Family Pride; Or, Purified by SufferingHolmes, Mary Jane
General
Family Pride; Or, Purified by Suffering
Holmes, Mary Jane
American fiction; Dime novels
At that moment Wilford Cameron would have given half his fortune to have
kept his child for Katy's sake, but it was now too late; the carriage
was at the door, and Marian, whom no one had seen but Helen, was waiting
in the hall, her thick green veil dropped before her face, and a muffler
about her mouth as if suffering from the toothache. Helen had asked if
it were so, but Marian's answer was prevented by the little procession
filing down the stairs--Mrs. Cameron and Bell, Wilford and Katy, who
carried the baby herself, her face bent over it and her tears still
dropping like rain. But it was Wilford who put his child into Marian's
extended arms, forgetting in his excitement to notice aught in the new
nurse except the long, green veil which was not raised at all, even when
Katy said, pleadingly, "You will care for her, Marian, as if she were
your own."
"Yes, I will, I will," was the response, spoken huskily and having in
it no tone like Genevra's. "I will as if it were my own," were the last
words Marian said as she went down the steps, followed by Wilford, to
whom the thought had just occurred that he ought to see her off.
Marian had not expected this, and the tension of her nerves was hardly
equal to the task of sitting there with Wilford Cameron opposite, his
baby in her lap, his voice in her ear, and his eyes turned upon her as
if curious to know what manner of woman she was. But the thick veil did
its duty well, while the muffler answered the purpose intended; it
changed the voice which was only natural once, and that when it
addressed the baby, which began to grow restless as they drew near the
depot. Then Wilford was reminded of Genevra, and the thought carried him
across the sea, so that he forgot all else until the station was reached
and he was busy, procuring checks and ticket. He saw her into the car,
procuring for her a double seat, and speaking a word for her to the
conductor, whom he knew. And this he did partly for Katy's sake, and
partly because in spite of the plain attire he recognized the lady and
felt that Marian Hazelton was no ordinary person. He offered her his
hand, wondering why hers trembled so in his grasp, wondering why it was
so cold, and wondering, too, why, if she had never been a wife, she wore
that plain gold circlet which glittered upon her third finger.
"They certainly call her Miss Hazelton," he thought, as he bade her
good-by and then left her alone, going back to the house which even to
him seemed lonely, with all the paraphernalia of babyhood removed.
Still, now that the worst was over, he rather enjoyed it, for Katy was
free from care; there was nothing to hinder her gratifying his every
wish, and with his spirits greatly enlivened as he reflected how
satisfactory everything had been managed at the last, he proposed taking
both Helen and Katy to the theatre that night. But Katy answered: "No,
Wilford, not to-night; it seems too much like baby's funeral. I'll go
next week, but not to-night."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account