The Tucumcari news. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-01-06

The face under the nurses cap grew
as pale as death. Had this man come
for Blossom, her baby? Why hadn't
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
mis- hat.
Il know. They told me the other
day she didn't say nothin' about bein'
married, but We was just the same. |
brought the ceItifcate"-he drew It
with a trembling hand from his vest
pocket-"to show you"
And o | suppose you want your
baby-after deserving your wife and
leaving a stigma attached TO her name
you come to take away the only being
| ever loved Sister Ellice with
all her Wanted nerve and courage was
very close to tears.
For Heavens sake. don't talk
like that, ma am, but hear my
SN'ls bNlOI' s'h say SuNH ldlu
things of me. You see when Har.
riet and | was married we didn't
have no great amount of money,
but we managed to furnish up Il little
fiat and was as happy as two birds in
a nest until | lost my job, through
there bein' a strike On the road was
a switchman-and then things began
TO go wrong. | tramped TIE town over
lookin' for work-any kind of work, |
didn't caro what. but couldn't pick
up enough to keep soul and body to-
ge'her. Piece by piece our furniture
went for food and by an by | couldn't
stand it no longer and seem an ad.
vertisement in the paper for men on a
road out west an transportation free,
| went, tellin' Harriet I'd write her to
come If | could make a Twin; if not
| 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 up.
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 All.
swer, so | guess she never got my
letter. Then | got an odd job to do
now and then earning barely enough
to buy food and a place TO sleep, and
had about made up my mind to go
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 a piece in the paper advertiser
for one Thomas Watson, son OF 10.
seph Watson. formerly of P~ennsylva.
mia. Well, it turned u that my un.
Gle in Illinois had died and left me a
very good farm.
las oon as | was well enough !
took possession of it and then | came
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
hi' iuNS III Nllo Iullho ulll lllS lGuIS
trlckled 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 anc
said with hesitation:
Perhaps you don't blame me So
much now-and-I don't want to pu
You to any inconvenience, but perhaps
! might have a look at my baby
Il will bring her down to YOU" Sis
ter Ellice answered. with a coldnes.
which belied the wild beating of he
heart, and left the room. Blossom
had just Weakened out of a sleep anC
sat uD in her crib in all the rosinea.