Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-05-30
A Righted Wrong
(Copyright. by W. @. Chapman.)

WIN DSAolS AOuL doy5 41ohl SOuhys
Very we'll he answered at last,
you know best. I will get a baby
somewhere-but the good Lord only
knows where
And then I left him. When got
to my little fiat, l called in a neighbor
and gave my instructions.
ct won't be able to be around
cooking for a good while; I don't think
I would be able to stand It, l told her,
and so, will you take my little girl
over to your place for a week or SOP
Why, certainly she answered,
but why
Tim going to starve myself I an
swered. I am working on a case.
That's all 1 can tell you. Will you do
the favor for me-?
And so, that day I started. in to fast
for ninety-six hours. l had planned
do and l believed hat the only pos
sible way to win the thing on which I
had set out was to proceed in exactly
the manner I was doing. And SO,
food, goodby.
The first day was not so bad. The
second was harder. On the third l
had to lock myself in my room, and
by the fourth day l was really in the
condition that l desired to be, pale,
weakened n suffering for lack of
food. How those hours dragged by
while l waited for the appearance Of
the attorney and thes child which he
was to borrow for me! 1t seemed
that two o'clock would never come.
1t seemed that every minute had be-
come a day. I remember that l
counted the ticking of the clock, hun
dred after hundred, thousand after
thousand-and then there came a ring
on the bell.
"The attorney started a bit when
he saw my face. 1 tried to smile at
him. but there was not much smiling
in me. Yet, my brain was alert, quick,
ready to do all that I had planned for
it, and l set to work.
Il had dressed myself in rags. I
had more rags for the baby that the
lawyer had brought for me-, and an
hour later a creeping woman walked
up the street of the Edwards home,
begging from door to door,.
But someway or another" Miss
Clement added with a little smile as
the music crashed forth from the op-
posite balcony, that very same
woman was %repulsed at every house.
At last came the Edwards mansion.
And there was the time for work, real
work, If there ever was such a thing.
"Wearily-and there was no taking
to that, either-I dragged myself, with
the baby. around the side of the house
and to the kitchen door. l knocked.
A ervan opened the door and looked
at me with frightened eyes. l stag.
gered within. l sank to a chair. l
gasped for breath.
"'Can't you give me food" l begged.
I have had nothing to eat for four
days. We are starving, the baby and
myself-can't you help us?'
THE servant, a kindly faced old
Irish woman, raised her hands. Then
with a leap, she began setting food be-
fore me. l suppose the sight of it was
too much for me in my weakened
state. l shall always be thankful that
she took the baby from my arms just
when she did, for a moment later,
had rolled from my chair to the floor,
in a faint.
when l came to, l was in another
room of the house, with the old Irish
woman bending owe me, feeding me
broth. And how it did taste! don't
believe that abrosia could have been
any better-I now that l would not
have traded it for that soup. And as
1 ate, there came a feeling of sneak
mess into my heart, that l had come to
this place to really take money away
from the employer of this woman
who had been kind to me. It made me
grit my teeth. Fol- once l was sorry
that I was a detective.
Il looked up just then. The kind
old cooks hand was on my head and
she was talking to me.
GIVE put tn little darlint in a
cradle-an old thing but comfortable
she said, AN bless me, tn spalpeen
whit to slape, just like that She
snapped her fingers. TIL have to call
the Missus. She was in here an she
wanted to talk to you when you walked
up
"a moment later, a hard-faced old
maidish type of woman walked into
the room. / could see by her eyes, by
the set of her Jaw, by her whole ap-
p~earance, that there was mighty little
of the womanly, mighty little of the
motherly, in her. And it made me feel
better for the game that l a to play.
For, l knew within my, heart, that If
1 could succeed in what I had set out
to accomplish, that 1 would not be
harming her but benefting her, by Civ
ing her a new viewpoint in life. Anx-
iously I waited for her to ask the ques-
tion that would give me the starting
chance. But she had other things on
her mind.
Young woman she began severe
1y, I suppose you have no objection
to being taken away in a police ambu-
lancer
Il looked up with fright on my
face.
".Arrested?' I asked, as p~iteously as
I could.
"tNo-no,' she said in ~staccato
tones, not arrested I said nothing
about you being arrested. But you
must realize that you cannot stay here.
1 have no place for you. I know moth
ing about you. My woman has done
everything for you that you could ex-
pect and SO / am going to call the
police ambulance or something of the
Kind RI toka Won away'