Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-09-06
DAUGHTERS OF CHIN
BY Eta w. PIERCE

land was doubled up with rheumatl2
and he'd about made up his mind t
quit salt water and get an appointment
as light-keeper on one Of the islands
His last voyage was on the Concordi;
Tempest to some French port, and N
left me alone at Cinderville with Jimi
baby.
"'Twas a sickly little thing from TIT
start Jim gave me a hundred dollar:
for 1t when he went away, and he sen
| It's board as regular as clockwork. %
course. that was a great help, for We
wasn't rich folks. One night the child
was seized with Group. and before mid
night struck 1t lay dead and stiff or
my lap-I always knew 'twould never
live to grow up.
| Twas a shrieking, bowling night
with the sea booming up the beach
December weather on the Maine
coast. AS l sat lamenting over the
baby and wondering how was ever tc
get to the neighbors for help, Father
Joe himself, fresh from the last voy-
age he was ever to make, opened the
door and came in with a bundle in his
arms
you've reached Cinderville just ir
time says l. Here's Drusie's baby
stone dead, in spite Of goose-grease
and onions, and every other remedy
that could think of, and Jim sent an
other hundred dollars to it only yester-
day"
"'Well, shiver my timbers! this is 8
curious turn for things to take!' says
Father Joe, and then he opened his
bundle, and what do you think he hat
in it? Another baby, plump, healthy
handsome-a girl, too. like the dead
one, sleeping as sound as top. fol
he had been obliged to drug the little
thing to keep 1t quiet on the journey
from Boston"
For mercy's sake! Father Joe,
says /, where did you get that child"
And then he told me how at Havre
a French gentleman, very stern and
forbidding, had come aboard the Con-
cordia Tempest with this baby and Its
mother-the last an American girl
handsome as a picture. The French
gentleman had paid the passage Of the
two to Boston. He made short fare
wells with them and went his way. and
the Concordia Tempest sailed that
same day for America
1.-The voyage was long and stormy
and the American girlswas very sick
most of the time she kept hersberth-
she had been sick before leaving
France. She seemed to be in great
trouble, too. and often talked like one
delirious. She called herself Mrs. Lau-
rent, but nobody knew where her hus-
band was.
Father Joe used to take the child
on deck for her, and in various ways
he tried to show her such kindness as
he could. The baby grew very fond OF
him, and at the same time he won the
confidence of the mother, l suppose
Anyway, as the Concordia Tempest
approached Boston, Mrs. Laurent came
to Father Joe, and told him she was
going ashore to look for relatives that
had cast her off two or three years
before-disowned her, because Of her
marriage. which didn't happen to please
them. She couldn't say whether they
were alive or dead, or whether they
would receive her or not: and because
the child had grown so fond Of Father
Joe, she wanted to leave it with him
till she should find her people. She
never told gran'ther a word about
them-not even their names, nor sta
ton in life. But he saw she was
dreadfully troubled; so he consented to
take charge Of the child and let her 60
off, and his shipmates jeered him well
for his folly. for she never came back
mind you. He waited and waited. but
nothing more did he ever hear Of her
The captain told Joe to carry the child
to some orphans home. but it clung
about his neck, he said, and made him
so soft-hearted. that when he found
the lIlOlHcI ilSiu lolS SdhSii IL ioi 6SON
he just brought it home to me.
when he had told me all this, we
sat down together and talked the sit
uation over, and Satan entered into
Father Joe, and says he:
why not bury this dead baby
Debbie. and put the live one in It's
place? Who's ever to know? Certain
~ not Jim-he's too far away. and we
can go on drawing the board-money
and save Jim the distress, too, Of hear
| ing that his child is dead-don't yor
see? And it'll be providing for this
desarted little creetur at the same
time
We'll, hankered after Jim's money
as much as gran'ther did, and so we
agreed, then and there, to do 1t. We
buried Drusies little girl secretly ir
the dark of that night, and put in hei
place the child of the strange woman
Yes. | know twas a wicked thing tc
do, and il has worried me at time:
ever since-it used to worry Father
Joe, too. He got the appointment a
Porgy Rock. and we carried little Essie
there. and brought her up as Jim''
own. Now" suddenly stretching ou
her withered hands to the dumfoundet
Esther. cant you see why l sent yol
west to jim? l wanted you to bring
him back to mel wanted him tC
know that | had deceived him.
couldn't bear to keep my secret an!
longer-with death staring me in th'
face, / grew afraid"
Esther stood voiceless, mOtionless
but Lispenard started up in great agi
tation from his chair.
Can dare l believe all this?' N
cried What proofs have you to giV'
me. madame?"
Go bring gran'ther Joe's brass
bound box, Essie." groaned Aunt Deb.
The girl went to a cupboard ant
brought forth a square, cedar box o
foreign workmanship, and put the SANE
silently in the old wOman's lap. From
a ribbon about her neck, Aunt Del
then took q kew The brass bound liz