CHAPTER III

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 290, 15 August 1888, Page 6

CHAPTER 111

THE LITTU? .STK'VMJhIt ADOV'I'KU. The next morning there appeared an ad\ertisement in (.lie Boston 'Tians?ipl, otteiing ii\c bundled dollni.s to .suitable putties who wou'd adopL a female infant, and stating that .applications were to be mado by lctlci, nddicssed to the ofiico of the paper. Of course a great ninny answer* were received, for there weio hosts of people who would agtco to almost anything tor live luindicd dollais, while theie woio others who wcic icalJy anxious to adopt !>ho little baby gnl that was to be so stiangely Liv on n upon the woi Id. One alone out of the°o many epistles pleaded Mi« Marston. ]t wa-> wiitten in a clear, elegant hand, .signed ' August and Alices Damon.' It wa<* fioin a young couple, and .staled that only a month pie\ious tliey h.id lost their own little daughter— a b'ibe of a few weeks -and their heaits woo so sore o\cr their 10->y, their home so. lonely ami sad, that they would gladly tal.c a little one to (ill, as fai a c might be possible, the place of their lo^t darling, and if the child in question pleaded them, and theie was nothing objectionable connected with hci biith or antecedents, they would gladly adopt her without the payment of the picmium that had Seen olleicd. Mis Mai->ton, alter leading this coinmunii ation, immediately dashed ofl'anolc asking the young couple to call upon her at their earliest comenionce — in case they weic at liberty to do .so, the next morning at ten o'clock ; she wo'ild rescne fhat houi tor them. l'lomptly at that lime a young gentleman and lady ot prepo^osiiig appeal ancc weie ushorcd into j\ J r -. Marston's |)iivato pailour, and one glance into their kind and intelligent f.icoA convinced her thai she had found the light p.'u ties to whom to inttusl her child. 'Mr and j\l i s D.imon,' Mis Marsfon ;aid, graciously leeching them, and glan"in<j at the cauls that had been -,ont up befoie them to announce th( h ani\al, 'lam veiy much pleased to meet }op.' iShe united tin in lo to seated, and then uitctcd at oii(_o u[)on the object of theii \ wt 'J have appointed an inter\iew with you in piefciencc lo a'l other applicants,' she said, ' because of the ical juiciest and feeling c\inced in youi letter to me. But bcfoic wo decide upon tho matter under consideiation, I w ould like to know .',OlllOthing about you and your prospects for the fututc.' Mi August Dunon, a fine looking man ol puhii|h twenty live jeais, fiankly inloimcl tho lady that Lh< ir homo was in Boston ; that ho wa^ a eleik in a large \\ hnlusalo boot and shoe hou^o ; his salai y was a lair one, and tl.cie was a prospect that lie might become a member of tho linn at no -scry distant date, it all went well \\ ith the buMnc°s He. said that both he and hi-j wife weio veiy fond of childicn, and had been almost lioai t biokcn o\ci the 10.5.s ol t licit own child. They had le.-ohed, it they could find one to whom their heai tn tinned, to adopt another, and bestow upon it, a^ tar as might be, the love and cue th.it, their own child would ha\o leeched if it had lived. They hod seen her ad\erti^cmcnt in the ' Tian.-ci ipt,' and had detei mined to ic^pond to it, hop:ng thiib to succeed in their object. 1 Nothing could be bcttei,' MibMaiston eagerly paid, in leply. 'This is just the opportunity th.it J desire. 1 feel sine that you would give inj little one ihe kindest caie, and 1 shall iclintjuish hei to you most willingly. 'I ehall ex peel you will do by her cxaollj as you would ha\e dd l )iic by your own, that you will give her \our najue. educatp her, and gho her tuch :tUantagcs as your meaiib will allow. Tin--- mutt be j/our part in our contiact, wliilc mine will be to icnounce all claim upon her, and make o\ or to you the amount which 1 specified in my advcilisemont.' August Damon nevtr once took liis eyes fiom the face of that p-oud, beautiful woman while she was speaking. They burned with a strange fiie. An indignant flush mantled hi- cheok, and an evpicssion of contotnpt curled his fine lips. His wife viewed the appaicntly heartless mother with spcechles- wonder, her oyes fastened upon her in a soib of hoiii'blc fa'ciuation. Jlcr swectijclieale.facc was colouilc?b as the snowy ruTTlc about her wlyfse nock, and she tiorhblefcl V^ifeibly'a.g ihojistowed to her abiuj)tand apjjaiontly unfecliny dispo&al of a human poul. Theicwa&an awkwaid pause after Mis Marston concluded, and t>ho pccmcd to become suddenly conscious of the very un pleasant impie«sion which her st'tango works and pj'occcdings had piodu.'cd upon her visitors, and a rush of vivid colour mantled her check. She could not fail to realise that her guc&ts w r ere well-bred, c\en culti\atcd people ; tho stamp of true gentility was upon them, and it was ojctiejncly galling to her haughty spirit to feel that they had been weighing her in the balance of their own relincd and noble natuics, and had found her padly wanting in all those gentler qualities and attiibutes which naturally belong to a woman, and especially to a mother. But she was impatient of all lestraint and discomfort. She threw oft" the feeling with tho usual shrug ot her shapely .shoulder?, and raising her handsome head with a haughty air she continued, somewhat imperiously : ' Do you accede to the conditions that I have mentioned ; and you, madam ?' turning her great dark eyes full upon the gent c but .shocked wife. ' Oh, how can you bear to part thus with your little ono, the darling whose pulsef are throbbing with your own" life-blood ?' exclaimed sweet Alice Damon, teais starting to her eainc&t, grey-blue eyes, hci delicate lips trembling with emotion. ' That is a question that I cannot allow myself to consider,' lesponded Mrs Marston, with a peculiar gostureol her jewelled hands, which might have meant either pain or repugnance, ' neither can I enter into any explanation upon that point ; the fact remains, I muU part with her, and it is my wish to make the best possible provision for her. ' 'We should bo glad to sco tho child, madam,' Mr Damon gt'avoly remarked.

