The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-11


which hung on the wall in the full
brightness Of the winter sunshine.
Who's that?" cried he hoarsely
and at the same moment he uncovered
Ermyn's face and flaxen head, draw
ing their attention, as he looked from
the one to the other, to the extraor-
binary resemblance between the living
child and the portrait.
Lady Froyle uttered sort OF gasp
ing scream.
"Whose child is this? Where did
you get her?" cried she, sharply.
taken back to her friends. I don't
know who they are, or where they
live, or anything about them. But
know she's no common persons child,
and, so brought her to the first great
house + saw, thinking perhaps you'd
better know than I where she be-
longed."
Lady Froyle had risen, trembling
from head to foot.
tombstone" said she, ats the very
child I saw In the shop-the one
Stone Court" Burnet started slightly,
but nobody noticed it. Look at her
hair, her eyes," she went on. And
look at that"
She glanced at the picture on the
wall.
Robert Burnet turned pale. He
felt cold and sick with a sudden intui-
ton Of the real facts Of the case.
These people were Froyles. The
child was the image Of a Froyle por--
trait. The governess who had had
charge of her was Froyle. With
his own child he had stolen, and the
whole world seemed to crash together
round him in one vast ruin.
Upon his shattered mind fell the
terrible blast of the fact that he had
no claim to the little one, that the ten
| this flaXen-haired babe had had
imagination for their basis, not reality.
In his first transport Of rage and
thwarted feeling he would have killed
the child if he had been alone and free
to wreak his vengeance on the in
conscious instrument Of his deception.
| AS it was, she was snatched out of
his arms before he had recovered from
the momentary stupor caused by his
discovery, and then, realizing that es-
cape was his best course, he sprang to
the nearest of the large plate-g
windows, threw it up far enough for
him to get out, and was outside the
grounds before any one had time to
entertain q thought Of pursuit
While Burnet and the stolen child
had gone thru this eventful night and
morning, Lord Catherington and Be-
atrice had been on their track.
Learning at the little inn by the
shore that the very man Of whom they
were in search had just escaped them,
the viscount reasoned that Burnet
would probably continue in the same
direction, and, therefore, soon got
upon his track again, following the
eastward line, with the result that,
after whole night spent in wander
ing round and about the very neigh
borhood where Burnet was in hiding,
IL 41o.o
ing, to the very village innn where
Burnet had obtained his breakfast.
BY this time Beatrice was so pros
trated with fatigue that Lord Gather
ington engaged a light cart, in which
they might pursue their researches;
when he obtained from the man at the
inn the information as to the direction
in which Burnet had gone on leaving
the village.
When he learnt that the artist had
taken the road to Froyle Place, Lord
Catherington got into the cart with
out telling Beatrice the information he
had just learnt. 1t seemd to him an
extraordinary coincidence that Bur
net had directed his steps towards the
very house where the relations Of the
young widow lived. But, from what
guessed it to be the result Of Burnet's
knowing that the governess' name
was FrOyle, too.
Lord Catherington wondered VIVA
the mans intention was; whether hi
r meant to leave the child in their care
or whether he had some other motive
|. in his mind. In either case, he though
, it would be better to say nothing tt
Beatrice Of this; and as she was il
, q state Of absolute over-fatigue, IL
, which 1t was as much as she could d.
to hold herself up in her seat, sh'
drove up to the gates Of Froyle Place
| without the least idea where they wer'
7 going.
She had never been there before
{ and she did not hear her companion
} low-voiced question to the lodge
t keeper. Therefore, when they drov
l UP to the house, and Lord Gathering
: ton got down and asked the man VIII
!. opened the door if any news ha,
i reached the place Of man with
t child, Beatrice had no idea into who's
e house she was going, as Lord Gather
g ington, with a face full Of eagerness
g helped her down to the ground, say
o ing, quickly:
Il "Now, bear 1t-bear it well. She
+ found!" ...-.
a The words were an electric shock t
(, her. Lord Catherington had to sup
n port her as she went in q sort Of de
lirious dream Of ecstasy along the pas
= sages that led to the breakfast-roon
= And when, entering as the servant an
q nounced Lord Catherington," she sa,
g her own darling on the knees Of Lad
F'royle, chatting brightly, and feedin
a lap-dog with cake crumbs, she coul
+ only utter a faint cry, and, staggerin
~ across the room, fall on her knees be
" side her child.
. She had no idea that it was on tn
% lap Of her mother-in-law that the bah
y, was sitting. And yet she had had
- sort of dazed knowledge, as she caugI
- sight Of the erect elderly lady, thu
she had seen her before. But a
- knowledge, all other consciousness
:, was swallowed up in the joy Of the RI
IL covery of Ermyn.
> Bee! Bee! Mammie, mammie
3 cried the mite. dropping her cake an
clasping her mother round the nee.
l. The next moment she saw anoths
II loved face, and cried out: "Dadd
ID daddy!''
ID Sir tombstone, with a grave, pa
'e countenance, was standing with h
sc back to the fire.
er There is some mystery here,
think" said he to Lord Catheringto
lie who had snatched the baby in h
n. arms, and was holding her aloft, in
IN tumult Of joy none the less real that
w was expressed with few words.
t. cannot understand 1t. I had unde
n, stood, Lord Catherington, that tn
IS was your child"
,r Most certainly 1t is,'' returned I'll
l. viscount, spontaneously, as
: patted the little ones round chez