feelings in the refined spec
| tator. Graham had time to take in all
| fhIS. 1T TIM ~
ural Impotence began to assert itself a
rustic of drapery was heard and Mrs. Gray
entered.
She was tall and fair, in age apparently
not more than five-and-twenty years, with
fine open face, its natural sweetness
chastened by the presence of some poign-
ant sorrow. As she saw the child bright
smile illuminated every feature, and she
snatched Miss Nelly to her arms covering
her with kisses; indeed, so absorbed was
she in this occupation that she failed to
note Graham's presence until Nelly pointed
in his direction. Then, and not till then,
she looked up to him, her eyes filled with
tears. His back being to the light his
features were to be seen but indistinctly.
81 have to thank you deeply" she said,
and her voice was very pleasant to the
listener. You will pardon mothers
selfshness. All night"
Graham, at first half dazed, like man
in dream. came quickly forward, and
with one bound stood by the speakers
side. He had turned toward the light.
She could distinguish every feature now.
what! Nellyw
"Lancew
For few moments they stood in kind
of dazed fascination; the eyes of each fell
upon each others face But gradually the
dramatic instinct inherent in woman, and
carefully trained in her instance, came to
Mrs. Gray's assistance. With little
gesture of scorn, she drew her skirts a
little closer around her, and as her cold
ness increased so did Graham's agitation.
! well, what have you to say to me ?"
she asked, with quiet scorn. "Have you
any excuse to offer after all these years /?
What. no words, no apology even, for the
woman you have wronged SO cruelly?"
Il did not wrong you-not intention
ally, at least" said Graham, with an eff
fort. 'No, there has been no forgetful-
ness; my memory is as long as yours. It
| seems only yesterday that 1 returned
from Paris to find my home empty, and
proofs, strong as Holy Writ, of your
flight"
"And you believed? You actually be-
lieved that /. Shall l condescend to ex-
plain to you how received letter to say
you were lying there at the point of death,
and that l, in honor bound, came to you
only to find that scoundrel had deceived
US both?"
'But l wrote no letter. L"
81 know you did not-all too late |
know that was lured to Paris by vile
schemer who called himself your friend.
And when l returned, what did I find
That YOU had gone, never giving me
chance to clear myself. Deceived once,
you must needs fancy deceit everywhere"
'But / was ruined" cried Graham.
THAT scoundrel Leslie had disposed of
every penny of our partnership money.
l must have been mad. l followed him,
but we never met until last May; out in
California, that was. He was dying when
l found him, and before he died he told
me everything. Nelly, l only did what
any other man would have done. Put
yourself in my place and say how you
would have acted"
"How would I have acted?" came the
scornful reply. 81 would have trusted
little Do you think if they had come to
me and shown me those proofs | would
have believed? Never
Helen, listen to me one moment. l
was mad then; mad with despair and
jealousy, or perhaps 1 might have hesi-
tated. Let US forget the past and its tri-
ais and be again as we were before. l was
wrong, and bitterly have / atoned for nay
hasty judgment. l am rich now"
"You are rich! Who cares for your
riches" Helen Graham answered pas
sionately, conscious that his words had
moved her deeply. "What is wealth when
there is no love, or which has been killed
by doubt? There would always be some