The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-13

see plain enough he didn I want to lay
that kid down long enough to do it
himself
81 opened the letter and read it to
him, and here it is, Colonel; you can
read it YOURSELF
coat pocket, and drew out letter
which he opened and laid on the cap
tain s desk. The captain took up the
letter, leaned back in his chair. and,
gripping his cigar more tightly be-
tween his teeth, read the following:
This is to be the end of it all-the
baby and this letter, ] can get no
work because I've got baby, and no
one seems TO want woman TO work
who has n baby with her, and my poor
baby is a cripple. Mebbe you think
am wicked to leave my baby and
drown myself in the river. which I am
going TO do tonight But / am not
hard and cruel and ! do care, but |
ain u so hard as God and the Char.
ties.
81 went to the Charitics-wcnt there
cross typewriter girls They treated
me just like I was dirt. out in the gut,
ter. They asked me so many ques-
tions, and J was so tired and hungry
j couldn { think of half the answers
They told me ! must get two preach
ers TO sign the paper, and / must leave
my address and ! would be investi-
gated and report would be made in
four days, Ny God! four days and
me and the baby starving! j asked
for work; they were sorry, but they
didn't have any work there. They
would take my name and let me know
when they had any. So they sent me
away,
'There wasn't anything left but the
streets Maggie was crying and | stole
n bottle of milk from doorstep. But
me and then they'll send me 10 the
workhouse. i can't go to prison. My
baby will grow mp and if she found
out her mother had been in Jail, or
on the streets, she would never forgive
me, and would have to be ashamed all
the rest of her life. Poor little Mag
gle, j can't take her into the water
with me: ] can't hurt little Maggie.
Mcbbe God will make up for it some.
how. The missionary folks talk that
way.
"When they pick me up along the
river they Will know it's me, because
my shoes amt mates-one IS black and
one s brown. I'm good woman and
her father was an honest man. 1t was
the drink that killed him. Whoever
takes Maggie, try TO be good to her,
| lfpl! l. itb nv NC dSuolilcu VI utl ih
ther and mother
MARGARET O'DONOVAN"
"Umph!" grunted the captain. as
he finished reading the letter. go Don
ovan--samc name. Did they know
hcr7''
"No, Colonel" said Connor. "This
poor woman found somehow that a
| family Of the same name lived in
Bleecker street, but they were no re-
lation'
"And You left the baby there'''
querricd the captain, taking on soft
er, kinder tone.
"'Sure / did" said Connor, "When
the tall. young fcller heard me read
the letter, he sort of cuddled the baby
up to him.
4" Crippled, is it,, sez he in whis.
per, like the one we lost
Gle stood holding the baby in his
arms in front of the FIRE, and then he
puts it up over his shoulder. and goes
to patting it gently on the back. jest
then his wife-Em 'ly, you know, he
called her En- 'ly-sbe opens the door
and looks in from the other room She
was Jest going TO say something, but
didn't as she caught sight of him
holding the kid Then she Jest GOV.
cred her eyes with her hands and
gasped. and then came along in very
slowly, her eyes uncovered and both