'Of cour&o, 1 will have her brought in immediately,' and Mus Maiaton aroso to ring a boll. A momonfc later a portly matron entered tho room beating in her arm a a lovely babe about a month old, arrayed in a richly embroidered robe, and wrapped in the softest and whitest of flannels. Alico Damon uttered an eager cry, in which the tender cst mother- lovo and tho Ueenost pain wcio blended, as shojicaughb sight of tho bcautitul child who recalled so \ ividly her own lost trcniprc. ' Starting fiom her sea^ *sFre "glided swiftly over the soft carpet, and the ne\t moment ' cho tiny creature was clasped close to her aching heart, while a sob buist tiom her as she prosed her quivering lips to its velvet ; chock*. Then she turned to her husband with it .still in ho 1 arms. 'Oh, August, sho is lovely!' sho murmured, in husky, un&tcidy tjiic. 'And, dear, my heart lonns for her !' J\Jr Damon stood looking down upon the two for a moment, while lie seemed struggling with some deep emotion. He took one ol the soft little ban -Is that lav outside the heavily wiouirht blanket tenderly in hi-i own, and bent fora neater \icw of the small face. 'Her eyes aro blue,' he said under his breath. * Yes, like our own cLv line's. Oh, Augu&b, wo will take her, will we nob?' pleaded his wife, ea<_reily. A look of fondest lo\c leaped into lu\ eyes ah thoy met hers, but he did not loply to her -just then. Jfe turned again to IVFrs Marston. 'llunc an impoitant question which f feel it necessary to ask jou " he betran. ' In a moment,' sho ictuined, and &i ir nod to the nuiso (o withdiaw. 'Now, if \ou please,' she added, as tho door closed after the woman, 'Is your child legitimate 9 If you can assure mo of that, and that nothing of dishonour cvi ever touch her in the futuic, and thai, as. far as you know, she inherit-, no taint of insanity or incuiable disease, I sec no reason why we should nob accede to your conditions and adopt the babe as our own.' Twice that week she had been obliged (o meet this humiliating suspicion, ami it\\a= more than her proud spiiiu could endure. 'Do yoa presume—' she began haughtily. 'Madam,' August Damon intcimpted, gravely, but with the utmost respect, ' pi ay do not accuse me of pi conniption when I have only the well-being of your own child at heart. If you will but consider a moment you cannot fail to leali-e that it is' both natuial and pioper I t-hould wish to bo asiiucd that tho child I contemplate taking as my ou n in of houxnnablo paicntagc, and with no heritage of future misery hanging o\cr her. We shall, of 'course, use every, pi ccaution to prevent her fiom cvcl loalu'ing that she i-> not our \erv own ; but there may come a time when .unforeseen events will lead her to suspect the ti nth, and then she will demand to be told her history. F must ha\c it in my power to toll her that no stoiy ot .shame, no stain, was attached to her biith ' The gentleman.-; tone was Him bub courteous, and the proud woman befoie him realised a pride as deep-seated as her own, and that she had no common character to deal with. Ho had a peifect light to ask her these questions, she knew, and sho was bound to answer them in all binceiity. The anger died out of her eyes; the colour, loft her face, :,uid l.horc was more of humility in her manner than she had befoie displayed, as '(he replied : ' Air Damon, 1 assure you that you need never fear e\cn a bicath against the lair fame or parentage of my