Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-12-05

constitutfon, inherited from va, 81
IDENTIFY. And you were fortunnte y the
nurse?"
every fortunate. But It appeared
that beyond beyond running the COM
mfssariat department, SO to speak, she
did next to nothing for him. Miss
the lady spoke of-did everything.
Made herself perfect slave to him.
Bought his clothes?"
"Oh," groaned the wretched man,
II suppose so. What did know
about baby's clothes And she
wouldn't answer questions said he
was all right and didn't want for any
thing, as l could see with my own
eyes. l tried making presents, used
to send game and things, found out
her birthday and gave her Jewel,
took every chance could to work
of the obligation, but it was no use.
She gave me birthday present after
I'd given her one.'
"Well, If moths will go into spiders
webs" remarked his companion, they
must take the consequences"
Sometimes they get helped out" he
replied. Some benificient, god-like
being puts out an omnipotent finger
He looked at her and she looked
at him. At this moment they seemed
to have known one another intimately
for years. The moon again.
"Tell me everything" she said,
bn1v
So then he told her that he had
been giving up the habit of frequent
ly visiting his son. Cowardly and
weak, he knew, but the thing was too
confoundedly awkward, too embarras-
sing altogether. :,
but she writes. She writes full
report every week, tells me what ne
weighs, and when he's got a fresh
tooth, and he crawls about the carpet
and into her bed of a morning, and i'm
itates the cat mewing, and drinks !
don't know how many pints of new milk
a day, and al that sort Of thing. |
believe the rascal has the appetite OF
young tiger, ar yet l can't pay for
what he eats! The nurse was long
ago dispensed with, so that I've not
even her board to send check for,
that they might by chance make a
trifle of profit out Of 1t seems too
late now to simply take the child away,
and there leave it; l haven't the I'M
speakable shabbiness, the brazen i'm
pudence, the mean selfishness, to do
such thing, and, besides, he might
come to any sort of grief, poor little
chap, in that case. There's no doubt in
the world that her taking of-him and
doing for him have been the salvation
of his health, and perhaps his life.
And l know, by what she tells me,
that he regularly dotes on her-as so
he ought-and would howl his very
head off if we took him from her. What
could l do with him if I did take him ?
I've no home, and nobody to look after
it if had; and hired servants are the
deuce with lone man at their mercy.
1t would be worse now than it was at
first. And so'-with a heavy sigh
you see the situation. I'm just swal-
lowed up, body and bones, drowned
fathoms Deep ina sea of debt and obi
cation that l can never by any posi-
bility struggle out of, except
He paused and blushed.
Except" continued Rose, with the
candid air Of kind and sensible sister,
Except by marrying her, you mean?
Yes, l see the situation. l appreciate
your point of view. l should under
stand it if it were not that SIZE unques-
tionably laid the trap for you Geliber-
ately-just as that spider paid his for
moths and flies. And marriage by cap
ture has gone out"
ooh, don't say that" the man PRO-
tested, in haste. II would not for q mo-
ment accuse her of that She was
Mabel's friend-it was for her-it was
Of pure womanly compassion for the
motherless child, at any rate, in the
beginning. And even now 1 Lave no
right Ivalatever to suppose"
But you know it, all the same. Every
word you have said to me tells me that
you know it. You may as well be
frank"
He squirmed little in his chair, out
confessed as required.
'Well-but it's caddish thing to
say-I think she does expect it. And
hasn't she the right to expect it? How
ever, that's neither here nor there. The
point is, that in common honor and
honesty, in common manliness, should
repay her if l can; and there's no other
way-at least, l can't see any other way.
1t is my fault. and not hers, that I
don't take to the notion, for a better
woman never walked, nor one that
would make a better mother to the
boy. But, somehow, you do like to
have your free choice, don't you?"
"And ought to have it," quoth Rose,
with energy "And must have it, and
shall. Now listen, Mr.. Bell'-address-
ing him in such tone of confidence
and encouragement that he felt sure he
was going to cut his bonds forthwith
you hove asked me to help you, and l
can help you. 1t will be perfectly easy,
situated as 1 am here. He will not
miss her after couple of days, and she
has really no earthly right either to
him or to you, and it would give me
the greatest pleasure you can imagine.
This IS what you must do"-she leaned
forward in her chair and gazed earnest
ly into his paling faee-"you just hand
that baby over to me-"
JUSTICE IN MEXICO.
1