The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-08-03
A Secret
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

of five, l being girl, the rest boys
Our parents were In comfortable cir
cumstances, and, so far as | knew
there was no skeleton in the closet to
trouble any one of us
The day I was eighteen on leaving
the house to do some shopping | was
accosted by a woman.
Il have been watching for yon to
lehve your home for two or three
days" she said please come with
me to lawyers Office in the matter OF
legacy"
I went with her to the Office where
/ she worked and was ushered into the
room of one of the partners He was
pleasant looking man and quoted
what misgivings | had He asked me
to wait while he sent for person who
| wished to see me, and | was detained
| some time, at the end of which an eld-
erly woman came in. She looked at
me curiously for few moments, then
began to speak to me.
II have a communication to make to
you which will probably both trouble
and please you. You are not the child
Of your supposed father and mother
| caught at the arm OF the chair in
which / was sitting. but presently,
mastering my feelings, nodded to the
woman to proceed Mrs. Worthington.
your supposed mother. when first mar
ried had trouble with her husband.
He left her. and she, thinking that the
birth OF a child might heal the breach
and bring him back. applied at a
founding asylum for newborn babe.
A child had been left at my door. and
/ had taken steps TO have it received
at the home at which Mrs. Worth
ington applied. The result was that
she took the baby that had been left
at my door. You are that child
Again / showed signs of collapse,
but my impotence TO hear more kept
me up.
Several years after this occurred a
lady called at my home and told me
that she was the mother Of the found
ling whom she had left at my door.
She gave me no information about the
matter except that she was the daugh
ter OF well TO do parents, but had mar
ried against their wishes, and her ia
Their had for a time disowned her. In
reply to her inquiries as to what had |
become of you told her of your situa- |
ton as the supposed Oldest daughter |
of persons of responsibility and that !
IL you were claimed 1t might part a /
husband and wife, the former not
knowing OF the deception that had
been practiced upon him.
''She left me without telling me what
she would do. Two years ago Mr.
HARDWOOD, the gentleman who Is with
us, sent for me and told me that you
had received in trust for you property
valued at 100000. which was to be
yours when you came of age. He had
been charged to see that you were in
formed OF your hequest without any of
the Worthington family knowing any
thing about 1t. He desired me to keep
track of you and when you came to
be eighteen years old to take steps
that you should be Informed of all
these facts. Your real mother depos-
tied In this office all the information
about you to enable you to claim the
(
She ceased TO speak. and both she
md the lawyer for awhile left me TO 7
recover from the shock had received.
They conversed together, but had t
10 idea what they were talking about,
10 absorbed was in the information
had received about myself | was
greatly distressed. | loved my sup
,osed father and mother. my brothers
md sisters, Just the same as il were
# the same blood. / now had a Sc
ret that only my supposed mother
lad But she did not know that / had
t. What should do?
I was permitted TO digest the matter
o far as ] could within a brief period.
vhen Mr Harwood said to me kindly:
at is not necessary that you should
ONE now TO a decision as 10 what
our future course is to be. | would
dvise you TO think the matter over
efore action"
Il have decided Just what to do. |
ball keep this secret TO myself"
The lawyer looked somewhat dis /
nrbed az this and said that it would !
e difficut to inherit my property 6
'ithout my identity becoming known.
told him that | would resign the
roperty. I wouldn't have it on any
ccount. since fits possession would :
ring trouble on the family Of which ,
was a member. j
left the Office, but did not return {
ONE for some time. | telephoned {
at / would visit a friend with whom !
was very intimate. When l met the