Rock Island Argus., 1911-07-22

I man wOuAQ get on 10 my uaEUOIlnS
| family besides myself in the loft and
| evict US. tried to stop the crying by
| taking the baby up and walking 1t as
| 1 had seen fathers do before. While
was thus engaged the trap at the top
| of the stairs leading from below open
! ed. and there were the head and shoul-
| ders of Patsy. the coachman. He was
looking straight at me with wonder on
| his face. which changed to an explo-
sion OF laughter.
"'Re dad! he exclaimed. I've done
1t meself many a night when the day
was breakin'. Where IN the world
did We git the child anyway
'I 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 il full of warm milk. This quiet
| ed the baby, and Patsy went down
stairs.
! Half an hour passed. and 1 was
! thinking, as many a father has done
whose domestic affairs are keeping
him from business, that some other
newsboy would get my regular custom
ers away from me, when heard steps
and voices below, and in another mo-
ment Patsy lifted the trap. But in
stead of coming toward me he held
Il open for some one else. That some
one was a benevolent looking gentle
man.
'T was playing with the baby's pink
toes at the time and. seeing the comers,
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 our family, he bent over the
baby and put his forefinger 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 1t
would receive proper attention and
when he saw a tear in my eye added
that II 1 kept her in the loft she
would die. He further promised that
| ! should always be informed where
she was, and 1 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
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 l was eighteen years
! old he took me into his counting
room. had a natural adaptation for
work-in fact was never happy ex-
cept when 1 was doing something.
The consequence was that when 1 had
finished my own work for the day 1
took hold of that Of the lazy fellows
in the Office, with the result that after
awhile they were sent away and 1
| given their work and pay besides my
own. In this way jumped up pretty
fast and in two years was getting a
good salary.
81 gradually lost interest in the
daughter 1 had had with me for so
short a time. but 1 continued occa-
sionally to ask my benefactOr, Mr..
Merryman, ABOUT her. He always as
sured me that she was being taken
her again. Through his kindness to
me inferred that he was doing a good
deal for her.
when / was twenty-five years old
Mr.. Merryman took me into his bust
ness as a junior partner, and when l
was thirty he retired and left me its
manager. Then one day he told me
he wished to see me at his house on
certain evening. 1 went, supposing
| he wished to talk to me about the
business When l arrived he 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 have often told you
| about
81 suppose the interested, curious ex-
/ preston / saw in her eyes was dupli-
/ Gated in mine. ! took her extended
/ hand and felt it clasp mine with emo
| tiOn. She had long known the story
| of our first meeting and how we had
/ set up housekeeping in a heyloft."
/ Grigsby stopped at this point IN bis
story to relight his cigar, which had
/ gone out.
We'll" 1 asked, did the father and
/ daughter relationship continueF"
First let me tell you about another
matter The clothing of tho founding
| had been carefully examined by those
! to whom turned her over They in-
dicated that she had been born Of the
middle class. But there was not
word, not even a letter, 10 Indicate
! who her parents were, and the secret
has never come out TO this day"
"And the father and daughter busi-
nessT' l persisted.
"Oh, Mrs. Grigsby can tell that bet.
ter than I. The parent and child be-
came husband and wife. But that's a
story in itself, and I'm no man to go
into tales Of love. ASK her"