The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1916-07-20
Bills MOTHER
ey Al1CIA RANN.

1ne worst OF 1t tS-the secret that
! have dreaded 10 to tell you-the
secret 10 that l Am not Margaret Bar
chester. I am just Orphan Maggie"
The girl sat very erect among tho
cushions of the window seat in the sun
parlor Of Eagles Nest, the newly-built
abode Of Mr.. ~Barchester, head Of the
gigantic business corporation Of which
Bill Pogue was proud to be considered
n of the promising younger mem.
bers.
That's why 1 didn't want to say
that l would marry you; because you
couldn't marry me, of course, when
you knew that I was just an orphan.
The Barchesters adopted me.
bill. please don't hate me for being
ashamed Of it, for it wasn't quite that.
But Mr.. and Mrs. Barchester have been
so good to me, and they made me
promise v to tell anyone that /
was not their truly really daughter.
When you began to come to see me
and when you told me that you want
ed me to marry you l knew that
Daddy Barchester wanted me to like
you. For he is very proud of you, Bill,
and always calls you his boy.
"Oh, I have tried so hard to tell
you, Bill, but l just couldn't. Bill, your
mother would hate MT If she thought
I had made you thipk I was really and
truly Mr.. Barchestefs daughter"
For the first time, Margaret paused
In her talk, but Bill forgot all the com
forting and reassuring things he had
intended to say.
She held out two imploring hands
and, now that her little speech was
over, her eyes were filled with the
tears that she had been keeping back
so bravely.
But Bill did not yield to the tempta.
ton to comfort her.
I'm glad you have told me, Mar.
garet. OF course, it was the only
thing to d." he said, still avoiding
her e%ntreating eyes. I'm glad, too, to
know your reason for not giving me
your answer" He paused again al II
thinking deeply and then turned and
faced the girl, watch in hand. His
voice a entirely changed when he
said, "Well, let's start now for that
Compromised visit to my old home.
It's in the other end Of town."
Once or twice as Bills car bore them
swiftly onward, Margaret tried to get
back to the question uppermost in her
mind. Why didn't he tell her that the
fact of her humble origin made no
difference to him?
They moved less rapidly through the
outskirts of the city, dropped down
through the crowded streets and on
beyond to the older section, where sag
ging pavements and ill-kept green
squares proclaimed the neighborhood
to have outlived a. Understandable
era.
At one such corner Bill signaled for
the a to stop.
We'll get out here and walk to the
house." he said.
Perhaps" she thought, "the street
where Bills mother lives is being re.
paved"
But in a minute more she found this
conjecture to be wrong. 1t was an u
usually large and imposing mansion,
out of date and in not too good re-
pair to which Bill turned their steps.
What a perfectly lovely old home"
she said as they neared the massive
black walnut entrance door. Secretly
she felt disappointed. If Bill had led
her to some simple little cottage or
even up flights of stairs to a humble
fiat she would have felt that the lit
tie Maggie she had confessed herself
to be would find a warmer welcome.
1T is a fine old home, isn't it," al
swered Bill, with evident satisfaction.
"And some twenty-five years ago. 1t
was the scene of great festivities.
Pretty good times still 60 on within its
walls"
Just then a stout, middle-aged WON.
an came to the door.
"The mother, please" said Tom, and
then: "She expects us. Shall we 60
straight to her study"
He turned to the little room on the
right of the imposing though meagerly
furnished hall and entered, unan
nounced, what was apparently his
mothers study. Margaret first caught
the brilliance Of the stand OF red &C.
raniums that stood in the sunlight OF
the window to the south, then the i'm
preston Of immaculate cleanliness and
then the little mother came toward
them from her low rocking chair with
two outstretched hands. Margaret took
one and Bill the other.
80 you have brought her!" smiled
the mother, with a tone that gave
Margaret all the reinsurance she had
longed for. And then she found her
self seated cozily in a low rush-bot'
tom chair at the mothers side and Bill
in another.
1T is a wonderful thing to me" the
mother was saying in her kind voice
that not one boy who has left US
and made good has been ashamed
when the time came, to bring the girl
he has chosen for his wife back to
the old home. And not n has been
oshamod IN Introduce me as his moth,