Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-05-12

shades Of coral. Her eyes were
shining in their shjmmery blackness.
She never had looked 50 beautiful
before.
In that same mirror Madam Mill
fleur seemed 70 be almost looking
over her shoulder ghost OF the
living, breathing presence. Her ewes
we're seen as through a grayish mist.
Her cheeks were white. and her
mouth was slightly tinged with color.
The older woman gave a strangl-
ing little cry.
"My babyl Ny baby, Don't you
know your mother, Lynda"
The plea Of the mother was d.
rected at the image Of the girl in the
glass. She saw the younger face
grow cold and stiff, and ashen. Then
she rectified her poise.
Are you Madam Millfleur?" Lynda
asked, wondering tremblingly.
Lynda ! am your mother!"
With a sudden rush she reached
the girl and. throwing her arms
about her. she pressed her to her
breast. The strands Of satiny blacl.
and white hair touched and mingled
in that m Of suspense.
Lynda found herself being kissed
by lips that were cold, and then grew
hot. She drew away. She could not
understand.
But my mother"
"No, my darling child. Your
father lied to you. | see it all, now,
| see il clearly. He told you that !
had deserted you. That's what you
were about 10 say, was it mote"
Father said that you deserted us,
mother, and went away with another
man."
Lynda was utterly devoid of COM
~prehension. She could not under
stand. Out Of the maze Of trans
piring events Of the past few months
came this last u~nlooked-for sequence.
it left her stupefied.
Her newly-found mother made il
clear to her.
"Your father came h6r1e one night
oon after you were born, insane
with drink, and accusing me Of hor-
rible things, as he always did when
he was In that condition, and threw
me out into the terrible snowstorm
that was raging at that time.
Weeks later ] woke up in a hos
pital. and when | had recovered, and
returned for you, your father told
me that you were dead. Then | left
for good.
81 came to New York and. after
~unspeakable hardship. Madam Mill
fleur hired me 70 do some mental
work. Later / became her personal
maid, and later still, she came Ia
lean upon me as she would a daugh.
ter. When she died she left me
everything that was hers. with the
understanding that ] should carry on
the business and the name.
Here. child, let me look at you.
little thought that Raipht Armitage
would send you to me-"
Lynda was suddenly brought back
to the present By that name.
"Did Ralph tell you who | was?'
she asked.
"He told me YOU were a Miss Fen
ton, but something else he said made
me think that you might be my
baby"
Again Lynda felt herself almost
smothered in tense arms. Again she
felt her face covered with kisses.
SUDDENLY she knew il was all true.
She had a mother that had wanted
her as other mother had wanted
their daughters. Her mothers arms
we're about her-her head was pill
lowed on her mothers breast. A
mothers tears Of JOY we're drenching
her sweet face.
With all this came the conscious
mes that she could not 20 with
Ralph now. She knew how the
thought Of being deserted hurt. She
knew that the coming years would
not be enough to love her mother in.
Slowly the words came out. how
ever. and Lynda told her mother her
whole story. With each bruised
heart string she felt 4 tighter cling
ing of her mothers arms.
At last. when the story was fin
ished. she turned and asked:
What shall | do now? Poor Ralph
will be heart broken. and in his way
he has bene very good 70 me. Before
| found you. darling mother. I felt
that il would not matter greatly IL
! followed the path | thought you
had trod. I imagined that no one
would care. No one but Davie." she
added. softly. but not SO low that her
mother did not hear.
who is David?" her mother asked.
David Kenmore, mother. You re-
member Cyrus Kenmore's son."
Then her mother knew and under
stood.
Lynda. do you love David?" she
asked.
"Yes. Mother, but he does not