Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-11-24
Convinced i
Story of a Well Kept
Secret.
By F. A. Mitchell

ried to the state SO was Miss Deane
married to a girl friend. That friend
had left her some time before to take
her invalid mother to Europe. Letters
were received from the traveller post
marked Naples, Rome, Florence, LII
cerne and other points. The last, re-
ceived from a little seacoast town in
England, announced that the writer
would be at home within a few weeks
While Miss Deane was breakfasting
that morning it was fated that she
should receive the surprise of her life.
Chloe, an old darby woman who was
born on the plantation, came into the
room carrying a basket and exclaimed:
"Fo' de Lawd, Missy Rosa, wha' yo'
s'pose [ found on de po'ch?"
Placing the basket on the table, she
turned down an embroidered blanket
and exposed the face of a girl baby
that appeared to be three or four weeks
old
Poor dear little motherless child!'
exclaimed Miss Deane, bending over
the baby and kissing her.
"Wha' yo' t'ink O. dat woman who
lef' her baby to some IN else?' grum-
bled Chloe.
But Miss Deane heard not She was
busy uncovering the child with view
to examining the clothing for a mark
of identity. The apparel was of fine
texture, but there was nothing on it to
give a cleW.
"Weu, Chloe" said RosamOnd, I'm
sorry for its mother, but her loss is our
gain. We will keep it. The house won't
be so lonely hereafter"
EFF yo' do when yo' come to lub it
somebody come along and TAX it away
from yo' sho."
81 can't help that. 1 can't turn the
little stranger away"
But tickle fate, having brought joy,
turned about several days later and
brought a sorrow. A letter came an
nouncing the death of Miss Deane's
bosom friend. 1t was dictated by the
dead girls mother, but was written by
a man. The shock to RosamOnd was
severe and was the more intense that
she had expected any day to receive
word that her friend had arrived in
America. For a time she forgot the
grief; then suddenly it occurred to her
that the child had been sent by Provi-
dence as a compensation for her loss.
Taking the little one in her arms, she
covered her with kisses.
In due time a letter was received,
written in the same hand as the first
and signed Edward Warick, stating
that the mother had survived the
daughter but Il few days and both
would be buried in England. This was
a disappointment to R0samOnd, who
had hoped for the satisfaction of at
least keeping her friends grave green.
The clothes i'll which the founding
had been received were put away that
they might possibly serve as an iden-
tffication in the future. Chloe was in
stalled as nurse. Miss Deane acted as
mother. Months passed without any
intimatiOn as to the babys parentage,
and what was at first desired came to
be dreaded. By the time little Wini-
fred, as her foster mother named her,
reached the age of six months she had
so completely wound herself around
the heart of ROsamOnd Deane and
Chloe that any one appearing to claim
her would have been regarded as an
enemy.
When WiDifred was eighteen months
old her foster mother received a letter
pOStmarked Philadelphia that aston
ished her. It was written in a mans
hand, and an attempt seemed to have
been made to disguise it. 1t stated
h0f nh hn1 Iof4
Deane's plantation whose identity al
the time could not be divulged with
out causing serious trouble. A change
had come in the situation owing tt
the demise of the child's grandfather
A check for 81 800 was inclosed as pay
ment for what had been expended OF
the child and more would from tim
to time be forthcoming. This was al
the information contained in the lette
except that the baby had been born il
wedlock.
''Wha' I tole yo, missy?' cried oil
Chloe when the contents of this lette
were made known to her Mex tin
some fine lady or gemmen come dow
with kerriage and carry de baby off,
"Heavensp' exclaimed Miss Deane
shocked at the mere prospect Of sue
an event.
From this time Winifred's foste
mother and nurse lived in a state O
anxiety. An envelope came once
month containing a check for $1OC
The envelopes were addressed in dill
ferent hands and were postmarke
from different places, mostly abroad
Paris, Vienna Berlin, Munich seeme
to be the abiding places of the sender
though one or two had been mailed i
America. One day letter came, ev
sently from the person who sent tn
checks, as follows:
It has been suggested to me that pos
sible taking away from you Of the chill