child. was legally married to a noble, high-minded trontleman, on the 15th of last March, although the ceiemony was not performed in this country. More I cannot toll you iogaidin«i my piivate histoiy. As to the little one's constitution, she inhciits no taint of disease or mental tioublo that I am awaio of. I have alwaj^ enjoyed \igoioiit. health, as my physique at the picsent time oujjht to pio\ctoyou. ' I know,' she continued, after a moment of thoughtful silence ' that the giving away of my child, when to all appearance thcie is no neec^itv lor such an unu«ual act, appeals like a monstrous proceeding ; but I am so situated that I cannot help myself ; the need is impciathc— a relentless late rojiipih me 1o the unnatuial act. I can tell you nothing more ; if you see fit to adopt the babe, after hcaiing, tfyis 1 , well and good ; if not, I mn-t ieply to .'omo othci application, and make other auangcments for her.' '1 am satisfied w ith what you ha\e told me, and the child shall come to us Alice, 'she is joins if \bu so wish.' said the young husband, turning with a fond smile to his fair wife. 'I do wish if, August, 1 could not gi\c hor up now. Sec ! how content she i; !' and the r weot woman looked lovingly down at the little face lying so peacefully upon her bosom. | * You aie willing to make t lie gift a legal one, I suppose ':' said Mr Damon, turning again to Airs Alaiston, who, with a look of intense lelief upon her face, was closely watching the young couple. ' If you mean by that, that I will sign papcis to ratity the bond, I must say, No !' the woman replied, with decision. ' Of what use would such papers be,' &he went on, % since I could not place my real signature upon them, and the name by which I am known to you to day, would amount to nothing, legally ? I can only gi\e her to you hcic, now, in this informal way. Tako hor- she is yours ; and may she bo a gicat comtort to you during your futuic lives.' 'I see,' leplied Mr Damon, 'papers of adoption would amount to nothing ;' bub, nevertheless, he did not appear very well satisfied with this conclusion. ' And here is the future little Miss Damons dowry,' continued Mis, Marsbon, with a smile, as she book a roll of bills from bhe same drawer whence she had paid Dr. Turner, ' and 1 cannot begin to tell you how much of gratitude goes with it.' I ' Madam, I gannot accept your money,' August Damon said, Hushing hotly, as he diew back from tho prodcred bribe ; for such it seemed to him. 1 I am lich ; 1 wHi you to have it,' said (ho lady. ' It is the child that we want, for her own sake, not for what you ofibr as an inducement to adopt her,' returned the young man, with dignity. ' But 1 must insist ,' Mrs Marston replied. If you have no immediate use fpr it, put it at interest somowh'cre for her, and lob it accumulate for a mamago portion. You will have to name her,' sho resumed, with a glanco at the little ono. ' Call her whatever you wish, and may she prove a real blessing to you.' She appoaehed Alice Damon as she spoke, laid the roll of bills between tho soft, pink hands of the now sleeping babo, bent over hor and impiinted a light kiss upon her check, then turning quickly away, she bowed bo bho husband and wife and walked abruptly from the room. The next morning, at an early hour, Mra Marston and her ' maid' quietly left 1 the House, and the city, leaving no address, nor any clue to their desbination behind them.

(To he Continued.) I