The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-28
CHAPTER XLVIII
OCT. %, 1929

GfLOWL1 MIS-. GIlIllS SIlOOh IlC1
- head. mo, it was not Evan
geline," she\ said.
Her answer came as shock to
Helen, who was so certain she had
found trace of the legitimate Cum
ningham heireSs. She stared word
lessly at the woman sitting across
from her.
Mrs. Ennis was strangel agitated;
she seemed to be trying to bring
herself to say something that she
was loath to reveal.
Her hands f1uttered up to her
face twisted around her mouth,
then dropped back to clutch at the
arms of her chair.
In Helen'S heart a faint hope was
growing that it was all needless
ordeal. She reminded herself that
Brent had not proved that she was
not Helen Nellin.
No such hope was absurd, she
realized. That second locket! She
must find the owner. Then she
would know, beyond question, she
prayed, if there was a child who
should stand in her place.
Suddenly Mrs. Ennis spoke. II
guess I'd better tell you," she said.
1T is right for you to know if you
are going to marry Bob;; but not
even he, or Eva herself, has been
told" She paused and looked at
Helen appealingly. The girl said
nothing.
They are about the same age"
Mrs. Ennis went on; land he was
such a tiny shaver when We .
when we took Eva He'd been
out on a farm for nearly a year
with my cousin Emma
He doesn't suspect that Eva isn't
his sister. We gave up the hotel be-
cause he was too delicate as a child
to live in town, and went out to the
farm. People lost track of us, and
when we bought this house and
moved back to town a few years
later after Cousin EmmaS death no
one had the slightest idea that Eva
was not my own child. Heaven
knows I've loved her as SUCH" she
added TREMENDOUSLY.
-
HELEN sat like a lgraven i'm
l. l. age, except for the light that
was glowing in her eyes and the
slight movement of her parted lips.
Then Eva" she whispered-the
words would not come louder
EVA Is :"
IAN adopted child" Mrs. Ennis
supplemented for her. THE daugh-
ter of the man we knew as Charles
Owens. I'm sorry I can't tell you
more about her parentage than
that, but We know nothing more
about it.
1T was enough for us that we
fell in love with the child for her
own sake. She was such a darling.
My heart went out to her the very
first time I saw her. She wanted
her mama, and Owens didn't know
how to look after her. so when he
said he was going aw, that he'd
just come back for a While to be
near a place that held tender men,
cries for him-we begged him to
let us keep the little girl. He was
willing and . and we've had Eva
ever since"
''Eval" Helen murmued; Eva
Evaneglinel oh, Mrs. Ennis. don't
you know? Don't you know?"
Her excitement alarmed Mrs. En-
mis-. Know what?" she asked fear
, fully.
That Eva is really Evangeline
Nellinl" Helen cried.
But don't understand" Mrs.
Ennis gasped. You. she couldn't
be- Anyway, her father was Charles
owens"
"oh. no. no. he isn't. L was
Charles Nellinl"
Then" Mrs. MIS- voA .yas
shaking with ,tion-"who are
ycu?"
Helen wilted. Her head dropped
a little, but she quickly brought it
up again and held it proudly erect
when she said without a quaver:
II am an impoStor."
For a moment silence followed her
WI Oc-1 cA4CllSc t4lht SCSAlCu W VI
brate with unspoken thoughts.
MY dear" Mrs. Ennis said at last.
betraying her inability TO grasp the
full import of this startling turn Of
events.
Helen's throat was tight; forcing
herself TO speak was torture. but
she went courageously on. II have
no right TO the Cunningham for
tune" she said: 1T came to me
through fraud"