The record-union., 1896-12-27

joys or sorrows.
| Roberta was the first to speak. If
you will call the landlady | will he
glad And he was glad to do so. But
he was astonished and startled. too.
/ for he had not thought of this, to be
introduced upon the landlady's appear
ing in these words: This is my father.
My mother was once his wife" But
as she spoke that word mother she
kissed with passionate earnestness the
/ beautiful dead face and then laid her
| mother out of her arms and left the
room. 1t was an awkward position
for this respectable gentleman to find
himself in. The landlady knew him
well. Perhaps it relieved his embar-
rassrnent when she spoke, which she
did not do at first. You can Judge
whether her words were calculated to
/ do so or not
Why, the names the same I never
thought of it, though. Roberta Prem
tiss, and yours is Robert, and sure as
l live she looks like you. Holds her
head for all the world just as you do -
And as she stopped with quite a pusi-
ness air to look at the dead. she added
but she amt handsome like her
. I,
l never seen anything like her before -
Neither had Robert Prentiss. He had
| almost forgotten how very beautiful
she was and now he stood and gazed
at that wondrous beauty. The days he
hoped he had forgotten came back to
him and once again he was a young
man with his beautiful bride.
The landlady had brought into that
attic room brightly shining lamp and
II poured its effulgence upon the sweet
face of the dead. There was no one to
forbid him now. He had loved this
woman with wild, blind passion, and
oh, 1t all rushed back upon his heart
| like the torrent of a mighty sea. and
! bending over that couch of death. re-
gardleSS of the presence of the woman
he took the beautiful dead in his arms
and kissed her again and again. and
then Strengthening himself up, he said
/ 1t is true she was my wife and Ro-
berta, her child, is my child, too, and
we have a boy in heaven"
| Well, the landlady had heard of such
things before. she said "but declare -
she added, "one don't know much about
nobody after all. Who'd have thought
| such a thing about Mr. Prentiss. Mrs.
Prentiss never knew a thing about this.
| don't believe. She was dreadfuliv
touchy about second wives and didn't
| believe in second marriages. Many's
the time I've heard her say so. Poor
| thing, she felt SO bad because she
didn't have no children and Mrs. Prem
tiss so fond of 'em. Well, we'll, it beats
ALL
| There was one pleasant thing con-
nected with all this; her garrulous tongue
saved Mr.. Prentss world of explana-
ton. Not a person asked him a aues-
ton. There was a funeral notice in the
papers. The pastor of the church where
Mr.. Prentiss attended officiated at the
funeral, and Roberta leaned upon her
fathers arm. She did not bear hard
upon it, it is true, nor lay her head upon
his shoulder to shed her tears, but she
| took her place as his daughter. from the
| hour in which she knew of the rela-
tionship, because she thought her
mother wished it SO, and he-why. he
| threw his arm around her in the pres
| ence OF curious world, and introduced
her to that world as my daughter.
Nor did he vince at the quietly added
| mother was once his wife"
What would have been the good of
"inclng! A hurt is not as bad if you come
right up to it. and have done with it.
as when you draw away and bear it
/ little by little, and he acknowledged to
| himself that Robertas simple introduc-
ton to the landlady the night of her
mothers death had been the simplest
method of unraveling the tangled thread
| winch had run through his life so many
years. She had cut the snarl straight in
two. and 10, it was snarl no longer.
1t is true, it was not all quite easy or
pleasant for him. He encountered MANY
curious looks from friends; half smiles
OF the lips of some of his gentlemen ac-
! qualntances, who perhaps had not borne
so extensively a good reputation as Mr.
| Prentlss had. He was undoubtedly
much talked about, but he was not
! talked to, and most men are not sensi-
tive about annoyances which do not
cling too closely to their own persons.
He had borne with him for many years
the knowledge of disagreeable things.
and his hair had not turned gray, nor
| MS appetite failed. He was we'll pre-
served in spite of the existence of un-
pleasant things.
| He took his daughter to his home from
her mothers grave The home which
Barbara Clyde had shared with him for
more than decade of years. She had
| been practical woman, and had no
beauty to excite his jealous nature. She
| devoted herself to him and they did not
| go into society or entertain in their own
home. He had enjoyed his quiet, COM
| Portable life. But a beautiful dead face
had almost obliterated even the memory
of this one, who had made his life so
| comfortable, and it was Roberta's
mother who, as the years rolled on, held
a wife's place in his heart Poor Bar
| bara,
| At first Roberta was restless and un-
| happy. But her father idolized her. and
| Love begets love-" and she was not
many weeks in her pleasant home. be-
| fore she herself realized that her father
was dear to her. She was fond of
study and every advantage was hers.
The great house was thrown open and
filled with youth and gladness, for Ro-
berta was like her mother in winning
ways, and drew all hearts to her.
| 'Taint much as it used to be when
the mistress was alive" the old cook
said, ''That front room was kept all
dark and in order them days, but you
can't get into it now for guitars and
music and books and sich like, and that
beautiful carpet is getting all fadey too,
but laws, aint he proud of her though.
and I'm free to confess, she's mighty