The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1905-12-14

they told her so that she could hide
the baby where he could never find it.
who are you-her brother?" her
dry lips managed to fashion.
I'm her husband, ma'am."
"Her husband! Why, we thought
she was not married"
The man fumbled nervously with
his hat
81 know. They told me the other
day she didn't say nothin' about bein'
married, but we was just the same.
brought the certificate"-he drew 1t
with trembling hand from his vest
pocket-"to show you"
"And now l suppose you want your
baby-after deserting your wife and
leaving stigma attached to her name
you come to take away the only being
I ever loved" Sister Ellice with
all her vaunted nerve and courage was
very close to tears.
For Heavens sake, don't talk
like that, ma'am, but hear my
story before you say such hard
things of me. You see when Har-
riet and l was married we didn't
have no great amount of money,
but we managed to furnish up little
fiat and was as happy as two birds in
a nest until l lost my job, through
there bein' strike on the road was
a switchman-and then things began
to go wrong. tramped the town over
lookin' for work-any kind OF work,
didn't care what. but I couldn't pick
up enough to keep soul and body to-
gether. Piece by piece our furniture
went for food and by an by couldn't
stand 1t no longer and seein' an ad-
vertisement In the paper for men on
road out west an transportation free,
went, tellin' Harriet I'd write her to
come II I could make livin': II not
l was comm home. Harriet. little
woman. God bless her. his voice fal.
tered and he wiped his eyes with the
back of his hand, was very bright
and cheerful and was goin' to take in
washin' or work out as a servant un-
til she heard from me. Well, my bad
luck followed me-after a few months
| was thrown out Of work again.
wrote to Harriet, but didn't get no an
letter. Then / got an odd job to do
now and then earning barely enough
to buy food and place to sleep, and
had about made up my mind to 60
home when was taken with a bad
case Of rheumatism and was laid up
in the hospital for months. was near
crazy with pain and sufferin' and not
knowing whether Harriet was dead or
alive when my luck changed an
saw piece in the paper advertisin'
for one Thomas Watson, son Of Jo-
seph Watson, formerly of Pennsylva.
MIA. Well, 1t turned out that my un.
Gle In Illinois had died and left me
very good farm.
"As soon as | was we'll enough ]
took possession Of 1t and then | cam'
to hunt up Harriet. You don't know
the shock, ma'am, when they told me
she was dead. To think of how she
must have struggled and then when
had my good fortune she couldn't
share it with me-" The man buried
his face in his hands and the tears
trickled through his fingers.
Sister Ellice watched him with seem.
ing indifference. She had grown hard
and bitter. Was he not going to take
her baby from her? The man seemed
to feel her lack of sympathy for him.
He recovered himself presently and
said with hesitation:
Perhaps you don't blame me so
much now-and-I don't want to put
you to any Inconvenience. but perhaps
l might have look at my baby"
81 will bring her down to YOU" Sis
ter Ellice answered. with coldness
which belied the wild beating OF her
heart and left the room. Blossom
had just wakened out of a sleep and