Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-15
TWO FAMILIES CONTEST FOR
LITTLE ONE
Woman Who Has Adopted Child De-
cIares She Will Never Give up
Erown-Eyed, DmpIed
Darling

Gazing out on the beautiful world
with her great wondering brown eyes,
little 2-year-old Eva Reed of 1916 Col
ton street does not realize the heart
burnings and grief of which she is the
innocent cause; for the pretty little
maid was adopted by the Reed family
when her own parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Seville, agreed to part, and surrendered
the child to foster parents. Since then
they have become reconciled and beg
to be given their little daughter again,
but she has become the light of the
Cotton street home, and does not know
her true parents any more.
The story is a pitiful tale of a
young married couple that In moment
of anger decided to part, and as the
mother could not support her A.
months old baby and herself, decided
to give 1t to another mother. Now
cheerfully given If she could regain
her brown-eyed darling, but it is too
late.
Wants Little Daughter
When the Reed family came to Cali
fornia, several years ago, they left be-
hind in an Ohio grave a little blue
eyed girl, the idol of the home.
Even the smiles of California could
not Danish from their minds the
memories of the little daughter lying
beneath an eastern soil, and though
during the eight years that had in
terVened since her death, four boys
had come into the home, still the
longing for another girl baby could not
be satisfied except by little maiden.
What added particularly to the heart
burn was the fact that the only living
daughter was to be married in Oc-
tober, and the mother with no daughter
to comfort her, felt that she would be
particularly destitute.
Accordingly, although the mother
hands were taxed to their utmost
keeping four little fellows, ranging in
age from to 10 years, in pants and
waists, Mrs. Reed consulted a doctor
and requested her to find a little blue
eyed baby girl for the home.
One warm August day in 1905 the
doctor called up Mrs. Reed and told
her she had found the ideal child-"but
she hasn't blue eyes, she declared,
obviously.
Mother Gives Up Baby
The anxious would-be mother has
tened to see the child. and when she
left she took the baby with her. AS
soon as Mrs. Reed entered the room
little Eva reached for her, and in IA
few minutes was being fondled and
caressed. Both baby and foster mother
seemed to have fallen in love at first
sight. The true mother, standing in
the back ground, noted not without a
pang that her daughter clung to Mrs.
Reed, but she, too, was impressed with
the maternal interest the stranger took
in her child. IF you took baby, when
would you want to take her away?"
she asked.
"At once" said Mrs Reed. After
kissing her child good by and packing
I@kl. H..
rendered her to Mrs. Reed, with the one
request that she be allowed to call up
and inquire how her child was getting
along. Mrs. Reed did not give her
name or address, simply the telephone
number, and that night at o'clock
the mother called up.
The little girl still had her foster
father to win, and she did it by sleep
ing all night and never uttering q
sound When he arose the next morn
ing, Mr.. Reed said, She'll do" and
she has ever since.
Child Is Adopted
Twice a day the mother called up
to inquire about her baby. After six
days the Reed family was firmly de-
cided on keeping the child, and adop-
tion papers were made out.
Both parents were of fine families,
the fathers of both the husband and
wife being Methodist ministers. To
avoid a scandal the matter was hushel
up as much as possible. 1t seemed
that the extraordinary beauty of both
had made them Jealous of each other.
At all events, they could not agree, and
had decided to separate. The mother
expected to work as housekeeper,
and felt she could not raise her child
as she desired.
After the separation the mother went
to Sacramento, where for several
months she was employed as a house.
keeper. She had been bred to better
things however, and after short
time her health broke down and she
went to the home of her sister In A
little Nevada town.
From here she wrote to her husband,
| ,..hn IN l.aannnaa To har Iaiiar nra-