Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-12-06

consolation in bitterest anger, Her
very thanksgivings to Heayen-tho'e
Outpourings Of mothers grateful
heart overlooking with It's wealth Of
ioy-had been offered up in vain. She
had no reas n to be thankful. Heaven
and earth had con pired In i'll treating
her God had taken away her reason,
and man had imposed upon her folly.
Whom upon earth could she ever trust
again, when even her father had so de-
ceived her?
With her husbands letter came the
certificate OF his death. The same
post brought her letter from Gilbert's
lawyers, to inform her OF their re-
ceipt Of his will, executed on his death
bed.
Aftorthose tears given to the un.
timely dead, her thoughts were full OF
anger. She could not forgive the de-
ception that had been practiced, even
though it had been done to save her
life
Better thousand times TO have
died in that dim dream than to awake
to such a disappointment as this" she
said,
While she sat with Gilberts letter
open tefore her, abandoned to q tear
less despair, the little ones voice
sounded in the corridor, and she heard
the light, swift footstep which always
made her heart thrill. To-day it truck
her with an actual pain, She rose in
voluntarily and ran to the door as she
had been accustomed TO run to meet
her pet, rejoicing at the child's APP
proach; but, with her hand upon the
door, she stopped suddenly.
No, | won't see her--litt @ impo,tor
living lie-to have stolen my love
and my dead child looking down upon
me fro n heaven all the withholding
down to see her place filed by q stran-
ger-lonely in heaven, perhaps, for want
of II mothers love, and seeing her
mothers heart given to another"
The light-tripp ng step came nea err.
Mammal mamma" called the glad
young voice.
Constance locked the door.
Go away" she cried, hOar5ely: 81
don't want you"
There was pause-c0mplete silence
and then a burst Of sobbing. The
strangeness of that tone had chilled
the childs heart. Lips that had hith-
erto only breathed love, to day spoke
with the accents of hate. Instinct
told the child the greatness of the
change.
The little feet retreated slowly down
the corridor-not so lignt of step this
time e. the sobs died away in the dis
lance.
81 will never see her face again, ]"
cried Constance. Some wretched child
perhaps the offspring of sin-base
at heart as she is fair Of face-Gnd so
like my lost one--so like so like. No
| will send her away settle u sum Of
money provide handsomely for her
poor child, it is not her crime-but
never see her again. Yet, oh, God |
love her. And she is crying now, per-
haps The loving little heart will
break"
She had been pacing the room dis
tractedly, This last thought was too
much to bear She ran to the door,
unlocked it, and went out into the COR
ridor, calling, Bel Q. darling Belle,
come back. | am waiting for you yet. "
"My pet, love you. | shall love you
to my dying day." she cried, passion
ately Hearts can not be played with
like this. Love can not be given and
taken away"
The child Rugged her and was com
forted understanding the love, if not
the words that told it.
Belle hasn't been naughty, has she,
mammal" she asked, with innocent
wonder.
No, pet; but mamma has been very
unhappy. Mamma has had sad leu
ter Oh, here comes Martha, as that
devoted nurse entered the night nurs-
cry. "Do you know, Martha, | think
Cristabel wants change of air, You
must take her to Hastings for little
while"
"Lor', mum, that would be nice. But
you'll come, too, of course. You
wouldn't like to be parted from her."
81 don't know that | could come,
quite at first. | might come afterward,
perhaps. l have some very sad bust
ness to attend to. "
Constance told Martha of Mr.. Sin
clair's death, but not word of that
imposture which had just been re-
vealed to her. Martha had Teen as
completely deceived as she had, no
doubt, Constance argued, for she knew
it was not in the girls honest nature
to assist in a deception. The likeness
to the lost child had deluded them
both.
81 suppose all children of the same
age and complexion are alike, " thought
Constaace and yet fancied my baDy
was different from al other children. u
She wished to send the child away,
in order, if possible, to cure herself of
the habit Of loving child that had
no claim on her--to love whom was a
kind of treason against the beloved
dead
The preparations for the journey
were hurried over; Martha was de-
lighted to pack and be off. The child
was pleased to go, but cried at parting
from mamma. At two o'clock in the
afternoon the carriage drove Martha
and her charge to the station, with the
steady fold Marchbrook butIerI fol
their escort. He was to take lodgings
for them, and to make all things easy
for them, and see them comfortably
settled before he came back to March
brook.
Constance breathed more freely
when the child was out of the house
and there was no chance of hearing
that light footstep, that clear, sweet
childish voice. Yet how dreary the
big old house seemed in its solitude
how gloomy the rooms, without that
hutterinp. chan0ful sOul and all the