The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-12-15


over ana sat down by my side. Tears
were in his handsome, brown eyes, and
his lip trembled as he spoke.
Heaven knows. Clara. that 4 great
burden is of my mind now tha; your
cousin is gone. l shudder 10 think
What such a desperate woman might
have done when her hopes were
crossed. / wish her no i'll. but she has
been a shadow in our happy ousehold
Let US now go and see if baby still,
sleeps"
Lovingly and tenderly he put his arm
about my waist, and together We as
cended the stairs 10 the nursery.
1t seemed like the first happy days OF
our marriage, and / involuntarily ex-
claimed:
Robert, will this happiness last?"
Heaven grant il. darling WIFE" said
| he. as he kissed me fondly. and then
| bent down TO turn back the light COW
| erlet of little Maud's cradle.
The room was in semi-darkness. and.
as turned mp the gas, Robert gave n
wild and lightnng-like glance around
the room and into nurses lap. then he
turned as pale Is a ghost.
Baby is not herer'
None can tell the bitterness of tha,
hour but those who have lost Il beloved
child i'm the came way. The coffin, and
the shroud. and the putting away Of
the little form beneath the sod is moth
| ing compared with II. Rose, we knew,
had abducted our child, but where had
she gone? How true were her words,
II take your happiness with me"'
The nurse had been drugged. and
| when she recovered her consciousness
she grieved sorely for her lost charge.
1t is useless to tell of the months
and years spent in seeking a clew TO
the whereabouts of Rose Burton, of the
money expended and the food Of tears
shed to the memory Of our first blue
eyed darling. Seven years passed, and
the year Of the Worlds Fair in Chicago
dawned. Robert and myself, in the
month Of June of that year, took a
trip to the metropolis Of the West
staying three days. On our arrival we
registered our names at the Sherman
House. The second day of our stay
a note was sent up to our room written
in weak, trembling fennle hand. 1t
ran thus:
Dear Cousin Clara-I saw the notice
Of your arrival in the paper. Come to
me yourself. Don't let Robert come
this time. / think am dying.
ROSE BURTON"
On the wings Of love, pity and ex-
pectation, l fairly few to the place
| designated.
apparently dying of consumption. She
was sitting in an armchair when en-
tered, and extended both her hands to-
| ward me, while the tears coursed down
her cheeks. My heart beat so that it
was with trembling I asked the ALTO
me-important question:
"Where is my childT"
"What do you mean, Clara?"
"Where is the baby you stole from
u.s. cried, ''the night you left our
house, seven years ago?'
'As | hope for mercy, Clara, l am
innocent of such crime as that. /
have wronged you. deeply wronged
you; for l loved your husband even
before you married him-loved him and
tried not TO Guench the unhallowed
1ame-but never took your child"
Truth shone in her dying eyes. and
believed her; but my heart had now
new sorrow. Where, oh, where was
my poor, golden-hared Maud, the child
that had ever held the first place in
my soul next to Robert, albeit other
little olive branches clustered around
our table?
Poor Rose was convulsed with cough
ing, and, after the fit was over, she took
my hand, burying her head deep in
the pillow at the back of her chair,
for she had a story to tell.
II have been thinking" she said, in
her hollow voice. what | saw from my
chamber window the day / left ySur
house. l think / can give you a clew
to your child"
AS she said this some sound ATTRACTED
her attention, and she glanced toward
side door, a look of terror coming
into her eyes.
At this moment q beautiful little
girl rushed into the room. and, going
up TO the poor, dying woman, threw
her arms around her neck. exclaiming:
Il could not stay in the bedroom,
mamma, as you told me, for i heard
you cough SO terribly / thought you
must want your medicine. and"
| knew my child in n moment. The
face was perfect counterpart OF Rob-
ert's.
l drew the little form up TO me in
all agony Of delight. The scaldiDg
tears that had been penned up so long
welled forth. / forgave Rose every
thing in that supreme moment. She
had sinned, terribly sinned. but so had
the thief on the cross. and had he not
been found worthy of paradise;
This last shock soon brought poor
Rose to her end. Before she died she
confessed 10 bpiuC accessory TO the