Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-08-10

Az "A DoA LIZ AoA JS0AG
after mothers death l thought at
times must tell her things.
II didn't worry about the family
breakfast till the sun came in through
a crack and woke me up. l heard a
cooling beside me and remembered my
find. Raising myself on my elbow,
there was the baby trying to get her
big toe in her mouth. She had kick
ed her legs loose and wasn't very much
covered. I bent over her. and she
smiled at me.
But it wasn't long before she began
that rooster Growing, and about the
same time l heard my friend the
coachman below doing his morning
stable chores. l tried to quiet the
child, but, though 1 didn't know it,
nothing would do it but some break
fast. There was the bottle, but moth
ing in it. The baby squalled louder
and louder, and l, fearing the coach
man would get on to my harboring a
family besides myself in the loft and
evict us, tried to stop the crying by
taking the baby up and walking it as
1 ~ Z III W. pS1olS. NNllllC L
was thus engaged the trap at the top
of the stairs leading from below open
ed. and there were the head and Shout
ders of Patsy, the coachman. He was
looking straight at me with wonder on
his face, which changed to an explo-
sion Of laughter.
"'Be dad! he exclaimed. I've done
~ roaco1f r,orr n ,Sfrht -hnr thu Ior
was breakin'. Where in the world
did We git the child anyway?'
II explained matters to Patsy and
begged him not to turn me out. He
made no promise, but, taking my bot
tie, went away and presently returned
with it full Of warn milk. This quiet
ed the baby, and Patsy went down
| stairs.
Half an hour passed, and I was
thinking, as many a father has done
whose domestic affairs r keeping
him from business, that some other
newsboy would get my regular custom
ers away from me when 1 heard steps
and voices below, and in another mo-
ment Patsy lifted the trap. But in
stead of coming toward me he held
it open for some n else. That some
one was a benevolent looking gentle
man.
II was playing with the baby's pink
toes at the time and, seeing the corners
turned to look at them. The express
| sion on the gentleman's face was a
composition Of wonder, amusement.
pity and general sympathy. Coming
up to u family. he bent over the
baby and put his f%oreinger into its
little hand for it to clasp. Then. turn
ing to me. he asked me to tell him all
about myself and my find.
when I had finished he told me
that he would send my baby where it
would receive proper attention and
when he saw a tear in my eye added
that if I kept her in the loft she
would die. He further promised that
J should always be Informed where
she was, and I might visit her from
time to time. He told me to carry her
into the house-he being the owner
of the premises-and when We arrived
he gave me the first real breakfast I
had had in years. When I had finish
ed he developed a plan by which I
might spend a part of my time at
school and have something better than
a hayloft for a home.
'This was only the beginning of his
interest in me and my daughter. AS
time wore on he did more and more
for me When I was eighteen years
old he took me into his counting
room. l had a natural adaptation for
work-in fact, was never happy ex-
cept when l was doing something.
The consequence was that when l had
finished my own work for the day I
took hold of that of the lazy fellows
In the Office, with the result that after
awhile they were sent away and I
given their work and pay besides my
own. In this way I jumped up pretty
fast and in two years was getting a
good salary.
II gradually lost interest in the
daughter I had had with me for so
short a time. but l continued occa-
o1ollul! " dSN LILY DeacI,StOl, AAr.
Merryman, about her. He always as
surcd re that she was being taken
care Of and sono day I might meet
her again. THROUGH his kindness to
me I inferred that he was doing a good
deal for her.
when I was twenty-five years old
Mr.. Merryman took me into his bust
ness as u junior partner, and when 1
was thirty he retired and left me it's
manager. Then one day he told me
he wished to see me at his house on
a certain evening. I went, supposing
he wished to talk to me about the
business. When I arrived be intro
duced me to a young girl about eight
cen years old, saying to me. This Is
your daughter and to her. This is
your father, that I have often told you
about
81 suppose the interested. curious Y
preston I saw in her eyes was dupli-
Gated in mine. I took her extended
hand and felt it clasp mine with emo
ton. She had long known the story