New Britain herald., 1922-07-18
What Father spencer Told Madge About the Message.

did not obey Lilians injunction to lie down. Instead, I extracted again ' from my handbag the tiny folded note the mysterious foreigner had eonfid- cd to me in the Southampton shop. together with the Handkerchief I had recognized as one Of Grace Drapers. Then making sure that Lillian was safely out of the way, I went swiftly down the hall and tapped at the door o. my fathers room.
 He was longer in answering than usual, and when he finally opened the door and affeeuonately bade me en- ter. l saw the reason for his delay. His chair had been placed near the table and on the table stood the quaint old lacauered box in which knew he kept the mementoes Of my dead mother which had given him.
 Photographs, letters which he had written to her, and her answers in the days of their idylhc courtship when no thought had come 10 them of the sordid tragedy which was to part them forever-these, and other keepsakes evidently had been pressed hastily back into the box, for the lid was slightly lifted, showing the dis arranged contents.
 If l had not seen the old box, gen. erally kept sacredly in my fathers trunk, I should have known that he had been invoking the memory Of the wife he had so shametully deserted when 1 was but four years old. His face held the pallor, the deeply etched lines of poignant remorse, which always betrays to me his sea sons of agonized comnunings with the mementoes he treasures SO sacred ly .
 When he had closed the door after me, he caught me to him in a con- vulsive embrace and nurnured brok- enly:
 You are so like your mother, my Margaret"
 Mementoes of Other Days.
 pulled his gray head down to mine and clung to him silently, lovingly, glad that l had long ago obeyed my mothers dying injunction to forgive him. knew that finding me after his long years Of search, and winning my forgiveness had frightened his load Of remorsefu anguish, and in my love and the adoration of my small son, he had enjoyed many peaceful hours. But he could not forget that he had thrown away the love of his life for an evil infatuation, and knew that there were many moments like the one upon which I had inadvertently stumbled, when the longing to see my mother again was almost more than he could bear.
 Dearly as I loved him, greatly as pitied him, I never could banish sense of justice appeased, when, as now, I watched his anguished Via Crucis. My earliest recollection of my mother was of her terrible mental sui fering which I knew later was caused by my fathers assertion, and I could not forget that she had lived and died . lonely broken hearted woman.
 You wished to see me about some thing. Daughter?" His voice when he spoke again was even, controlled, and his face held the calmness Of emo tion conquered. My first impulse was to make some trivial excuse to con- ceal my real errand, but second thought told me that the tonic of work was the best thing I could of fer him.
 T have an odd story to tell you, Father, dear I said, "a long one, too, SO let's sit down and be comfy. I've tried to get a chance to tell you and to ask your advice about it ever since you came homo. but I couldn't manage it. somehow