Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-12-03

till one day at the seminary l received a |
note telling the cruel truth that I was
not the Sis Smith my friends ana play |
mates believed ME: that these dear ones
in Butler whom I called father, mother
brother were not mine; was not theH
o, it was hard awakening from most
lovely, Heavenly dream. What was
if not their daughter? Whose sister was
l if not dear Georges? Cut on as II al
one blow from all that ! had hitherto
known as my own, buried alive, as l
might say, from all that had believed
my own, I at once resolved III the hun
ger of affection which is so strong IN my
nature that 1 would 60 to this woman
who claimed me as her child did So
Natural instinct at once told ME she was,
as she claimed, my mother l threw
myself into her arms AID said, Mother
OF mine I know you are, whatever else
Won are or have been. My duty Is with
you, and with you l will 90 to your home
whatever or however humble It may be
good or bad. She placed me at school
near Philadelphia. AT the close OF
school age. I married the man OF my
choice. We have children, and are so
happy.
- For several wears my mother advised
me that my father might come some day
to see me: that he lived at Mercer, was
a gent e1lan; that l was his picture IN
miniature. I never al any time telt IN
terest in or affection for him who had
done nv mother such irreparable wrong
nor did 1 wish to sec him. But some
months ago my mother hearing that Mr..
w. s. Garvin was in the city, called on
him at his hotel, and on inquiry learned
from him that Mr. Garrett was chllaless,
alone, and in pitiable old age, with small
| estate: having lived past most OF MS
| friends. This did not commiserate my
| feelings toward him; for my poor mother
wrongs were uppermost III my thoughts,
! Late one dav. and not long since Mr..
| Caryin wrote my mother that Mr.. Gar
retts condition needed the attectlonat >
| care and companionshlp OF his daughter
| lr11yseIf): that l owed It to him to come
on and care for him in the distress OF his
| old age and its inhrmltles. Ny husband
whose slightest thought would wish TO
| rbey, at last consented to my coming lor
| a few weeks at longest; and having his
and the children's pictures taken, l had
brought them in ny pride, thinking he
| might be glad to see them-his son-1n-law
and grand children.
| "And so l came, in pity, to see my
| d. MI Odl VIZ oeAANA liz 4AN~e.NNA 80
| Told that he was gentleman, and
fondly believing it, came from good
home, kind husband and loving sweet
| children, to be spurned from his door as
he spurned my poor mother, whom he
wronged years ago. Your have heard al
l have to say. l wish you who know
| him TO learn from her how he treated hi:
!, daughter who came in his old age tc
| give him the comfort she was told he Sc
much needed And now indulge me
| further while l say the sad thing about
| it is that l will go home to my dear hus
| band to tell him that my father IS not
| gentleman after all
| l bade her goodnight and promised
myself to call and see her in the morn
] ing.
| At the hotel next day l said goodbye
| to my old school fellow, and saw hel
comfortably of on her long journey, a:
it then was, to Harrisburg. Her eyes
were very bright; not tear had left lt'
mark on her pretty lace. She held ou
her soft jeweled hand through the coach
| door, and with warm pressure said
| Goodbye - Don't waste any re-
grets on me, am only sorry my father
is not a gentleman, after all, though nc
does looK it, doesn't he. Pityi isn't 1t
| Goodbye" :"