Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-03-19
Back From
The Dead
By EDITH Y. ROSS

What do | think? Why. I think
my little boy looks very happy about
something"
Il saw mamma In the park!"
A panied expression came over the
fathers face. His wife. the mother
of the boy. had been dead "a year.
The child was at the time too young
to understand the nature Of death and
had been told that his mother had
gone away and would not come back
to him. When the father recovered
from the shock his son had given him
he said:
"You were mistaken. George. You
couldn't have seer mamma. for she is
in heaven"
YES. ! did. While Nanny and l
were walking in the park I saw nam.
ma sitting on a bench by the fountain.
ran up to her and said, oh. mamma.
where have you been so long. and
why don't you come homer"
"And what did sayT
"Why. she kissed me and said. I
can't come to you. but you can come
and see me at my home occasionally
Then | asked her where that was.
and she said. I'll tell your nurse. and
she can bring YOU"
The father took his boy in his arms.
kissed him and. putting him down.
sent for the nurse and questioned her.
She told him that the lady George
had referred to was the image of his
lost wife; that she had humored the
boy and had given her address, at the
same time telling her that she might
bring him to see her If she found he
was longing for her.
The next day George asked to be
taken TO see his mamma" and b
nurse. having referred the matter to
his father and received his assent. took
the child to see the lady. Miss Marian
Hill. who petted him and gave him
candy and sent him home loaded with
favors. Many times during his visit
she was about to explain to him that
she was not his mother, that he had
made a mistake. but that he might con-
slider her as such. and she would love
him the same as If she were so. but
the child seemed so sure about her
identity. and 1t was evident that she
would only pain him by setting him
right, so she could not bring herself
to correct his error. When he parted
from her he said:
"Why don't you come home, mamma.
and see papa? He looks so sorry be-
cause you went awayl"
Miss Hill found 1t more difficult to
parry this part of the error than any
of the others. However, she was no
prude and yielded to the necessities
of the case. Her heart was touched
by the motherless boy, and she placed
his comfort above all else.
"You can bring papa to see me il you
like" she said.
"And then will you come home with
us?"
The lady kissed him and said that
she couldn't do that. and she couldn't
explain to him why. but doubtless his
father would understand.
So when Georges father came home
that evening the boy told him that
mamma couldn't come home to see
him. but he could go to see her.
One afternoon Mr.. Trevor made a
call on Miss Hill. He was struck with
her likeness to his lost wife and was
not surprised that George had mis-.
taken her for his mother.
Il would have brought George with
me-" he said, "but thought that we
had better first arrange what we should
tell him to satisfy him, that our stories
may not disagree"
II fear that | shall have to rely on
you to tell him that | am not his moth
er.. | fear ! have not the heart to
do So"
u will think the matter over. There
is no need for haste. | an not sure
that we could make him understand
his mistake ever If we tried to do so.
For the present we may permit him to
remain in ignorance"
Miss Hill made no reply to this. She
knew that it would be embarrassing
for the child to continue in supposing
that she was his mamma. living in an
other home than theirs. Mr.. Trevor
also realized this, but he had thought
of a remedy. The moment he saw
Miss Hill he was seized with a desire
that she should fill the gap left by the
wife he had lost. Indeed. from the
time he thought of this possibility he
became a different Being a wild
over, he knew how to lay siege to a
woman's heart and realized that his
motherless child had opened a way for
him. When he arose to leave after his
first call he had formed a definite pur-
pose that would bring him a compan-
ion and his boy a mother.
He began by sending triiing gifts
by George when he went with his
nurse to see his mamma. principally
flowers and books, following up these
by invitations, which at first were such
- Ill 49, NJ III