Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-11-17


Afore Judith up and married Hand
some Jack, she and I-both decent
widows-lived at the west end Of the
city, and got our living by doing fine
laundry work and boarding babies of
the poor sort. One winter night
twas years and years and years ago!
"a man, handsome and young, and
with the air of a gentleman, came to
our door, bringing in his arms a sick
baby. Twas a miserable little atom,
with the skin jest drawn over its
bones, and the look Of death on its
face. Both Judith and I thought II
wouldn't last till morning. The young
man was in trouble Of some kind-we
didn't make out what. He give no ac-
count Of hisself, but said he'd got to
leave the city that night, and could
not take the baby with him, and he
asked to leave it till the next day. He
said twas his own daughter. and he
gave US her name and his own, hon.
est and prompt enough. Judith prom
ised to take care of the brat, and he
left a banknote, and a ring, marked
with some letters, and then went away
and neither of us ever laid eyes on
him afterward.
Judith took the sick baby In hand,
and nursed and tended It, as II twas
her own, and all Of a sudden II began
to pick up and mend, and finally II
got well. When we found the father
wasn't coming back, told Judith to
fling 1t into the street, but she would
mt, and she didn't. She held on to It,
always vowing the father was honest,
and would come some time and pay
us for our trouble. The young 'un's
name was marked on all its little
clothes, and Judith took great care of
the duds, and put them by, as II they
were gold, because, she said, they
might help the child to claim her own
father, II so be she should grow too
big to be known Of him when he put
in his appearance.
From the first I hated the young
'un as much as Judith liked 1t. Twas
a thin, brown little scrap, with black
eyes, like beads, and an ugly red patch.
like a hand, covering one of its skinny
shoulders-a sort of birthmark; but
Judith petted 1t, and declared she'd
keep 1t always. pay or no pay.
when we'd had the castaway a
year or so, Judith married Jack Hark-
ness, and give up the baby poarders,
but not black Poll-her she wouldn't
part with; and when we'd kept her
another year, and not a cent for 1t,
Judith died, and left her own young
'un to me, and, about the last
thing she made me do was to swear
I'd never part with Poll till her own
kin claimed her, but take care of her
with little Nan, and let no harm come
to the baby clothes and the ring; and
to ease her mind swore 1t, for she
seemed to feel as bad to leave one
child as the other; and that's how
got myself saddled with Poll"
She had probably never told the
story before in her life, and suddenly
throwing the end Of Hopkinss mantle
over her head, she began to rock back
and forth. and to groan dismally.
II was heart-broken after Judith
died." she said, "and what with trou-
BILE and the bother Of finding bread
for two brats that wasn't worth the
raising, took to gin, and things went
wrong, and drifted down here to the
alley, and sent the young 'uns on the
streets to beg"
The baronet cried out, quickly,
sharply: Where are the things Of
which you speak?-the clothing-the
ring? Did you keep them, as you
promised :"
Granny Scrag nodded.
Yes; l kept 'em. I've wanted to
sell 'em often enough, sometimes for
bread, sometimes for gin; then I'd
think the man might turn up unex-
pected like, and ask for 'em-so l held
on"
Bring them to mel" commanded
Sir Gervase.
She arose with difficulty, and hobbled
to a corner of the attic-to the cup
board which 1 remembered as a re-
ceptacle for broken victuals, and the
never-failing bottle There she FUN
bled about for long time, while the
baronet and 1 watched her silently.
After awhile she raised a broken
board, and drew out parcel, wrapped
in moldly brown paper, and tied about
with common twine. This she open
ed, and a little roll Of clothing, yellow
with age, dropped out, also a mans
ring, set with big stone-a ruby.
The baronet picked up the latter. /
ran and snatched the tiny, time-stain-
ed garments. They were fine and del
icate in texture, and on their discolor-
ed bands a name, still legible, was
written. / spelled 1t out slowly-the
light was waning in the room-then
stared, then spelled it again, then
turned and looked wildly at Sir Ger
vase.
He was holding out to me the ruby
ring. On it's inner surface l saw
crest and two letters, "R. G." cut In
the tarnished gold.
I pointed to the mark on the CLOTH
ing.
Read" 1 gasped, land tell me If l
am going mad?"
Sir Gervase read the name aloud
in that miserable attic-"Ethel Grey
lock-"
Yes" said Granny Scrag, that's
what the young man called his baby,
but twas too grand for Judith and
me, so we just christened her Polly.
His own name, he said, was Robert
Greylock."
In spite of the look on the baronets
face, l could not, at first, grasp the
truth.
This is astounding!" he cried.
Can you understand it-can you
believe it?" l muttered feebly, as,
clutching the bits Of worn and yellow
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