Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-04-01

garments. During the night a baby
was brought into the world only few
minutes before its disappointed, bro
ken-spirited mother went out of it.
1t was not unnatural, taking all the
circumstances of the case into consid-
Grafton, that Shoto Graham should
have been more surprised than either
pleased by the birth or grieved at the
death. He was, in fact, so startled at
suddenly finding the duties and re
sponsibilities of paternity so uneXpect-
eddy thrust upon him that he cast about
for some person or people on whom to
lay the blame of the whole preceding.
1t struck him as ain ST unjust that his
wife should have eyuded the reproaches
he could otherwise have poured upon
her with perfect immunity by dying IN
such an abruptly urbecoming way.
What in the world am to dc with
it?" he asked, disconsolately when
Lena carried the little pink morsel of
humanity to him for inspection.
Work for limits a boy! l tell
you, though you have not asked-and
try and teach him to be good and
plucky. truthful and unselfish, she re-
piled
In common kindness Maggie ought
to take it and bring it up. l shall have
enough and more than enough to do
to keep my own individual wolf from
the door," he said, presently, and then
a womanly impulse moved Mrs. Cum
berland to say:
Give him to me &c take care of till
you feel that you want him, and can
do better for him than ] can, Sholto"
He agreed to her proposition withut
an instant's hesitation, adding:
you always were the most generous
darling in the world, Lena; pom my
word it makes man think better of him
self TO find he has won such unselfish,
self-sacrificing love as yours.
I'VE will keep to the subject of your
little son, if you please" she said, dry
ly: "he must stay here for time with
his nurse till have arranged his quar-
tiers in my own house; so meantime
you had better go elsewhere. You
understands
Am to have no share in your sol
icitude?' he asked. The lodging struck
him as being airy, clean and comfor-
table, and it seemed to him remarkably
hard that he should have to turn out
of them because Lena had some prud-
ish notions about coming to see her
infant charge while he, its father, was
there.
Earn it at once by going out and
seeking for some employment When
hear that you are maintaining your
self and not reviling your rich relatives
for doing nothing for you, I will begin
to feel solicitors about You again.
'In the meantime my warmest graft
tude is due to you for your kindness to
this poor little motherless kid" he said,
pathetically. He was beginning to
dread that he might hurt her by an eX-
hibition of his more natural and self
centered feelings. and he felt that he
really could NOT afford to have her re-
tract Eer efforts and throw his small
son back upon his hands just yet In
time, when his sister Maggie and Sir
Andrew came home and were touched
into a state Of proper recognition Of
what was due to him from them, he
would let Mrs Gun berIand know that
he thought of her assumption OF author
ity over him in the mere serious mat
ters of life 1T was all very well for
a pretty woman to dictate to a fellow
about the way in which he should lead
her along the path Of pleasure and
where the hating places should be for
refreshment, but When ii came to her
seriously advising him to go out and
seek hire in the great worlds market
place. like a common laborer.--it all, it
was quite time to teach her the nause-
Gus but wholesome lCseon that she was
only one of many women, who had low
ed him not wisely but too we'll"
He determined to defer giving his
lesson, however, for the sake OF the
child" he told himself. So Lena Cum
berland went away, believing him 20
be the clear, faulty-on-the-surface,
misunderstanding, grateful fellow he
posed as being at parting
AS for Shoto Graham he cut quite
a creditable figure in his own eyes that
night. He dinad very quietly at his
old club-the club to which he had be
longed in his war-office working days
and on the two or three men to whom
he spoke soberly If not sorrowfully,
OF his wife's dramatic and tragic loss
of fortune and life, he made rather a
better impression than usual.
His sisters absence just now was
above all things a misfortune, he said,
bravely enough. But one Of her friends
had come forward and adopted the
baby, in whose service Che pathetically
remarked the rest OF his life would be
spent. He felt 1t awful hard lines to
be obliged TO dine at club on the even
ing Of the day on which such terrible
blow had fallen on him! But it was no
disrespect to his poor wife's memory
that he should do justice to the needs
Of nature and dine as well as he could
under the circumstances. All his
strength would be required in the