Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-12-26

! ful, ana LII manage ali mat Allua
! viii enjoy 1t as coming from you, but
not as gifts. Do you understand
Il thought / was her brother" said
l. aren't you proceeding on the thee
ry that I'm her husbands"
at wouldn't make any difference IL
you were her father" she declared.
We don't want clothes from our IA
theirs. We want tine money for them,
But well take diamonds oh, you must
buy HiIda lots Of pretty things! Isn't
il lovely that yon can do it, And isn't
she a dear:Y
II surely never dreamed OF having a
sister like her" said I, and was sur
prised to find that had told the truth.
So Mrs. Gilbert and | went shopping
next day at the earliest possible hour.
had not supposed that it was posi-
lie for man to tell so many lies in
one day / spent the forenoon with
Mrs. Gilbert, and we talked Of moth
ing but my sister"-every word of
mine lie, Of course | spent the aft
ernoon or most of fit with Hilda, whom
| called by that new name, though
knew it was not hers. and, to make
matters worse, she had fallen into a
dubious state of mind, and | must re-
hearse 10 her all Connor's proofs with
an air Of serene and blissful eonvic-
ton, for If mere shadow of doubt
could so affect her spirits what would
the plain truth dog
On Christmas day Hilda woke to find
the plain rooen sssom which we dared
not yet remove ner bright with many
flowers which the nurse had softly set
in their places This was the best day
that Hilda had had since the beginning
OF her illness. The tide Of returning
health had begun to run strong. and so
we were able to make it something like
a real Christmas without risk of harm
But the climax was reserved for the
evening, after HiIda had mad her sup
per. Then the lightsc were extin-
guished, the door was opened and in
there walked ChrfstTa tree, appar-
emily upon its own legs rEt really pro-
PEELED by the servfceablc Connor 1t
bIazed with candles and glittered with
tinsei, and its boughs were well laden
better, indeed, than | was aware-for
the wise Mrs. Gilbert had bought some
gifts for me from Hilda that the dear
girl might not lack the pleasure of CIV
ing
| have never seen upon the face of
any grown person such an expression
of enhancement In pure JOY as glowed
on HiIda's in the light of the shining
tree. At the sight of ii lost my sense
of shame and deception, and child
like faith took hold upon me that this
would all come right ard that should
find way to make her happy all her
life.
BY the next day, however, had re-
covered some part of my common
sense, and the difficulties of the sit
uatioF were clear to me again. but the
path of escape from them was not
clear at ALL l spent that day chiefly
in meditation and the next as well
Then voice seemed to tell me that
/ needed the counsel of a woman. and
whom could | appeal to but Mrs Gil
bert? BY this time HiIda had been
transferred TO the Gilbert residence,
favor not too great to be accepted by
a young lady whose brother owns half
of very productive gold mine | Sc
cured a private interview with Mrs
Gilbert and disclosed to her the truth.
"Oh, impossible. impossible.' she
cried. why. you semed to know each
other ut the ve"y first glance
"As I was five years old when last
saw my sister and she was barely
one" said l. "a recognition would not
amount TO very much, even if it had
occurred
''Ah but there's instinct"
Mrs. Gilbert" said I gently, ''there
is no more chance that I am this young
lady's brother than if were the beard
ed aoudad in the Central park ZOO"
But what shah we do:" she ex-
claimed. Indeed. this is a very deli
cate matter. We cannot tell her now.
She would not remain in this hOuCc 7
know her. She has the strfctest idea
about mourning obligations. She would
rather die in the street,
At this went INTO panic and VOW
ed that | would Keep UP the deception
to my last hour Oh earth though ii
should sink my soul beneath the reach
Of mercy.
A few days later Common came TO
my rooms with very long face.
There really il snag in our story"
said he. why In blszes did those
Newfoundland Grays keep this thing
so quiet? Why didn't your uncle find
his little niece: 1t Is fncoDceivable
that the Grays did not get a list of the
Delphic's passengers. That would have
told them plainly who their founding
was. She couldn't be anybody else.
and surely they must have known that
your uncle (whose name. with yours,
was in every account of the wreck
would pay them handsomely for bring
ing the little girl To him. Didn't your
uncle leave any papers. diaries or rec
ords of any kind which might throw