The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-02

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riyed-I discovered I was to be-
come a mother. Oh, the agony OF
those days! For weeks 1 kept the
secret locked in my own breast
| fearful of voicing it even to the
man who had betrayed me.
II could see no way out; I was
hopeless. Racked with anxiety
nerves shattered and Ill of body
and soul, I contemplated suicide.
A mothers intuition saved me
from that. One night mother came
to my room and gathered me in her
arms.
Mary. dear, tell mother she
said-and that was all.
II told her and oh! what a relief
it was to share the burden with
anoher. There never was such a
mother, Edna, as was mine. Not d
word Of rebuke. not a whisper of
condemnation, just a great yearn-
ing to comfort and help.
"She held me close and kissed my
Redeemed eyes. My baby my poor
baby she crooned softly, again
and again, as sobbed out the whole
distressing story.
"'There, there she said soothing
~. Don't worry about it any more,
Nobody knows anything about 1t but
you and me and we'll find some way
out
Brave, brave mother! She was
trying to give me courage when her
own heart was terrified. She prom
ised to keep the secret as long as
possible from father.
He was good man, but stern
and uncompromising. We both
feared his anger and knew not what
he might do in the face of the dis
grace I was about to bring upon the
family.
"Of course, Immediately gave up
my position and that was explained
to father as due to illness. He
could see for himself that I was
not at all we'll and he was very kind
and considerate.
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I frantically sought some way out
II only I could go far. far away
from Lebanon, where nobody would
knowi But We had no money. and
even could father have afforded
that expense, we would not have
dared to ask him.
Finally without my knowledge,
mother decided TO appeal to Mr.
Crimell for help. She went to him
He not only refused, but flew Into a
rage and charged mother and 1 were
trying to blackmail him.
He fatty denied everything and
threatened to make the town too hot
to hold any of our family if word
was breathed against him. Oh, he
played well the part of the right
eouS. SNUG, respected citizen who
has been unjuStly accused!
Poor. timid little mother was nc
match for him. He we'll know we
| could prove nothing and nobody
would believe us If We accused him
He held a high social position and
We were poor and without influence
Having made this clear, he be-
came grandiloquently magnanimous
Purely out of friendship. mind you
! and not because of any obligation
we would pay my railroad fare to
any place might want to go within
200 or 300 miles of Lebanon, but
| that was all he would do.
"Mother-I will bless her for it tc
my dying day-threw book in his
face and left his Office.
And so that road of escape was
closed to me and there seemed to be
no other. I did not even know OF
that one. for mother did not tel
me of her visit to Mr.. Crimell until
long afterward.
We were sunk in despair and J
was on the point of something mad
ly deSprate when mother saw ar
advertisement in The Indianapolis
Times.
I'VE had taken The Times fol
years-it was the only paper we sub
scribed to and it was read through
and through by the whole family
Father was particularly fond of il
because of its bold independent
stand on all public questions. Mother
was scanning the want ad column:
one night when she came upon thi:
advertisement"
Mrs. Rogers went to a desk and
unlocking a tiny drawer, took from,
it a newspaper clipping. yellow with
age. She placed it in Edna's hands
1t read: