Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-08-24

ten miles from ", and it was
from her that I succeeded in OBJ
tanning my chief evidence in this
case. Her name is of no consequence:
or rather, it is of so much consequence
that shall withhold it for the present.
Taken at an early age from a wretched
tenement house in New York, and
transferred to the different atmosphere
of a wealthy lady's home, where for the
first time in her life she was treated as
a human being, where her hands were
trained to dizziness in all household
duties, where she was given a sound
rudimentary education and was fitted
by kind and painstaking instruction for
the humble walk in life for which
nature and circumstances had evidently
designed her, this girl knew no better
than to misinterpret the intentions of
her kind benefactress (who was, as you
may have already shrewdly surmised,
none other than Annie Dupont's
adaptive mother), and upon this misin-
depreciation to build the most absurd
and extravagant expectations. It may
have been the girls own preposterous
vanity that conceived the notion, or it
is possible that the thought was sug-
gested to her by some older person. Be
this as it may, she began to cherish the
hope that she would some day receive
liberal share of the lady's small fortune,
to which, as she knew, there were no
immediate heirs. It was only when
Annie Dupont was legally adopted that
this absurd bubble burst. Learning
accidentally ut this time of the foolish
expectation that the girl had been in
dulging, the lady told her to dismiss the
idea at once. 4 should never have
dreamed of making you heir, in any
event. she said, and now everything
that possess will go to Annie, my
adopted daughter
Instead of acquiescing in this deci-
sion without murmur-which calm
philosophy, by the way, would have
prevented this story of mine from being
told to my present select audience-the
girl was angry, and she visited all her
resentment upon the child who had in
nocently overthrown her ambitious air
occupy. Anxious, however, that her
daughters education should be as
broad and deep as possible, the lady de-
cided to give her the advantage of q
thorough collegiate training; and a few
VEGAS d1GCI CuClI ICCuIA W aAAOIASd
found Annie Dupont at Vassar."
Mrs. Maynard's attention now ap-
peared to be wholly withdrawn from
Miss Hilary and concentrated upon
North's story. Her hands, clasped to-
gcther closely, lay motionless in her
lap; her eyes were fixed upon North's
face; she listened with almost breath
less attention to every word that he
spoke.
AS if Influenced by this change in her,
North's manner altered; its lightness
vanished and his tones grew earnest
and sympathetic as he proceeded.
For few months all went well.
Annie was happy in her college life,
winning friends and popularity, and
little dreaming of the blow that was
soon to fall suddenly upon her. When
at last, summoned by the telegram
which, like thunderbolt from clear
sky, had startled her out of the routine
of her busy school life, she reached her
home on the Hudson, she was too late
to receive the loving farewell of the
one who had been her dearest earthly
friend.
'.The end had come almost without
warning. but it seems that the lady had
felt a presentiment of her impending
fate, and had sent for her lawyer in
order to make every provision for
Annie's future. Unfortunately he was
absent from home and could not re-
spond to the summons in time to re- |
ceive from her lips her last instructions.
The only person who was with the lady
at her death was the girl whom / have
already mentioned This girl, who had
been with Annie and her mother during
all their long wanderings in Europe,
was the only one Of the present house
hold who knew the history of the
adopted child; It was she who received
the final directions of her mistress con-
corning Armies welfare. How these
instructions were treated. the sequel
will show.
with the full knowledge that it was