The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-25
By JEANNETrE H.WlALwoRTn35
81 SO
,eopYRlGHL 1898. BY THE Aurnoa.A I

"pardon me, dear child"
"Go on.
"Whsn you were month oil, You
mother LETT my house for Mexico, de
rlaring her intention Of making Bascon
bring about reconciliation with hel
mother"
II did not oppose her going. ] pro.
cured q trusty attendant for her.
thought the journey would do her good,
and I knew the arrangement from her
mother was almost killing her.
"She came back to me six weeks later
without her attendant and without you.
She told me strange story, to which
gave no oredence, although Bascom
did write to me later that she had mar.
rowly escaped death in a terrible rail.
road accident.
"The clumsy story she told was that
on recovering consciousness she found
herself in private house surrounded
by kindly natives all jabbering Spanish
at her. One Of them brought an infant
and put 1t in her arms. She shrieked
out at the sight of 1t. It was not her
child. The doctor was brought. He
could understand English. She explain.
ed to him that few moments before
the shock she and young mother sit.
ting in front of her had exchanged ba.
bies to see which was the heavier. AS
the crash came each woman clasped the
infant in her arms to her bosom. Then
they told her that the only other infant
on the train had been killed, together
with its mother. No ono believed her
story. / certainly do not. think the
shock of the accident, coming on top of
all the nerve strain she had been endur-
ing for several years, unbalanced her
mind permanently. As the main object
Of her journey was to sec her brother,
she took carriage and drove to his ad-
dress, taking with her the infant that
had been left in her charge. We can
only account for her persistent denial of
your identity on the score of nerve
shock She loft You on Bascom's hands,
refusing to mother you. A week or two
after her return I had letter from Bas.
com corroborating her story us told by
herself. The manly fellow, ever ready
to shield her, accepted the Republication
OF her child as Ellen's only hope Of res.
toration to her mothers presence and
promised to care for the little one as
best he could.
"How he kept that promise you best
know" said Northcote smiling sadly
into Jessica's face.
She lifted misty eyes to his.
when my father and my mother for.
sock me, he took mo into his tender
keeping. Did my grandmother relent?'
"She died before Ellen returned from
Mexico'
A somber silonce fell between them.
Jessica broke it, |
$50, then, so far from being an Or
phan, doubly orphaned by the death Of
the good man who gave me the shelter
Of his name and home, am suddenly
come into possession Of father and a
mother. What am I to do with them2
I should think that poor gentle spirit up
stairs, whatever the mistakes of her
youth, might be left unmolested for the
short remnant Of her days. AS for me'-
She stopped with perplexed frown
wrinkling her forehead. "Are you in
Mr.. Whitney's-in my father s-confi-
dence sufficiently to speak Of his inten-
tions? think I could better stand
things from you, doctor, than from
him."
II am sufficiently in his confidence
to believe that he will not abate one
jot or one title Of what he is legally
entitled to.
"That MEANS, said Jessica, with a
gasp, that he can lay claim to his
to his wife and to this place.
which since Colonel Bascom's death is
the property Of his sister,
''It means all that and more" North.
3otos voice was full of bitterness.
'More?'
"Have you forgotten Belknap?'
mo; oh, mol I thought of him and
him in the first stunned mo-
lnonts while I was trying to piece my
together so as to fully
what you were saying OF
course that is forever out of the ques-
tion now"
She said it with such intense quiet
ness Of voice and manner that Northcote
gave her scant credit for the suffering
she was hiding behind proud, cold ex.
terror.
And speaking of him, doctor, would
you mind finding him and telling him
am afraid cannot discuss this matter
with him now or indeed at any time
in the future? There is no room for dis
,ussion. He is not strong enough to
stand the excitement of it. Go look for {
hin, please, and don't let him come to
me- l suppose later on I will be able to I
hink. just now can only suffer-
Her face was go full Of pain and her |
Efforts to bear this terrible blow were s
10 pathetic that Northcote buried his
lead in his arms as he stood by the
to shut out the sight of it.
"Go, please, doctor, and thank you
or the sympathy you are showing. I '
will grow used to this change, sup
'ose. One moro question-do you sup
'ose he will insist upon seeing me to-
lay?" v
Whitney, do you mean?" I
eyes" o
II can't say. don't know. Not if I {
an prevent it,. Y
He seized his gloves and bolted s
trough the doorway, bent upon pro-
Getting her from molestation as far as p
ny in his power. AS he opened the s
DOR he found himself face to face with b
'elknap. He nodded toward the study n
COR. :,
"You have left Miss-her in there?" :.
Eyes, but she begs not to be disturb. -
d." ,
"You have told her everything?' Fl
II have told her everything" a.
Northcoto stood with his hand Oh the ~
barring passage. Belknap n
nd one Of his thin hands on the lapel ',
his coat and flung him to one side :,
18th a strength born of his passion.