Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-10-29

Story of a Well Kept
Secret.
By F. - Mitchell

s1er, II as queen Elizabeth was mar
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, Luz
cerne and other points. The last, re
ceived from a little s~eacoast 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:
70 de Lawd, Missy Rosa, wha' yo'
s'pose l 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 childf'
exclaimed Miss Deane, bending over
the baby and kissing her.
VIVA yo' t'ink O. dat woman who
lef' her baby to ONE I'm else?" grum-
bled Chloe.
But Miss Deane heard not. She was
busy u%ncoyering the child with a 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.
Well, Chloe" said Rosamond, Pm
sorry for its mother, but her loss is u
gain. We will keep it. The house won't
be so lonely hereafter"
EFF yo' do when yo' come to hub 1t
somebody come along and TAX it away
from yo' sho."
II can't help that. 1 can't turn the
little stranger away"
But tickle fate, having brought a 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
little girl who had come to her in her
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 a few days and both
would be buried in England. This was
a disappointment to Rosamond, who
had hoped for the satisfaction of at
least keeping her friends grave green.
The clothes in which the founding
had been received were put away that
they might possibly serve as an iden-
LITIGATION in the future. Chloe was in
stalled as nurse. Miss Deane acted as
mother. Months passed without any
intimation as to the baby's %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 Winifred was eighteen months
| old 6ar fncfnr nonfhar rnaoiuo1 1offor
postmarked Philadelphia that aston
ished her. 1t was written In a mans
hand. and an attempt seemed to have
been made to disguise it. 1t stated
that a child had been left at Miss
Deane's plantation whose identity at
the time could not be divulged with
out causing serious trouble. A change
had come in the situation owing to
the demise of the child's grandfather.
A check for $1,S00 was inclosed as pay
ment for what had been expended on
the child and more would from time
to time be Forthcoming. This was all
the information contained in the letter
except that the baby had been born in
wedlock.
"Wha' l tole yo', missyT' cried old
Chloe when the contents of this letter
were made known to her. Mex ting
some fine lady or gemmen come down
with a heritage and carry de baby off"
"Heavens!' exclaimed Miss Deane,
shocked at the mere prospect of such
an event.
From this time Winifred's foster
mother and nurse lived in a state of
anxiety. An envelope came once a
month containing a check for 500.
The envelopes were addressed in diff
ferent hands and were postmarked
from different places. mostly abroad.
Paris, Vienna, Berlin. Munich seemed
to be the abiding places of the sender.
though one or two had been mailed in
America. One day a letter came, evil
IDENTIFY from the person who sent the
checks, as follows:
1t has been suggested to me that a pos
sible aking away from you of the child