The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-12
A Secret
BY DONALD CHAMBERIIN

You are Joseph Stirling. l believe"
II am" | replied, surprised, for
had no knowledge of the man what
ever
IF you will call on me at my office
you will hear something which you
may or may not consider to your ad-
vantage. But l warn you to say moth
ing about this meeting until you have
heard what have to say"
Handing me card with his name,
Francis Doyle. and his address on it,
he turned away and was soon lost In
the crowd
l was naturally much disconnected.
l walked about aimlessly for an hour.
then went to the address given me.
To-day you come into an Inheritance
Of $30O.0OO," he said to me.
"What?'
He repeated.
"You don't mean itv'
But have something else to tell you
that you may not wish to hear"
Ipaled and waited.
you are not the son Of either Of
your parents nor the brother of your
supposed brothers and sisters"
This was indeed a blow. dearly
loved all Of those he had mentioned
l 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 great
disappointment to your father especial
ly. Friction came between them, and
they separated. In time your suppos-
ed mother. believing that the birth Of
child would bring back her husband.
took you from your mother when you
were born and wrote him that n child
had been born to her and him. He re-
turned to her, and reconciliation was
established.
your brothers and sisters came on, the
real children of Mr.. and Mrs. Stirling
Only Mrs. Stirling knows that you are
not her son. Your own mother was Of
good family who made 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 We're born shortly after his death,
and ut that time 1t occurred to Mrs.
Stirling to offer an adopted son to her
husband instead of a 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 Il 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 1t 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 ont. for your supposed father
must necessarily know whence came
your fortune What change this may
make In the present relations between
husband and wife It is impossible to
tell"
He had given me the situation In a
nutshell. | was like weather vane in
q changing wlnd-two air currents dis
putting for the mastery. On the enc
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 ut once consider her
as not my mother-make trouble be-
tween her and father and make known
to my brothers and sisters that I was
Of different family.
But all this was not In complete pos
session Of my mind. The shock had
received on learning that l did not
really belong to those loved was up
permOst I dreaded the first meeting
with them all after the Information
had received. ! should certainly give
away the fact that there was some
thing on my mind. and doubtless moth
er would suspect what It was. What
a life she must have led. dreading al
ways that her secret would come out!
"Well," said the attorney, II pre-
sumo you will take time to recover
from the information l have given you
and devise some means of softening
the blow to Mr.. Stirling?"
IL will think over what is best to be
done In the premises" replied, land
let you know"
l left him different man from what
I had been when I entered his office.
Going to a telephone. called up my
home and informed the household that
I was going somewhere with a friend
and could not tell just when l would
be at home. How l wished could 60
to father or mother for advice! This
being obliged to settle so important a
matter without any one to consult
with was, to say the least. trying.
The next day I went home. For the
others 1t was the same home 1t always
had been. but an invisible gulf had
come between them and me. Father
welcomed me; mother kissed me with
her wonted affection.
The same afternoon l gave in my
decision to the attorney. My fortune
went into a hospital, the name of the
donor being kept secret. l signed a
lot Of papers and departed somewhat
relieved. The evening spent at home
trying to analyze the madness I felt
1t was not for the loss of fortune.
but for the knowledge that had come
to me.
The secret has been kept Mother
does not know that / am aware Of It.