Middletown transcript., 1897-03-13

eyes. She rose, round, surprised
came rustling towards me, and greet
ing me with neither more heartiness
nor more formality than was then her
wont, "There it isl" she cried, pointing
to the child.
''What do you meanP" l asked.
She WAS crouching again in front of
the little one, holding biscuit close
before his eyes, and. turning half to-
wards me, she said:
why don't you know we read
about it in tie paper the other dayp
Isn't it nicepn
I remembered then that few even
ings back she had thrust newspaper
into thecircle of light beneath my lamp
and had said, pointing to an advertise
ment, "Therel just read thalI" 1t was
the we'll known ''petition TO the chaTi-
table"-a despairing cry from stricken
heart, from a mother, offering her
child for adoption by well to-do peo-
pie.
"What do you think about taking
itP" she had asked, and I had only
given back the sheet with ashurg Of the
shoulders.
"But, Martha, what is the meaning
of all thisp" cried, with sharp note
of Indignation. ,"You Can't have
really"
Certainly l have, as you see,' she
replied. ''And it belongs to me. | have
o bargain with the unhappy mother,
and made her solemn promise, too,
that it shall be we'll taken care of. Yes
that it shall!"
She took the little head, with its
light brown, silky, curling hair, caress-
ingly between her hands.
"Eh, little one2 You shall have a
good time, shan't you?"
Not feature of the little, delicate,
rather sickly. face changed; but from
the bow-shaped mouth came one Of
those curiously deep child-sighs. I
soon gave up all serious protest against
the arrangement, and, indeed for years
each Of US had been in the habit of go
ing our own way.
Our marriage was not happy; any,
thing but happy, in fact-although We
had not married for love. The union
had been arranged by our respective
fathers amid the clink of money on the
exchange. She had wrenched her
heart away from another's-in mine
silent passion still glowed; but figures
were mightier, and we fully intended
to be obedient children. At first each
of Us was a dumb reproach to the
other, then followed wresched days of
declared war, till at last we settled
down to polite but colorless peace.
And yet she was pretty and good,
she had brilliant parts, and other peo-
pie went SO far as to call her ''a per-
feet angel" How about myself tbenP
Well, l don't think I was exactly a
monster. Analysis revealed the exist
ence of the finest rainbow colors, yet
the sun was lacking. We had been
married six years and had no children.
Well, and so the child was her prop
ertyl What was more, she had given
the mother 1900 guldens, the value Of
some jewels which she had sold secretly
and in haste.
"Why did you not tell me abo ut itP''
burst out at this intelligence.
"Because it would have been toe
late if I had waited till you came back
and wanted to have it for myself
alonel' she said, defantly.
My horses, my dog-her canary, and
her goldGshI That was reasonable
enough. But that she should wish
also to have her child to herself-it
was really too much. The thought
worried me during two days. On the
third when she had driven out, muf-
fed woman desired an interview with
me. 1t was the mother Of Hher child. p
Like shadow she stole through the
door, and pleaded with low, half.
stified weeping, to see her darling once
again-she could not part from him
like this"
Immediately opened my cash box.
"There, my good WomaD,'' said,
''take this-you have not been paid
enough" Then she broke into wailing
sobs. must not condemn her until
knew the extent of her misery. She
had:another child "a poor, helpless, cripple
and she herself was i'll and had MOI
long to live. What would become o.
this unfortunate being when she wal
gone? Well, she bad thought to her
| self-the sentence was interrupted by 6
| violent fit of coughing-she ha(
thought, as made out the broker
words: 81 will sell the healthy chile
that the cripple may have something
to live on when am dead" Ah, shl
was not to be condemned rich foil
, have an easy code.
When my wife came back told he
about my visitor. ''I gave the poo
thing exactly the same amount tha
you had given her." I said. $50 now
you understand, the child belongs tt
both of us.''
she bit her lip. SIT Is all the Sam
to me-" she observed, after thinking
for a moment, and kissed the little ont
with vehemence that sounded like /
challenge.
Our child. orsooihl 1 hardly eve
. got sight OF il, and all the changes
our establishment suffered on his ac
count happened as it were away oyel
my head. Sometimes, in more thar
usually important matters, my consent