Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-08-02
THE
FOUNDING
By ELINOR MARSH

'S> 80 ~ IN w N"AS NS
to love, and her husband, whose active
life did not seem to require it, was dis
appointed on his wife's account.
One evening there vas a ring at the
Redmond bell. Mrs. Redmond went to
the door and there found a basket. Tn.
der a soft, warm blanket lay a baby
boy fast asleep. Taking up the bas'
ket. she carried it into the house, re-
moved the child and made an eXami-
nation of everything that might fur
nish a clew to its identity. But there
was no clew.
For seven years the Redmonds gave
the little fellow everything to make
him comfortable and happy. Then one
day he disappeared.
F~rank-they had named him Fran
a gentleman approached him and.
after asking him where he lived and
the name Of his parents, told him that
if he would 60 With him around the
corner he would buy him some candy.
Frank consented, and as 500 as they
We're out of sight of Franks home he
was put into a carriage and driven
away.
When the boy was missed his foster
parents believed that he had been kid
mapped by some one who would apply
for a ransom. They had saved some
money and expected to pay it over for
the boy, but no demand was ever made,
nor was he returned to them.
Frank was taken to the home of the
man who had kidnapped him and from
there to an office in a big building.
The boy noticed on the door of the
office the word Surrogate" but he did
not know what it meant.
This is Thomas Barton Clarke"
said the kidnaper, sole heir-at-law to
the estate of his grandfather, William
Cook
Frank heard the man beside the desk
say to the kidnaper that he was ap-
pointed guardian, and $4,000 a year
would be paid from the income of the
estate for the child's maintenance.
Frank grew to manhood under the
care Of this guardian, who pocketed
the sum put aside for the boys sup
port. When Frank came of age he
suspected that his guardian. who was
now dead, had doubtless kidnapped him
and kept him in his possession to Sc
cure this income. Frank had a dim
remembrance of his foster father and
mother, but had no idea who they
were. He learned that his possession
Of the estate he had inherited had been
disputed and that the evidence of his
identity, trumped up by his guardian,
was very thin and would have been
contested by other claimants had they
had means to do so.
But now that the estate was about
to be turned over to him these claim
ants dubbed together and brought suit
to prevent his having it on the ground
that he was not Thomas Barton Clarke.
Meanwhile an evil fortune befell Ed
ward Redmond. He lost his savings
by an unfortunate investment and was
taken i'll. Doctors bills and a cutting
off of income through being laid up
impoverished him, and he and his wife
were on the border Of starvation.
One morning Mrs. Redmond took up
a newspaper to examine the advertise
ments, hoping to find something that
she could do to earn money, though
she was really too old to fill any but
a light position. when her eyes fell
upon n asking for information CON
0orninT n cn11r1o u6o ho1 hco,,plk ~
from babyhood to about seven years of
age Thomas Barton Clarke.
Mrs. Redmond had never heard OF
Thomas Barton Clarke, but it occurred
to her that he and the baby who had
been left at her door and whom she
had called Frank might be one and the
same person. She told her husband OF
her suspicion, but he poo-poohed her
for her rainbow hope. However, she
wrote an nswer to the advertisement
The next morning Frank drew up be.
fore the house where he had lived as
a child. The street looked familiar,
He rang the Redmond bell, and an old
woman came to the door. 1t seemed
to Frank that he had seen her before
somewhere in the dim past. She was
gazing upon him as in a dream.
II have a note in answer to n ad.
yertisement for
"Frank!" exclaimed the woman, then
fell into his arms.
From that moment it all came back
to Frank. He was taken to his foster
father, whom he remembered dimly.
But he remembered his play room and
just where he had kept his rocking
horse and other articles of amusement
His foster mother had kept the basket
in which he had been left at the house
with its contents of bedding and cloth.
ing, and she brought it out for Franks
inspection.
By e Of these articles Frank sue.
ceeded in establishing his identity as
Thomas Barton Clarke, but only as g
link in other evidence and after a
great deal Of searching. The basket
vas Of a certain make, and a bill was
found for its purchase more than TWEEN.
ty years before. In a similar way
some Of the clothing was converted