Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-10-11
Continued from last week

she died later. You see, we've been
last couple of years-ever since the
war became a probability, in fact.
Most of the officers in the regiment
are since that time, but / guess they
all knew something, and kept it quiet,
like YOU"
Wallace nodded. ST fancy there's
good deal of feeling" he said.
''Quite good DEAL" said the major,
dryly. "And I guess you'll agree with
me that this makes it-let's say, lit
tie difficult to adopt his child Off
cially?"
"You mean the remembrance would
be too bitter?"
81 mean that that position is the
one and only position that she is dis
qualified from holding, by reason of
BIRTH
"Still," urged Wallace, sit isn't in
the blood. The mother was decent.
Why should that baby be furnished
with her fathers treachery?"
"It's written in the Good Book"
began the major.
"And there's something else about
Goals of fire, too, Major, which came
as a sort of revision of the old law.
It's just what we ought to do, because
it's the only way to adjust the mat
ter"
adjust it? Adjust what?" cried
the Major, with sudden passion.
1.-THE whole of that hellish business,
Major. The man was once an officer
of the Seventeen. He's dead and his
crimes have died with him. We want
to forget that such a thing could have
happened, and the only way is to leave
him to Gods judgment and to cast
out all bitterness from our hearts.
You quoted Scripture to Newell,
gave you the answer from the same
Book. Let death bring oblivion to the
mans memory. He's left us the child.
Start here. Start fresh. [ have the
right to the kid, but what you have
told me makes me feel strongly that
there's a Providence in this affair,
and I'll lend her to you-mark that
Ns
none"
Major Howard pulled at his mus
tache in agitation. "You don't really
mean it, WallaceY' he asked.
''I do. If you want me to let you
take her till the wars over"
''It means forgiving that black
guard"
ut means forgetting him and letting
the Judge judge"
cit goes against every instinct. I'd
bring her up away from the regimental
life. Besides, there are the Others
"Who else knows?"
swell, of course, nobody else knows
who the dead man was. The colonel
will have to know. But he needn't
know we've adopted the child. He's
going South after the war. However,
I'm afraid Kellerman knows. He rec
ognized what was left of the face, or
suspected somehow. / could tell from
his manner"
81 don't see any overwhelming diff
ficulty in that. You can trust Keller
MANI"
The major nodded, and it occurred
to Wallace that he would rather trust
any of the officers than Kellerman. He
had conceived prejudice against him
which he could not have explained.
"And Hamptons name was erased
from the old mess list" Wallace con-
tinued.
The major, who had been pulling at
his -mustache and thinking deeply,
came to his decision.
'Well, I'll take her on those terms,
Wallace" he said. 1.-THE fellow was a
bad lot, but, as you say, there may be
no reason why this little animal should
suffer for his sins. The mother was
decent, and there may be something in
that idea of vicarious restitution.
I'll agree, Wallace, if you'll let me take
over the charge of her till the wars
ended. Well enter her on the mess
book and settle a fictitious parentage
on her afterward, and may she never
know her fathers history. BY the time
she's old enough to understand a mas
cots duties, flirt with the lieutenants,
and plead for the DRINKS, maybe We'll
have forgotten it ourselves. Good