Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-15

One night when L was not = years ora
Mr.. Dye had placed me in her arms. and
in q hurried and agitated manner had
told her that / was to be their child
|thenceforth, and that we three were to
begin travelling about the country the
very next day. Before that time he had
been very good to her, but somehow my
coming estranged them. The gulf that
began then has been widening between
them ever since. He had loved her once.
she said, and there she was breathing
out her last breath in my arms, while
he was away with degraded men, care.
less what became of her. He had at last
frightened her by declaring that if she
ever told anybody was not their child
it would bring him to the gallows. Then
she believed that the secret must be ter
rible indeed, and for years she had not
dared to question him again.
:" I was too weak, she said, to make
any resistance then, but when you grew
to be quite girl and realized the great
responsibility upon me to bring you up
as ought in the sight of God and man
l often on my knees begged and be-
sought him to restore you to your par
ents, or at least tell me who you were.
He only answered Il do not know" Oh,
but he was good to me once! If he comes
now before die and secs me, perhaps
the sight OF me lying so feeble here-for
it is the same face, Annette, the same
face, though changed, that he used to
kiss so fondly in the old days-perhaps
the sight may touch his heart, and lie
| will tell us, if l ask him, everything.
| &c. Annette, l must not die yet / feel
strange. Arrange my pillows that / may
sit up. I can hear better then, and the
first sound OF his footsteps ON the stairs
| will drag me back from the very arms
| of death.
| ''It was night, and everything in the
| house was still l cried SO could hard
~ see. lifted her up as she wished,
and there she died, with her heed
turned, listening for the step on the
stair. When he came, he found us both
unconscious On the bed. Alas, mine was
an Inconsistencies that knew an awalz.
ening! Ialmost hated him for awakine
me- Oh, how like horrid dream il
seoms-this, that was only few weeks
| agor'
There were no longer tears in her eyes.
| Those dark or6s burned with q light
that the physician did not like to sec IL
them.
Let Us forget I'll this, my dear young
lady," he said. What happened after
| that"
after thatwas the little funeral, at
tended ly only rs two. We sat III tao
carriage that followed her TO the grave
strangers, as We had been all our live:
long"
THE brutal" cried Hiss Maxey.
You wrong him. said Arrett,
quickly. He was not heartlcss. Iuevel
in all nay life heard him speak 4 savag,
wcrd to her And i'll the carriage Ii,
grief was terrible to zee. i never saw
man weep before 1t frightened me.
tried TO say something to console him
He silenced me with n terrible oath
the only time he ever spoke like that t,
me. Or, Mr. Dye is q strange man, T.;
seems always to lie brooding ever sI-ul
terrible wrong. ] have sometimes cvel
| wondered whether his mind was not IN
settled TINT was what made NV life 5,
unbearable. 1t was enough to feel III,
desolation OF my mothers death, but {,
have him always absent or sitting !,
the same room without 4 word, vithou
u look for me, chat was terrible. an,
still we moved about l could not bea,
to remain shat up all the time, and on,
night despair gave me courage to throw
myself upon his mercy, to tell him L.,
unhappiness and to beg him for q re
lease. ! thought if he could allow ne {,
go out to work as servant in a famiI,
where could earn my bread even tha
would be better than this, for this wa
worse than death itself
| He heard me out in astonished s.
lence and averted his head to reply in
voice that trembled: You are my daugli
ter, Annette. The law makes me respon
| sible for you until you are 21 mus
continue to take care of you Then
told him, for the first time that knew
his secret. l was not his daughter