The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-02-03
! T.
DY A. II. II.

ohb ~ IVY baDS NAtA AaiRct AouhA
aud wondering eyes. She got up ind
greeted mo not more heartily than wo
were accustomed 10 In those days.
.Stlhere 1t is," said my wife, pointing
to tho child. tg
"Whut2" asked I. -,,.-E
well, you know. Don't you remem-
Der wo read OF 1t in tho newspaper
And is 1t not beautifulW
Now. l did recolect that iew nights
ago abe handed me tho paper and point
Ing to an advertisement said: "Please
read that" 1t was IN offer OF Il child
for adoption 10 persons well of. "What
do you think OF our taking it2" my wife
had said !; md | had returned the paper
to her with shrug OF tho shoulders.
''But, Martha" cried l, In a tonc
vibrating with anger, you have reallyT
Certainly, rs you SEQ. And then 1t
belongs to mo; have settled every
thing with the poor mother. l have
sworn to take good care OF 1t; and so l
will indeed" g.sa
She took the little head with its
blonde, silk curls between her white
hands and fondled aud caressed ii. as
It not 80, little ono? YorG.ill DO loved ?"
Lat ouce gave up NIL serious objec.
ton. Had We not boon accustomed for
years to act independently OF each
other? Our marriage was not n happy
one, although we have not married for
love. Our fathers had contracted this
union. My relatives said she was beau-
tiful and good and bright, and uome
called her an angel; but l could not see
1t So She had to tear her heart from
beloved one, and in mine had giowed
passion not yet outspoken. But paren-
tai wishes conquered. We chose to be
obedicnt children, aud SO it happened.
There was u polite but gloomy pence
between us. We were six years mar
ried and. had no children. Perhaps,
had heaven sent US them E5r
Well, this child belonged to her l
heard later that she had given the mo-
Their 81 1000, the price OF set OF Jewels
she had sold secretly. ~
why did you not tell me OF it?"
said /, half angrily.
because itwould have been too late;
and, besides, l wanted to call it my
ONLI, Guld 0llO &.
My vito and I did not talk much
about the child, and when We did men
ton it, We used only tho name at"
But this at" could DO heard through
the house at almost any time IN tho
day. X.
flush nos so much noise! 1t sleeps
1t must have its dinuer-lt should
be taken out for q drive-It has hurt
ITSELF" And SO tho whole house began
to turn around our "1t."
At the dinner table 1T" sat there
like q prince, close to my wiie-both
opposite me like declared enemies, as it
were. He was now two years old, and
tho yellowish paleness Of poverty had.
yielded to fine aristocratic pink in his
little cheeks. ut" worked powerfully
at its soup; and now that it had fin
ished, sat up the spoon like sceptre in
its littlo round fist on tho table. My
wife and I sat silent. Apparently on
account Of this silence its large eyes
opened wider and wider. They stared
on me, stared at my wife, with sur
prised, almost frightened, expression,
us if they had preSentiment that nil
WAC INV 4iSit bSkNCSh aos Euullu6
ridiculous, but we wero culprits before
this child, We two grown people.
With tho fret sunny spring days ut"
began to play in the garden under my
Office window. She was always with
him. I could hear them. Once l
opened my window. Just then she
came out OF q green vine-grown bower.
She was dressed in q dazzling white
nesligee, trimmed with costly lace, and
all over her streamcd the golden sun
shine.
How aim she appeared How grace.
full in her movements! Had / been
blind? Truly, tho aunts and cousins
were right; she was in reality beautiful
a sweet smile transformed her features;
she was happy, and her happiness
came from her child. Then a voice
made itself heard in my breast, which
said very plainly, you arc monster,
/ got up and walked to the window. at
is a beautiful day." called ]. Iknow
how cold and prosaic it must have
sounded to her. 1t camo like heavy
cloud shadow over sunny landscape.
She answered something I did not
understand; but tho brightness was
gone from her little face. She ran to
the child and took it up and caressed it
before my eyes.
Then it was that the first feeling of
jealousy was aroused in me. I was
jealous OF both, it panied me that had
part in this weaving OF love; that I
was not third in this union, / exertcd
myself TO gain a part Of their love. l
did it very clumsily. Tho child per.
severed in u certain shyness, and She
had ! not kept myself forcibly away
from her during these long, long years?
81 Ono day at tho dinner table ct"
called mo s'papa." There came over
flood Of gladness over my heart Cor
tainlv no ono but her had taught him
this s'papa." Why did ] not spring up,
bounu toward her, and With ono word,
ono embrace, strike out the loneliness
of those ak years? One right word in
this moment, and all would have been
well. It remained unspoken, and I
seemed to have lost all power to act,
but on a certain page OF my ledger arc
still traces OF the tears l shed in anger
at my own stupidity. e. q
b. l could no longer fix my mind on
business. ! instructed even myself.
People asked me what was the matter
with me. l feigned illness. 5t..S
II must take a long journey, Martha"
My voice trenbled ms i said this. My
vito must have noticed it, for some
thing like moist, shining pity trembled
In her beautiful eyes. AT my taking
leave sho held tho little one toward me
and asked, in soft. caressinr toncs:.
Twill you not say adieu to your child n"
He resisted my caresses, and I
has,cncd away. * Il Is,
&. l travelled in uncertainty through the
world. aud behold after the first four
inrn IN lnfi1itinn q 10 my dinarYt trn y.