The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-08-10

iShu pcSah to cTS, ana he t0lu ner TO
shut her whimperin.' Nice language,
wasn't 1t? She tried to stop cryin and
was chokln back her sobs that would
get out some way when he went ut her
again. Look here" says he. I've
come here tonight to tell you somethin.
aud you may as well hear 1t now as
later. You said you wouldn't mind the
world SO long rs you had my love.
Wcll. you've lost my love. so that ends
that! You used to be pretty girl, but
you've cried so much lately that your
tears nave washed away your good
looks and my love with 1t. So, now
that you understand that, perhaps
you'll think different about the baby.
What do YOU say?' My friend. she was
Just struck dumb. she was so stunned
at what he said. But after a minute
she made out to say: What do YOU
mean! What about baby? We'll, to
make 1t short he says, this baby is as
much mine rs yours. worse luck, and I
!ont mean to have.it bothcrin me iu
me future. So I'm goin to take Il
AWAY. Then she cried, and She bog.
Srd. and she got out Of bed and went
Town OIL her knees and prayed to him.
oUl ne was stone deaf and stony heart
ed. He just wrapped the baby up, and,
puShin her away from him, he went
out with 1t in his arms She fell bocL
IN Il faint on the floor, and when they
round her OF course she was worse.
Ana, what's more, she never got better
again. She died two days Later"
but she had seen her baby cgain.
thanks to you. Mrs. Cooper"
THANKS to- the Almighty Father
you mean. Thanks, indeed! I never
comes to Thanksgivin now but I Of
ier up my praise. rcmcmberin what
happened that day, for who but the
Lord led that beast Of man to nv
door TO lay his bundle where 1t was
best for 1t to lieY'
"No doubt you are right" said MFR
Mitchell. You know what the Bible
says, Not sparrow shall fall"
Indeed do, and many's the time
I've thought of the selfsame words
But that's the way the child got the
name Of Lily, or Lillian, which is the
proper way Of putin 1t. Her own
mother gave it to her"
"Strangc! Her mother gave her her
first name, and her father gave her her
last" said Mr.. Mitchell
Yes. But that wasn't his fault. And
he didn't give her his own name nei-
his credit
"You mean that his name was not
Vnle?"
"Indccd 1t wasn't, though didn't
know that r:yself for years afterward.
You see, in the excitement of flndin
my friend so low and hcarin that the
baby was hers l never thought to men
ton about the bit of paper with Vale
on it nor to ask her the name Of The
father, though I doubt If she would
have told me. Women are strange that
way. They let men deceive them and
trample them in the dust, and then
they goes down to their graves keepin
their secrets. 1t amt just. The men
should suffer, too, say"
"Did she tell you nothing about the
fathcr?"
"Oh, yes, almost everything 'cept his
name. That she never breathed by no
chance. But she told me he was rich
and Of good family and all that, and
she said he must have been crazy that
night, cause he never treated her bad
before, and she made all sorts of eX-
cuscs for him till you would have
thought he was an angel. But, you see,
with her baby back to comfort her and
knowin she was goin to die, suppose
she found it easy like to forgive him.
And near the last she give me pack
age Of letters and her ring-not
band ring. but n lovely diamond that
he'd given her-and she told me to
keep the letters and the ring for her
child when she was old enough to un.
derstand."
"Ah! This Is fortunate. Have you
kept the letters?"
SACRED! I've kept both the letters
and the ring. That was trust from
n dyin woman. and I couldn't break
that. Why, I've seen the day many a
time when I've wanted bread and
could have had 1t by putin up the ring
for n little money, but I never did. !
was that fearful I mightn't find the
money to get 1t out again. Why. sir.
not even the love of the drink has
made me part with that diamond"
"You are an honest, good woman.
Mrs. Cooper. Have you ever read
the letters? Do they reveal the mans
name|
"As I told you before, didn't find
out about the right name for several
years, and by then the girl was known
as Vale, so I never changed 1t. But
the letters was from him, and while
some was only signed with one name
and some only with initials there was
one or two had the full name"
"And what was that?
"I can't rightly tell you, because It's
so long since read the letters. and my