The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-27

I
should be bOrn-Of a mother. asst were,
unrecognized. in mean circumstances,
and with the probable handicap of its
fathers weak health. It would have
been better that 1T should not be born,
he thought And then, in spite of rea-
son. instinct surged up mighty within
him and denied this, and he felt a
strange glow kindling in his heart.
Georges childi George had not gone
completely out of life, then, but he
would live again i'm this child which
was his legacy! To Richard Travis the
child seemed at once to belong to
George, to himself, and to his dead wife
They we're the three who would have
loved it and rejoiced over it. The
child perhaps would have the eyes he
loved-his wife's dark-blue eyes, that
had looked at him from under Georges
brows, and that he had thought closed
forever on this world.
Burning tears came to his own eyes,
and he sObbed aloud. In the desOlatiOn
of his sorrow he had not wept. He had
hardened to meet the blow But now
a thousand tender memories stirred sud
denly within him. He felt life awake
again. with a poignant pain.
George had not told him Of the child
not even this. But he had been
on his way home, he had wanted to
tell him. perhaps. by word of mouth.
And Richard Travis felt how this would
have drawn them together, how it
would have strengthened their natural
bond. He would have forgiven George
everything, his marriage and all, and
they could have had a simple family
happiness together, forgetting the rest.
Georges wife should have been made
welcome, too, for Georges sake, and still
more for the childs.
Well, and now? He had al
ready formed to himself the image of
the grandchild-a child beautiful and
gay as George had been. This belonged
TO him. it was already a part of him as
his ina gination seized upon it, Life
and egotism were strong in his old fbers
yet. His loneliness now frightened him.
It was certain that he could not let 90
this consolation, this hope.
He had been standing still for some
time; now he turned and walked back
slowly to the clearing. His mind was
rather confused, but one idea was clear,
and his purpose became more definite
as he approached the house. He went
straight up to the room where he knew
he should find Ysabel. She had fallen
asleep in a chair. He did not want to
wake her, but she woke of herself and
looked up at him, with her great, fright
ened eyes. Then he asked her to come
downstairs with him. He took her hand
as she rose from the chair and put the
shawl about her shoulders that had
dropped, and they went down together.
1t was getting late, the fire had burned
down into a handful Of red Goals, and
some feeling Of the frosty night began
to make itself felt in the room.
Travis went straight to his point, with
the force of desire. Of conviction, that
usually got him his own way
'Ysabel, sit down here and listen to
me. have something important that 1
want to say to you"
He put her into a chair near the fire
and sat down himself. leaning over
the table that stood between them.
There was a lamp with a white shade
on the table, and the harsh light showed
Ysabeis delicate pallor and the strong
lines of the old mans face. He looked
at her keenly, yet with a new feeling
for her. For the first time he saw
that she was charming, that her whole
small person was refined, her bearing
gentle, and this made his way much
easier.
4 want you, Ysabel," he said, ito
go home with me. I want you to come
to my house and live there. I am all
alone. / will do all I can for yoU-all
l can to make you comfortable
The color came into the girls face as
he spoke and she shrank back in her
chair, while he leaned eagerly toward
her.
"No," she said frankly, Il think I'd
better go home. II should be a bur
den to you"
Her face was more definite than her
words. Travis saw repugnance there
and bewilderment at his sudden change.
You don't understand, Ysabel" he
said; 4 want you to come. YOU
couldn't be a trouble to me. I've got a
great empty house and a lot of SOW
ants that have nothing to do. I'm
lonely there. And there's nobody in the
whole world that 1 care enough about
to have them with me-"
But" she said, after a pause, look
ing more distressed, I don't see why
you say this to newly you ask me
this, unless 1t is to be kind to me. But
1 don't want you to think 1 need it
1 don't care about it. I would rather
go back to my mother"
Yes, see, Ysabel; you feel that
I'm just a stranger. But I am not!
And it isn't as though you could be
happy there at home. I know you
were not happy there"
NO" said Ysabel, sadly, but / don't
care now so HuCu. MY nOLner always
tries to be kind to me-and 1 don't
mind the others now"
Her large eyes became fixed: she
looked over the old mans head and
seemed TO forget him. He saw that she
meant what she said, and her opposi-
ton made him more sure of what he
wanted.
Then, Ysabel." he urged. will YOU
come for me, for my sake? II it's
Indifferent to you, you ought TO be
willing to come, for I want it more
than 1 can tell you!'
A painful color flushed all over the
girls face.
But why?" she cried. You didn't
at first Why do you want me now2'
L don't know altogether why. but
do. I feel differently about it, II
suppose it is because if you are with
me-you and-and the child-it will
seem as though ] had not lost him al
together Ysabel, didn't he send me
any message-not even a word? Oh.
my son, my sOni"
Travis threw his arms out on the ia
bic and laid his head down and sobs
shook his whole body. II came uDon
him so suddenly that he could not re-
sist. The tremendous strain and the
IT,