Rock Island Argus., 1906-09-06
DAILY STORY
FINDING AN HEIR.
IOriginal.l

poverished? No; he was rich. Was
he in poor health? He was exception
ally healthy. Then what was the mat
ter with him? He had been thwarted
IN one desire. He wished to find some
kin to whom lie might leave his for
tune. and, contrary to the usual hap
penlng in such cases, no one with
drop of Pleasandon blood i'll his or her
veins was to be found.
Pleasandon had run away from his
home in England when a lad and,
coming to America, had been so alb
| sorbed in business that he had not
! had time to trouble himself about his
| British relatives. His father was
| country gentleman and well TO do.
Sidney thought that when he could go
| back with a fortune TO make him well
| come he would do so; otherwise lie
would remain away. Forty years
after his departure he went back with
the fortune, but not member or de-
Scendant from the PleaSandon family
could be found All were dead save
the daughter of one of Sidney Pleasan-
don's sisters Her mother had married
without the consent of the head of
the family and had disappeared. The
homestead had passed to others.
What we prize in youth we are apt
TO consider worthless in old age, and
vice versa. Pleasandon returned to
America with an exalted appreciation
for what was denied him-the family
he had so long neglected. If he had
discovered one member of the family,
no matter how remote, he would have
found some satisfaction in making him
or her happy with a fortune after his
own death.
Pleasandon, on his way TO his office
one day. passed small house with
little ground in It's front protected by
wooden fence. One morning little
girl about four years old, perched on
the gate, smiled at him. There was
something in the smile that went to
the lonely mans heart. The next morn
ing when he passed again the child
was waiting for him and held out
dandelion flower. If Il highborn dame
had given him an armful of roses it
would not have moved him, but the
dandelon offered by the child struck
chord in his heart that had never be-
fore vibrated.
There were many love tokens passing
after that between the child and the
old man. and once when he went by he
saw a woman looking at him curiously.
if not suspiciously. He turned, went
to the house, and the woman came to
the door.
''Will you kindly give me your little
girls name:" he said
what do you want with it?''
''She has bestowed upon me the only
disinterested gift have ever received.
1 wish to repay it. L desire to remem-
ber her in my WILL
The woman looked at him quizZically.
NO" she said, you can't be her
father. You're too old; but 1 expect
you're in league with him."
''Will you please eXplain?'
'Well. there's no use beatin' round
the bush. I've got the child and L
mean to hold on to her. When her
mother died. two years ago, she left
her with me, and l promised her that
I'd bury her in the back woods before
her father should lay hands on her.
He went to the bad. you know"
NO. l don't know anything about
him. l have simply seen her while
passing, 10 and from my office. If you
will give me her full name, when die
she shall be remembered in my WILL"
DO you really mean it?'
Il do"
"She's a good little girl, sir, and l
should like to have her benefited.
She's like her mother, sir; not like her
father a bit. Her mothers mother
made a bad marriage too. She came
of n fine family, sir. She had only one
child, this little girls mother. Both
were good women and looked and act
ed like ladies. Their husbands were
well connected, too. but both were
worthless. The childs mother told me
that her mother had married against
her parents will and they disowned
her. Her husband brought her to
America, promising to make fortune
and go back and show 'em that they
had been mistaken in him, but he
never did it. Their daughter married
4 man that was worthless too"
THANK YOU for telling me this"
He took out a pencil and n notebook
"Will you give me the child's name?"
"Rosalind Gaskell.''
"Any middle name?"
"Yes, believe there is a middle
name. but I'll have to go and look at
the writing her mother gave me to see
what it is
She went away and brought an en-
velope from which she drew q sheet
of paper and ran her eyes over the
writing that covered it, reading aloud
scraps of sentences.
Mother Crane from England.
Thirty years ago. Married Thomas
Redfield. 1 am their only child. My
husband is George Gaskell. Rosalind |
was born May ), 1898. She is named |
Rosalind for her fathers mother, a |
dear, good woman, and Pleasandon"-
''Pleasandon!'
Eyes sir"
"Go on"