Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-09
The Argus Daily Story
The Foundling-By Oliver D. Arkwright
Copyrighted. 1911. by Associated Literary Bureau.

me alone with my mother.
Henry" she said impressively, Il
am very much alarmed"
'At what, mother?" I asked.
II fear that you have formed an &C.
quaintance, possibly an intimacy. with
the girl next DOOR"
While 1 consider deception as a ne
cessity I never could get down to a de-
Hberate lie. / said nothing.
Last night" mother continued. DE
ing wakeful, I arose and sat by the
window. In the darkness I saw some.
thing white moving from our place to
the one next door. That white thing
this morning covers the young growth
planted by the girl there"
The secret was out. I had been
caught red handed.
I'll thought there would be frost,
and wished to save the plants"
did you think of those in our own
gardenT'
maintained confessional silence.
That was all so far as words were
concerned, but the next week I was
packed of to school. l found oppor-
tunity to meet Alice and tell her what
had happened. She made no comment
did not reproach me or my mother.
But in a way in keeping with her
youth she suffered-that was evident.
When we parted l bent to give her
goodby kiss, but she quietly prevented
me.
My parents sent me from school to
college and continued to keep me away
from home during vacations till I had
finished my education. There was no
communication between Alice Clarke
and myself during this time, but did
not forget her, though l tried to do
So ] had a number Of mild flirtadons
with different young girls in my stu
dent days. but they made no impress
sion on me. After my graduation no
objection was made to my going home.
! wondered at this and feared that
something had happened to remove
Alice Clarke from the place. But since
she had not been referred to between
my mother and myself after 1 had
been sent away to separate me from
her 1 did not like to ask. tried to
convince myself that would be salts
fed to find the danger removed. but
the girl had left a tender spot in my
| heart which would not be healed. As
soon as I reached home-the last of
! June-I kept an eye out next door.
/ did not see Alice, and the blinds of
her room were closed. But 1 saw that
the ClarBes were still living there.
There is a story to TELL" she said,
"and 1 will give it to you as 1t oc-
| CURED under my observation. One
morning about a year ago a carriage
with liveried servants drove up to the
Clarkes, and a lady alighted and went
into the house. An hour after she and
Alice came out, hand in hand. The
lady said goodby very feeingly, but
came again the next day, taking the
girl with her when she went away.
Since then Alice has come often to see
the Clarkes. but always in the lady's
carriage and handsomely dressed
'And you have not learned the rea-
son for all this?" asked wonderingly.
Eyes, Mrs Clarke and I have often
spoken from the windows or from the
grounds, and she told me, but only the
bare facts. The lady is Alice's mother.
She is of the blue blood-if there is
such-of America. In her youth she
eloped, was married, and her father
disowned her. Her husband became
an invalid, starvation stared the cou-
pie in the face, and when Alice was
born there seemed nothing to do but
place her in a founding home. But
the mother knew where the child had
been taken and, since she was well
cared for and poverty prevented, did
not claim her. When the grandfather
died and left a large fortune it was
found that he had relented and left
his daughter her share Of his property.
She Immediately claimed Alice, or
Beatrice, which is her real name-Bea-
trice Farnsworth-and took her home
with her"
One morning I saw a carriage drive
up, and Alice, richly dressed, alighted
and went inside l watched for her to
appear again and presently saw her go
out to the flower garden where I had
first seen her. l joined her, and the
, delight that sprang into her face on
, seeing me brought me an equal hap
: piness.
There is no need now" said, "for
us to meet clandestinely."
"Nor was there ever. I knew that I
= was the child of luxury from my baby
1 clothes that / found"
) "And you didn't tell me-"
, "No; never dreamed that I would
s be restored to the sphere in which !
] | was born"
: My mother saw us talking in the gar
: den, but there was a great difference
a in her action in the matter from what
4; it would have been had the young lady
/ ! remained a founding. Indeed, mother
Y seemed very curious to learn whether
I our past affair was to be continued.
/ was unable to satisfy her at once. for
D / did not know. ! could answer for
myself alone However. very short
d time elapsed before was able to an
L 1ounce my engagement.