Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-12

Judge Potter ran for water, and
they bathed her face.
Poor little thing" Cromwell said,
tenderly, at has been a hard thing
for her to go through"
When Vivian revived she burst
into a fit Of weeping. At last con-
trolling herself, she checked the
words out of her mouth:
Then Kent-Kent-he Is the
baby from the ~orphangae. He is
not a Johns, but just-just what I
thought I was"
Eyes" the old judge nodded,
gravely. 1T will be hard on him
when he finds it out!"
Vivian gave a startled little cry.
ooh, he must not know! Don't
tell him-please. Oh, not now. He
has had SO much trouble"
The two men looked at her in as
tonishment-but she swore them to
secrecy.
Promise me that never, never
until I tell him myself, and 1 hope
I'll never have to-that he shall
know that he is IA nobody. It's
too hard to endure-I-I know. 1t
would break his heart. Kill his
pride"
They nodded Understandings.
MY name, then" she said,
dreamily, is really-really Vivian
Johns"
your name, my pretty one, is
Mercedes Gloria Johns"
Mercedes" It brought a memory.
"Oh," she gasped. THE night Aunt
Martha died she tried to tell me
about Mercedes Johns She was
telling me my name. She said, too,
it was scruel' and something shout
old Johns turning over in his grave
if he had known I had married
Kent. And do you know anything
about my jade necklace and ring
there was a story"
your father" old Judge Potter
nodded, gave them to your mother
on their wedding day. She had
them on when she vas killed. Old
Johns give them to Martha to give
you on your wedding day. He was
kind o. sentimental in spots at that"
That explained it. But, why, she
asked a moment later, was it that
her name had been changed. The
judge 1huckled.
"OId Johns said Mercedes was a
fool stage name and told Martha
to give you a decent one. Vivian
was her favorite name. So she
named you It,"
Old Martha had named her. That
seemed strange. Vivian had SO COM
pletely run the gamut Of emotions
that she was weak-smi1ing one
minute, crying the next. She sat
in her grandfatheI's lap-and once
she reached down and kissed the
top of his white, wavy, thick hair.
Did you come to look me over,
grandfather, to see if I was the sort
of granddaughter you wanted-and
then go back and try to make up
your mind whether to take me on
or not?"
He patted her affectionately, and
squeezed her to him.
II wouldn't have believed Glory
had a little girl if you hadn't looked
so much like her. I feel as though
I had her back in my arms again.
You are identical"
"I'm-I'm glad" she sobbed then.
"Oh, you don't know what it means
to belong to somebody, grandfather"
81 do, baby. You're all I have left,
too 1 know"
You're not going away?" She
looked at him with trouble in her
green eyes. You'll stay here"
I'm afraid not, my dear-not just
now. I have to go back to Norfolk
and get to work sending bad people
to jail"
"Well," she smiled, tenderly, "IIl
come to see you soon, then"
II don't believe" he laughed at
her then, "the money you have in
herited means a thing to you"
oh" she was brought back to
earth mo, I'd much rather he
hadn't bothered. 1t will bring un-
pleasant complications. Kent has
nothing-I'm rich. You take it,
grandfather"
He held her tightly, and his eyes
filled.
I'm proud Of you, little sweet