Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-10-09
THE
LITTLE WAIF.
A Story Of Absorbing Interest,"
BY BERNARD HERBERT.
[cHApTER XIII.

[CHAPTER XIII.
For an instant there was silence
then cry rang through the house, ani
staggering forward she caught GOO
lawyer Edgar's hands in hers and drol
ping upon her knees kissed them fe1
vently. But he raised her quickly, a
deep color suffusing his kind old face.
and placed her upon the sofa beside
him.
Heaven has brought us together to
do its will, my child he murmured
"Oh, then you know all" she cried.
IL know that Nicholas Garland is
dead; that he was not your father"
ooh, then, who am I? Ny dear, good
friend, tell me who / am, in mercy s
namem
Can you bear to hear it, Gracie?"
eyes, yes! Anything rather than this
suspensel"
"You are the child of the man whon
Nicholas Garland mnrderedl YoaL are
p'ri,, Cliford's daughter and heiress
10 a anilliosap
"Thank God! Thank God"
1t was the joyful cry of grateful
heart, heart too full for further utter
ance. The one thing in all the world
which she would have wished most to
hear, she heard, and the great Joy of it
had almost bereft her of her senses.
But she did not faint; she simply sat
there with her sunny head resting upon
Mr. Edgar's shoulder, his fatherly arms
supporting her, while her big, soft eyes,
brimful OF tears, were fixed upon va
cancy, with so heavenly an expression in
them, that one would say that they had
pierced the limits of mortal vision and
were contemplating the ineffable beauty
OF the promised Paradise.
Wishing to allow her to fully realize
the great intelligence he had impaired,
the lawyer did not disturb her trance,
and SO she sat there lost in her day.
dream, with the genial sunshine of the
perfect spring day resting at her feet
like benediction.
Those were moments Of understandable
ecstasy for little Oracle, long to be res
membered after the storm clouds had
again gathered, and the sunlight Of
hope had vanished At last she spoke
In q low murmur, as though commun.
ing with herself.
"Fatherl My father oh, how
sweet to think of it'
"Yes, Oracle, your father" echoed
Mr.. Edgar.
She started then, the spell was
broken, and drawing herself out of his
protecting clasp, she asked:
"How long have you known this
glad truth 2"
Il knew it only on the night your
father died"
"Then perhaps it was to tell me the
secret that he wished to see mel"
Il am sure of it."
ooh, blessings on him! Oh, how
blind / must have been in all these
years, not to have seen what his love
and protection for me meant! And vet
| think ] must have known, for could
only have loved father as loved
him
And he loved you equally in return, y,
rejoined Mr.. Edgar. "On that fatal
night | drew up will at his request,
In which he leaves every penny of his
enormous fortune to you.
She looked puzzled and half panied,
as she replied:
What should ] do with so much
money? I should have been better
pleased, had he bequeathed me some
knowledge of my birth, some explana-
ton of the strange, acknowledged
life / have had to live
For that I blame him.. exclaimed
the lawyer testify. !
Hush you must not speak SO. He
knew what was best for me: and if I
am not to know the secret in this world,
! shall know it when we meet in the
next
"But he evidently intended to tell
you all that night, if his life had been
spared. He gave me some hints. 2
Yes what did he tell You" she
cried, turning eagerly and laying her
hands upon his arms.
He said that your mother still lived.
My mother livesl my mother lives!
oh where is she?"
Somewhere near Boston, [ think,
He told me that she was beautiful. ia
tally beautiful. That is all know
Slowly the girl gained her feet with
last looked hands, and eyes into whose
depths the PARKWAY look had returned.
Poor motherl" she cried, chow Won
must have suffered too in all these long
Fears when thought you safe in
leayeni" Then turning to Mr.. Edgar.
he added with nervous anaryv. al