The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-17
A Secret
By DONALD CHAMBERLlN

had no knowledge of tn. man what
ever.
IF you will call on me at my offic
you will hear something which yol
may or may not consider to your ad
vantage. But | warn you to say moth
ing about this meeting until you hav'
heard what have to say"
Handing me card with his name
Francis Doyle, and his address ON 1t
he turned away and was soon lost il
the crowd.
l was naturally much disconnected
/ walked about aimlessly for an hour
Their went to the address given me.
TOD Y you come into an inheritance
of 100000" he said t. me.
What"
He repeated.
"You don't mean it,
"But have something else to tell you
that you may not wish to hear
paled and waited.
"You are not the son of either Of
your parents nor the brother Of your
supposed brothers and sisters"
This was indeed blow. l dearly
loved all of those he had mentioned
/ had no heart to ask him to proceed,
but he did.
when your supposed father and
mother were first married no children
were born to them. This was a great
disappointment to your father especial
~. Friction came between them. and
they separated. In time your suppos-
ed mother, believing that the birth of
a child would bring back her husband.
took you from your mother when you
were born and wrote him that child
had been born to her and him. He re-
turned to her and a reconciliation was
established.
Those whom you have considered
your brothers and sisters came on, the
real children Of Mr.. and Mrs. Stirling.
Only Mrs Stirling knows that yon are
not her son. Your own mother was OF
good family who made a runaway
match with your father. He was I'M
able to take care Of her and died, the
cause Of his death being his poverty.
You were born shortly after his death,
and at that time it occurred to Mrs.
Stirling to offer ar adopted son to her
husband instead of real one.
"Your own mother placed with a
law firm record of your birth and
the persons who had adopted you.
That was twenty-one years ago. was
then a clerk in the employ of the firm
and am now the firm myself. Cousins of
yours who would have inherited GER
tain property have died, and you are
the heir Ii has become my duty to |
notify you of your Inheritance This
has involved giving you the other In
formation concerning your birth. II
you accept the fortune the secret must
come out, for your supposed father
must necessarily know whence came
your fortune. What change this may
make in the present relations between
husband and wife 1t is impossible to
tell"
He had given me the situation in
nutshell was like weather vane in
a changing wind-two air currents dis +,
putting for the mastery. On the one
side there was the possession of $780,
600, ON the other the revelation Of a
secret that would give my dear mother
pain--I could not at once consider her
as not my mother-make trouble be-
tween her and father and make known
to my brothers and sisters that l was
Of different family.
But all this was not in complete pos
~ ind ha ehn hod |
received on learning that / did not
really belong to those / loved was up
permost. / dreaded the first meeting
with them all after the information I
had received. / should certainly give
away the fact that there was some
hing on my mind, and doubtless moth
sr would suspect what 1t was. What
/ life she must have led, dreading al
ways that her secret would come out!
"Well," said the attorney, 81 pre-
Iume you will take time to recover
rom the information have given you
md devise some means of softening
he blow to Mr.. Stirling?"
81 will think over what is best to be
lone In the premises" l replied, "and
ct you know"
left him different man from what
had been when | entered his Office.
ioing to telephone, | called up my /,
ONE and informed the household that +.
was going somewhere with a friend
nd could not tell just when / would
e at home How / wished could go
0 father or mother for advice! This
eing obliged to settle so important :
natter without any one to consult
nth was, to say the least, trying
The next day went home. For the
Tiers 1t was the same home it always
ad been. but an invisible gulf had '
Dme between them and me- Father
'elcomed me: mother kissed me with b
er wonted affection. &
The same afternoon | gave in my r
ecision to the attorney. My fortune b
'ent into hospital, the name of the e
Dnor being kept secret | signed a n
t Of papers and departed somewhat o
.lieved. The evening l spent at home o
ying TO analyze the madness | felt 81
was not for the loss of a fortune. o
Mt for the knowledge that had come q
me. n
The secret has been kept. Mother II
YES not know that l am aware of II.
ID she shall never know. We are
e same happy family. butt wish
n I