The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-27

"You have got TO grow quite strong and we'll
again, my dear" lie said, taking her hand aud
holding 1t waite he sat down beside her. Quite
strong and well before you think about any thing.
Poor child ~
u shall never get strong or well again." she
replied. Il heard the doctor In the nfrmary say
so That matters nothing except that | shall be
such trouble To every body. OH Naomi dear
what trouble | nave been TO you What a
dreadful trouble. l have spoiled your whole
life, my dear"
mot you-not you. Ruth" Naomi answered
hOarsely " But that yillatn-oh! mat yillain."
Don't, dear. II hurts me that anybody
should call him names. At first 1 was hard upon
him for The sake Of my baby. II is very terrible
for child 10 be born IN prison, Isn't it?-and
for its mother to be Il convict. o child eve
get over that disgrace. But God took the child.
and then | was happier. There was only myself
70 lalnk ABOUT, alil PECAN 70 leel that u was
worse for him than for me- Nothing can undo
the past. i came 10 forgive him, dear, and would
forget him # l could. But you can't forget your
husband. Women are made So
" They are, said the librarian. God knows
they are"
Naomi dear, you thought / was overwhelmed
with the disgrace and shame of it. No, dear. |
never could feel any disgrace-not even in the
court. The convict dress was nothing TO me- nor
the prison rules. ! cbeyed the rules, and did
not mind them. You see. d-aT, was Innocent.
But had sentence at first far more terrible to
bear. II was The sentence Of my child's disgrace.
II was only when l thought OF you, DEAR that
felt the disgrace TO me-and this only-ior your
sake. For my own / felt nothing. When l told
the dOctor-it only the other day-he cried
about II. He Is KIND man though he Is prison
DOCTOR"
viii you have some breakfast now. dear {?
You would not eat any an hour ago"
81 thought we had breakfast AT Z. Half a pint
of cocoa aud and" She looked about her with
troubled eyes; her brain was wandering again.
"a must clean The cell and roll up the blankets
before work begins The matroa lets me do her
room; they are all Kind TO me. Or course they
know never did It" Sue shut her eyes as If
trying 10 collect herself GIVE me my baby"
She started up and opened ner eyes and held out
arms. Give me my baby. On my precious
baby. Hush! He is asleep" She thought the
| child was in her lap HHe Is asleep, sir, Naomi.
You dldn't Know | had such lovely baby, did
| you? lie has got his fathers eyes exactly,
hasn't he? Come and look at your son, Harry.
Kiss HIM, dear He snail grow up as handsome
and IS good as his father"
'Oh my friend" said Naomi. ''What shall
do? What shall do? Ii tears my heart 10
hear her and 10 look at her"
Well, there was very little to be DONE The IL
braran, who now showed himself a person OF in-
finite resource, went away chat very morning
and brought book with him a medical man OF
wonderful sklll-quile magical medical man
10 The girl, and told him pieces Of the story.
The medical man sale that, considering every
thing II was fortunate she bad not died In prison,
aud that she wOnld certainly die before many
weeks that TO such an organization as this
woman seemed TO have love and happiness were
| the food OF life; then he added "What a MUIR
dereTin He recommended something or other
| and went away. But ne did more. For this med
| zeal magical person had daughter. Que of those
| who spend their lives lie good works. And she.
moved deeply by the sadness OF the thing, came
10 hurst iub BlIlt ana llSIedu OF ledIluG 10 inc
| patients IN Tie hospitals, sat all day long with
| Ruth while her sister was al work and talked TO
| her and prayed over her continually with tile
sunshine OF sympathy and friendship. She also
sent in piano and played to the sick girl. In the
| evening Naomi came home, and when the libra
! riln could get away, he. too, came aud read or
| talked Of grave things, thoughts concerning men
and women aud the conduct OF life and the teach
ing which Is read aloud In The churches without
ceasing, ana remains rs much neglected as ever.
So they talked her poor wearied brain into rest.
But ever and anon the dy ing grPs eyes would
wander troubled round The room, and she would
go back to her prison cell, and she would Ca Il
again for her baby and dandle the pretty child
before his father--the father so handsome and
so good.
one evening when she felt a little stronger
than usual. she told her sister about her mar
! rage.
Harry wouldn't marry me openly and take
| me 10 his own people, she said, because he
was dependent On his father. But lie wouldn't
| give me up, aud one day lie told me that he had
| everything ready and would marry me secretly
! in registrars Office. But was TO tell nobody,
| not even you, dear; aud promised. lie took
! me in cab, don't know where. One OF his
| friends, MIR. Mlddlemlst who was a CLERK In his
| fathers office, came with us. We got out OF the
| cab at the office. ana went within SO that his
father should not find out, Harry signed a false
name ne TOOK Llls mothers name, and signed
| himself Harry Hendrcksen'"
"And on remember the place, dear?"
NO do not know where II was, because
never bought OF looking. Afterward he told
me that IT was sham registry, but know now
that II was not, because people who have sham
ollleeS 90 not put up brass plates ana print the
name OF the oiiice In the pillars of the door Be-
Sides we had To walt while another couple were
married. 1 am his wife, dear, as much as the
law can make me-"
When Naomi told this to the librarian, he said
that now they knew tile particulars, nothing
would be easier than TO hnd out where the mar
riage took place, because register Is Kept and
can be consulted. Aud lie took certain steps un'
known TO the TWO sisters.
After this they talked no more about the past.
| As the bodily frame grew weaker her mind be-
came more restful. During the day she seemed
| TO forget the past She listened. her hollow eyes
| looking far away, while her nurse-tbe physi-
cans daugber-played to her. On the wings OF
Tue music she was borne away 10 the land OF
noly Thought. When she talked, II was OF the
| IutESe-now so near-when her child should be
restored TO her. The past, as she truly told her
sister, had leit upon her soul no touch OF shame
not the least touch. That II had killed her
was nothing, because life had nothing left for
hef Only In tie night she would awake and
| stretch out her hands, feeling for the walls of
| her cell ana moan and weep In thinking oil the
child, born In the prison and dead in the prison.