Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-12

poor little eldest born. We had tried to
keep it a secret from him-Nurse Brew
ster and but Gerard, the heir, was a
hunchback, and this was the first time
my husband actually knew this. He
looked from one to the other-I see him
yet-aud shrugged his shoulders.
90 "A nice heir you have given me,
truly!' he said, why, the brat's a
hunchback.
"He patted the head of the other
child, and then went away, with a
frown on his brow, and after he was
gone Nurse Brewster, who was north
country woman aud had beer reared on
our property, said
4" 1T would be the best thing that could
happen if this poor little fellow were to
go TO a better place, think. fear my
lord viii never take TO him.. And she
lifted Gerard out of his bath as she spoke.
81 did not speak for a moment; /,
too, was comparing the two children,
and rs did so something evil seemed to
whisper a subtle temptation in my
ear
"Not. surely cried Father Hay
ward, starting to his feet with a look of
horror.
"Shall tell you what the tempter
saId?' continued Lady Gilmore, pas
sionately. Remember that l loved my
husband, and was jealous of him, and
most eager to keep hi love! He said in
my ear, this child stands between you
two; your lord loaths him, is ashamed of
him, and will learn to hate you also for
his sake. Why not put him out of the
way? Why not let the handsome boy
become the heir?''
''My daughter, surely you did not lis
ten to the base SUGGESTION"
''Not then, but again and again the
thought came back to me, for Gilmore
SAID hard and bitter words to me on the
subject, and often wished the child
would die. He was delicate-the POOR
misshapen one-and gradually the tempt
alton assumed form and shape in my
mind. We would take little Gerard
away, nurse and |, and pretend to his
father he was dead, and bring him up in
our faith, for Nurse Brewster is a Catho-
lie also; and 1 told myself in doing this L
was thinking of the eternal salvation of
the child, and so blinded my poor reason
TO a great injustice.
land you carried out this scheme?'
1--WE carried it out to the bitter end
Gerard was delicate, as l told you, and
one day 1 asked the doctor who attended
him if he thought the northern Army
native air-would be of any service to
him, and the doctor answered that it
would probably greatly strengthen him.
1 told my husband this, and he replied
with biting jest.
"a Il wish you would give him change
of air enough for me never to see him
again, he said. Il cannot bear to look
on him.
F'These words stung me, and l made
an angry, passionate answer, and with
out seeing Lord Gilmore again left the
house, only taking little Gerard and
nurse Brewster with me. l left a few
indignant lines for my husband, telling
him that, for time at least, my child s
unnatural father should be spared the
sight OF his son. We were living here
at Wrothsley-when this quarrel took
place, and 1 went up to our house in
town for few days, and whilst there
took nurse Brewster into ny confidence,
and offered her large sum and good
and regular income to aid me in my de-
ceit. She was afraid at first, but the
temptation of the money proved too
strong for her, and she finally entered
completely into my scheme.
the child?' asked Father Hayward,
with agitation.
"No, no, l would not have hurt hair
of his head! l told myself he was unfit
to move in the world; unfit to be his
fathers heir, and that 1 would bring
him up to the priesthood, and that
holy, peaceful life would be the happiest
for him, and that my husband would
To- -haT ho hal n inn n hn
dead, and when he looked on the hand
some boy of whom he was so proud. So
we arranged 1t alive went down to a
lonely village on the coast, washed by
the Northern Sea, where we were COM
plete straugers-and we carried with US
little lead-lined coffin; and from this
place few days later I wrote to my hus-
band to tell him that little Gerard had
taken scarlet fever and was dangerously
i'll. He answered, it would be q good
thing if the poor hunchback never got
well, for he would only cumber the earth
if he did. pa
"And does this boy still liver"
al will tell you. We had taken a
SIN Il furnished house, and no one knew
anything of US, for 1 had brought no
servants but Nurse Brewster; and a week
after we arrived at Scarley 1 wrote to
Lord Gilmore to tell him he had got his
wish, and that his poor baby son was
dead. He is already IN his little coffin,
l added, $50 there can be no infection;'
and asked If I might bring him home.
To this my husband answered that the
coffin must be screwed down at once on
account of Hugh-the other boy; and he
directed me then to bring the dead child
to wrothsley, and agreed to meet me at
certain train
land you did this?" asked Father
Hayward, who was listening to Lady
Gilmore's startling words with strong
but suppressed excitement.
al did, she answered, with falter-
ing tongue, though she was struggling to
be calm. ''I started on my homeward
journey alone, taking with me, hidden
away, the little empty coffin, which
Nurse Brewster had securely fastened
down; and left Nurse Brewster and the
child at Scarley, and travelled quietly
up to town, and when l arrived the
got carriage, after telegraphing to the
servants TO expect me; aud, while in
that carriage, for the first time uncov-
cred the little coffin, and it was carried
into the house at Eaton Square, and no
one ever suspected 1 was committing
cruel wrong. -
'But the nurse? How did you ac-
count for her not being with you?''
1--WE had settled all that-she had
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