Year: 1878

]
daughter of Colonel Chillingworth, the most
elegant gentleman in the county, who lived in
grand house near us, on u very large and
! fine estate"


WAS he my grandfather, papa -
"Ees, my little one but must 90 on and
! tell You my story. There is not much time.
| was much too poor TO know Colonel Chill
lingworth very well-I met him sometimes
and we shook hands, but never visited him
at his house. His daughter, however, came
to see us, now and then, as it was but II short
walk across the fields and l remember how
her fine dress contrasted with my mothers
| plain black. When she was about nineteen
she came to live with us"


ITO live with you, papa"
My mother invited her to do so. She had
no home, poor thing Her father had died
suddenly, and it was found that he was en-
tirely ruined Although he seemed so rich
he owed money to everybody His estate
was sold to pay this money, and your poor
mother had no roof to shelter her SO my
mother went to her, and put her arms around
the poor young girl and told her she should
never want friend or a home as long as we
had one"


Dear grandma! That was very sweet in
| her. So mamma came to live ut The Cot
tage?'


'Yes, dear and year afterward we were



wonder how she ever came to consent to it,
But she was alone in the world, and, sup
| pose, felt lonely Soon afterward. my dear
mother died but you had come to take her
! place, Fanny. You We're very sweet Your
! cheeks were like roses: and all the time was
not working on the farm l had you in my
arms, kissing you and playing with YOU
He passed his hand over the child's hair
tenderly. and went on.


] ,nyf, g I
think You had brought sunshine into the
house. But, when you were n year or two
old, trouble came


Trouble, papa


Il was obliged to sell our happy little home.
and become a wanderer.'


80 papa. why were you obliged to sell
The Cottage Z"


For debt, my child. Debt is fatal thing
in this world Fathers should have strength
to avoid it. 1t turns their wives and children
out upon the highway shelteress-as in my
case. was persuaded by neighbor to be-
come his security, as IT is called, for the pay
ment of large sum of money. He would be
ruined, he said, if did not do so. l should
never have TO pay the mOney-it was only
form. He was so unhappy and besought
me so that | yielded. and signed the paper he
brought with him. That ruined me, and
made my little ones homeless"


30 papa


The neighhor l speak of died soon after
ward and the paper had signed was brought
to me. lie had not been able to pay it, and I
was obliged to. ! had nothing but my little
farm. and at last it was sold | was turned
into the wide world with my wife. and you,
my child, without home"


Fanny uttered low sob and clung closer
to him.


II was very unhappy" he continued; Il
I al.
food for your mamma and you. You had
grown very beautiful and shrunk from hav-
ing you grew up the child of n common hired
laborer-to become a drudge. | could not
endure the thought of that"


She chung closer still to him. her eyes moist
and full of tenderness.


s'Perhaps what | did was not better" lie
went on but | did not intend that you
should ever act. 1t came about by accident
will explain: On the very day before the
cottage was TO be sold, walked out in the
evening to go TO the house of a friend who
had offered to give You and your mamma
shelter until | could get some employment.
We passed near the house to-day-it was on
this side of n stream which runs between the
place where We now are and The Cottage. |
crossed in little skif, and was passing this
spot when | saw a wagon standing where our
own now is, and two horses feeding near On
.
were what is called strolling players, and
stopped and talked with them The talk last
ed for more than an hour l wns so much in
terested that forgot my errand. Something
that was said by the manager, they are
called, of the players, had made me think
He said that he was in want of some one to
perform feats of strength-but such person
ms he required was hard to find. The pay
would be large-the trouble was to find the
man.


when he said this" continued Herman
dez, "a sudden thought came to my mind.
had always been strong. No one could throw
me in wrestling and / often lifted with ease
weights which others could not move. SO
when the manager said, 4 want an athlete
he would be worth his weight in gold l said,
without thinking Try me- He thought |
was testing, but | assured him that was not
We talked for an hour-at the end Of that
time had made an engagement with him. /
went home, took you and your mamma to the
house of the friend l have mentioned, and
went off with the players"


As Hernandez uttered these words the voice
of Juan was heard calling him.


This is nearly all, dear, he said to Fanny
Il had found the means of supporting my lit
tie family, and l soon set up for myself. l
had saved some money. and made much more
Hou and your mamma travelled with me now,





been in the happy days at The Cottage
When you We're ten you asked me to let you
act with your pet Alcofribus, and consented
Perhaps l ought not to have consented-but
| thought there would be no harm in it,
Then Charley begged me- and l consented to
that, too. | was not thinking of making
money. Not that did not want money. |
wished for it very much. Children must not
want for clothes and little things to make
D
| little ones these except by acting; but now
we are not going to act any more. We shall
have home soon-it is very pleasant to me
to think of that--a quiet home all to ourselves,
with green grass, and trees, and bright sun
! sets, after which you will 90 to sleep instead
of dancing in front of lampc on a stage. You
will have nothing to do, dear, but run about
and gather flowers and chase the yellow but
terfes. You will go to school and be well
educated, and grow up little lady and
! Charley shall have apOny and be little gentle
man. You and he are really lady and gentle
man-for your mother is lady. You must
love her when-but that would make you sad.
Perhaps she is little hasty sometimes, but
we have had misfortunes-sh was brought
up in ease and they were hard for her to bear
But this is all over now. She loves you and
! Charley very much, and was right last night
when you heard what was said She did not
| know that the two or three performances in
! W would be our last"


papa where are you, papa z" cried the
voice of Juan, otherwise Charley, from behind
the trees. Hernandez rose.


II thought Iwould tell you my story, dear"
he said. 1T is well for father to have no
concealments from his children. You can
tell Charley all this You know all, now, and
l feel happier I could not bear the thought
that you might feel ashamed of me some day
when-after l leave you. One day you will
miss me. l shall not be near you any more"
There was something so tender and mourn
full in his voice that Fanny sobbed.


There, little one" he said soothing her,
''do not cry. Why should you? We will be
happier in future than we have ever been. l
shall love you more than ever, and you will
not be ashamed of your little papa. There
is nothing to be really ashamed Of After all,
there is only one thing-to be true and hon