Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-05-03


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-
c,l>rs for him Till Won would have
thought hc was am Angel Hut. YOU SEQ,
with her baby hac. % comfort her aud
KNOWN she was goiu 10 die. ! suppose
she found It easy like to forgive him.
And near the last she give me pack.
age Of letters aud her ring not u
baud ring. buj u lovely diamond that
he'd given her and she told me -
kocp the letters and the ring for her
child when she was old enough to TN.
dcrstand'
"Ah. This is fortunate. Have YOU
kent the lcttcr-t"
Sacred I'VE kept both the letters
and the ring That was n trust from
a dyin woman. and couldn't break
/ that. Why. I've seen the day many n
/ time when I've wanted bread and
/ could have had it by putin up tho ring
/ for a little money. but / never did. I
was that fearful mightn't find thu
money to get it ont again. Why. sir,
not even the love Of the drink has
made me part with that diamond
"You are an honest good womant
Mrs Cooper. Have you ever read
the letters? DO they reveal the mans
namcf"
AS | told you before, I didn't find
out about the right name for several
years and by then the girl was known
as Vale. so ! never changed 1t. Rut
the letters WAS from him. and willis
some was only signed with one name
and some only with initials there was
one or two had the full name"
And what was thatT'
81 can't rightly tell you. because i've
so long since | read the letters. and my
memory amt what Il used to be. But
I'll give you the letters and the ring.
and you can do what you think is best
for my Lily"
She went to trunk. using n key on
| ring that must have contained tha
keys of every article of furniture thaa
she had ever possessed, and handed IN
Mr. Mitchell a packet containing few
letters in faded envelopes, and also n
small ring box. within which gilttsred
n diamond Of first water, as Mr. Mitch-
81 saw at glance.
Before open these" said Mr..
Mitchell "there are one or two mors
questions that would like to ask. in
the first place, tell me, does Lily re-
semble her motherF
shes her mothers Twin image. Z
was only thinkn OF that this mornin
when she was here. She's just as old
now as her mother was when | firsf
met her and l could almost see my
old friend standin before me-
us she like her in other respeetsY'
"She's got the same talent for singiu
aud dancin. and she seemed to take tn
the stage as natural as can be. Then
she's got the same easy goin. simple
affectionate nature. That's been tins
1 ruin of her as we'll as her mother, I'm
afraid 1t don't do for women to give
: their love too easy in this world
Did you ever meet this man Morton,
to whom she was supposed to be mar
, ried?"
, "Oh. So is Morton she's fell in love
, with. is it? Oh. yes. I've met him, and
l owe him a grudge. 1t was him a.
: persuaded my Lily to leave me and 20
, TO live by herself. | see now why thar
, was. He wanted her more to himself,
some place where / couldn't keep my
eye on him. the schemin villain that
D. he is, But never trusted him. and I
often warned Lily that he was 10
good"
} All, Then you and he were not
. fond of each other
/ Fond OF each other? Well should
/ say not. Why. l despised him; that i
+ what | did | never took to him from
, the first. lie never seemed to be whas
. he pretended. So he's the man? We'll,
I then. I'll tell you one thing, and youll
= find I'm right
. what is that"
: "I'vr done my girl a wrong. I said
I Just now that she's Inherited the bad
= in her from her parents. Maybe she
/ has inherited her mothers weakness,
v but I've never seen uothn in her tina
= made me think she had any OF her fa'
D.. theirs wickedueSS. So II her baby
: was abandoned, be sure its no doin of
/ hers. It's the man as done it, aud
q you'll find I'm right"
Il Lilly denies that she knew anything
o hut she also declares that the father
: had no hand in the crime
| Amt that like her mother What
n lid | tell you: She makes excuses
t for the man, but you'll find he's ths
villain. after all
+ Ibid you ever meet man known as
/. slippery SAM
$50: only know he had room N
|. and on in the house in Essex street
Il where Lily lived. He was crook,
X think
y "Yes: You are right Then perhaps
.. You know Preacher limp
y "Why, everybody knows him. He's
crank touched in his head, YOU
/, know-but he's "A good man for all
that"
r, ~ good man? Why, is he not q
p criminal?'
T "Oh no says he is, but nobody
t knows any wrong ne ever done. He's
10 done lots Of good That | know for
Y certain He's helped the sick and poor
IS around about. ana he is awful fond OF
children. He's been good to Lily, civ
r. in her apples and candy and sich like