Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1908-02-15
CHAPTER XXii.-Continued.

81 was born close to the wilder
mess she said, and my mother died
whcu | was about eight years old.
Thcu my father took me into the
woods, where | worked at a kind Of
a boarding house for lumbermen. ]
rau away from that when ! was about
IL | had to; the reasons | don't
want to tell. | found some people
Camping in the woods when I'd been
gons three days and most starved.
They felt pity for me, | guess. and
took care of me. | stayed at their
caln3 that summer, and then they
fetched me home with them and |
was sent to school. Somebody said
SoIaething 10 me there, somebody who
hated me. She had been Fostering
me all the time, and | ran away.
Uncle Jud found me and took care
o. tue until you came, and that's all
want to tell. | could tell lot more,
bus | don't ever want those people
to fiud me or take me back where they
live, and that's why | don't tell where
I came from. Then | felt l was so de-
pendent on them-I was twitted of it
--that it's another reason why | ran
AVA. | wouldn't have stayed with
Uocle Jud more than over night ex-
cent hat had a chance to work and
earn my board"
"t:tt wasn't it unkind of you-isnt
II o0w-not to let these people know
yot are aliye?" answered Aunt Abby.
''They were certainly good to you"
q know that they WERE" returned
CA;,, somewhat contritely; but
aoudn't stand being dependent on
t,,em any longer. If they found where
i vas. they'd come and fetch me back;
ard I'd feel so ashamed | couldn't look
'eid IN the face. Id rather they'd
this,l | was dead"
We'll, perhaps it is best you do
no." returned Aunt Abby, signing;
"hu! years of doubt, and not knowing
whether some one We care for is
dead or alive, are hard to bear. And
now that you have told me some of
yeUc history, l will tell you lifelong
case of not knO oing some ones fate.
Many years ago my sister and myself,
WHO were born here, became acquaint-
ed with two young men, sailor boys
from Bayport, named Cyrus and Jud-
Son Walker. Cyrus became attached
80 me and we were engaged to marry.
j ueyer came to pass, however, for
tho ship that Judson was captain of,
with Cyrus as first mate, foundered at
sea. All hands took to the two boats.
The one Judson was in was picked up,
boo the other was never heard of
sr,erHard. In due time Judson and
my sister Amanda married. He gave
w. sailors life, and they settled
Gown where they now live. | waited
many years vainly hoping for my
svcctheart's return. and finally, realiz-
ine that he must be dead, married
Capt. Bemis. That all happened so
long ago that | do not care to count
tbc years; and yet all through them
has fingered that pitiful thread of
doubt and uncertainty, that vain hope
that somehow and someway Cyrus
may have escaped death and may re-
turn know il will never happen.
7 know he is dead: and yet | cannot
put away that faint hope and quite be-
Iiege it is so, and never shall so long
a. I live Now you have left those
who must have cared something for
you in much the same pitiful state
OF doubt. and it is not right"
For one moment something almost
asin to horror flashed over Chip.
And was he called-was he never
- mean this brother ever heard