The morning call., 1890-11-17
THE WAIF.

child who had thrown herself across grave
in Copp's Hill cemetery, regardless of the
bitter cold.
''pse dot no mamma-no mamma. Naugll-
ty men put dear mamma down here" cried
the little one, lifting dirty, tear-stained
face.
"WEo was your mamma, child?" asked
the lady.
But the poor child lay shaking and shiv-
eripg with gIief and cold ard could not
answer.
'.Say, mother" said Howard Darlington,
a boy of Il. bring the little girl home with
US. She will die here"
eyes, l know she will die if left here, but
it is case for the police, not for us, How
ard" said his mother.
"Oh, bother the police. Well all freeze
to death if we stay here any longer Come,
little girl! We are going to take you nome
with u.s."
But the child had tainted, so Mrs. Caring
ton called her coachman, who picked the
child up in his aims and carried her to the
carriage, where she was laid upon seat
and covered with robes.
Before reaching Mrs. Carrington's home
on Arlington street, the child had come out
was sent for and pronounced il brain fever.
They found ,her underclothes to be of the
finest linen, with the remnants of real va.
lencennes lace clingng to it. On all the
clothes were the initials &c. c. R." These
were laid carefully away; also locket with
the monogram &c. c. on one side and Il
picture of a iire-looking man and sweet
faced woman on the inside. When the wan
little face was washed, ard the tangled curls
eombed and brushed. 1t was found that al
though not pretty She WAS very Interesting
looking. The black eyes were too large for
such a small pinched face. The skin was
too sickly and sallow 10 0king for beauty.
For five weeks the child lay i'll unto death.
Then the disease turned. The good nurs-
ing was rewarded, and the little stranger
came back to life.
During her convalesence she endeared
herself to all hearts. Mrs. Darlington spent
all her leisure time there, and Howard fitted
in and out during the time he was home from
school.
Mr.. Darlington had been in to see the little
one also but he was always tusy. The Pres
ident of a railroad company, with half a
dozen other things in which lie was inter
ested, lie found little time to spend at home.
So when his wife asked him to sit down for
a few moments and talk to her, he pulfed
out his watch and said:
You must hurry, my dear. l must at
tend a meeting at s. ana the carriage is wait
ing - .. co.u o,o,,,s
think you would do less and take more time
for home and pleasure. l wanted to speak
to you about Gladys; / asked her her name
today. l have taken great fancy to her,
and if no friends can be found would like
to adopt her"
you wish. OF course; Of course. Why, just
please yourself. Well, good-by; Pm off, -
and kissing his wife he left, to be brought
back two hours later with stroke of paral-
ySis.
Ten years passed away. Gladys CARING
ton, as she was called, was ray OF sun:
shine in that house. She was the right
hand of the sufferer, who still fingered.
One side had been completely paralyzed.
Gladys was always ready to read TO him or
to run for him. She had goyerness, and
was already fine musician and an adept
with the languages, especially French She
was nearly - now. She made no friends
amcng the young people, for she preferred
her books and the society of the stricken
man 10 any other. However. one day Of the
week was gala Jay with her, and that was
when Howard came home on Saturday. lie
was a senior at Harvard. Gladys was very
proud of her big brother, as she called him,
who was to be graduated in June.
But May brought the death of the para
lytic. No one mourned him more sincerely
than Gladys.
Howard's graduation brought no scene Of
festivity, but after three years Mrs. Car
ringtOn decided to bring her adopted daugh-
ter out into society. She had developed
into beautiful glrl-a willowy figure, jet
black curls covering her head, her dark eyes
set in an olive complexion, withal an aris-
tocratic face. Her disposition was as lovely
as her face, aud one had done quite as much
as the other in winning Howard Caring
toms heart, for it was certainly lost to
beautiful Gladys.
Going into his mothers boudoir one morn
ing he threw himself on the rug in front of
the fire and said:
have met girl who i'll every way meets my
ideal, and | am going 10 find out to-day if
there is any hope for mel" And looking
into his face his mother saw that If the girl
refused him there was no hope for him.
Then. so tremblingly, she asked:
who is the girl Of your choice, How
ard?"
Cannot you guess, mother mine? Why,
it is our Gladys"
GLADYS! Why, my boy, we do not know
who her parents were, or anything about
her. / love her as a daughter now, and
shall wish you JOY, dear. but l wish we
knew more Of her. 1 never thought of its
coming to this. But there, run and find her
and come back and tell me how you have
succeeded
One hour later lie returned.
Mother" he said. "Gladys loves me, but
says she will never marry me till she finds
out who she is. So l shall make it my life
work"
The next evening the place was in great
commOtion, for the debut of Miss CARING
ton was on hand. Sir Richard Clayton was
to be the honored guest Gladys received
with Miss Darlington. She wore beauii-
full gown, made by Worth. all shimmering
slvery tulle.
Sir Richard did not appear till late in the
evening. Gladys was standing near the
conservatory with Howard, when tall,
elderly gentleman stepped quickly up to
her, and, laying his hand upon her arm, said:
"Gladys! Gladys! Can it be?"
Drawing herself up to her full height,
Gladys looked coldly at the gentleman and
said, haughtily:
ii have not the acquaintance of the per-
son who calls me Gladys so familiarity"
"Ab, pardon me. Let me explain my I'M
seemly conduct | am Sir Richard CLAYTON.
and was invited to attend the debut of Mrs.
Carrington's daughter. l came so late that
l have met only a few people. l had a dear
daughter named Gladys who left me many
years ago to marry French opera singer
named Renaud. When l saw you saw the
counterpart of that daughter, forgetting
that she would be many years older now.
l heard from her several times, but refused
to answer. telling her that she must bide by
her choice. She wrote that child, a girl,
had been born to them, and that was the
last l ever heard of her. Am l pardoned ?"
Aud lie bowed low before her with the
grace of knight Of the Middle Ages.
Before she could reply Howard stepped
forward and said: II have seen your face
before, sir, and if you will meet me in the
library with Gladys and my mother in ten
minutes will tell you some good news,
think" With this he rushed away, meet
ing them later at the appointed place.
Placing Gladys locket in his hand, he
said hastily:
"Sir Richard, whose faces are these?"
"GOOd God, mani What do you mean ?
Those are the portraits Of my wife and my
self. We had them taken and put into this
locket to give Gladys on her eighteenth
birthday. How came you by it?"
Through your granddaughter, who stands
there" pointing to Gladys.
"Ahl my child, my child. Thank God. at
lastP' he exclaimed.
The birth was easily proven, and as Lady
Gladys Clayton was quite equal in birth to
Howard Darlington. she had no legitima ate
reason for refusing him.
And she didn't.-Ex.
HE NEARLY MISSED 1T.