"We have found her, I am afraid, Tom," said Mr. Legrange to his
cousin, as the detective closed his report, and his two hearers
looked at each other. "But," added the father, "keep on; keep every
engine at work; search everywhere; spend any amount of money that is
needful; leave no chance untried. Remember, the reward is always
ready." And, when they were alone, he added,--
"But, Tom, don't tell her. She can't bear it as we can. Poor little
Sunshine!" And, to show how well he bore it, the father hid his
face, and sobbed like a woman.
"No, I won't say any thing," said Tom Burroughs in a strange, choked
voice. And so we come back to Mrs. Legrange wistfully saying, "It
seems so strange"--
And then, with the patience of a woman, she put aside her own great
grief, and added,--
"But, Teddy, I am going to do something for you; and what shall it
be? You wish to be educated; do you not?"
"O ma'am! but I've give it up now."
Mrs. Legrange smiled at the sudden enthusiasm and the sudden blank
upon the boy's face, and answered, almost gayly,--
"But I have not given it up for you, Teddy.-By the way, Mrs.
Ginniss, is that your son's real name?-his whole name, I mean?"
"It's short for Taodoor, I'm thinkin', ma'am; but joost Teddy we
alluz calls it."
"Ah, yes! Theodore. That is a very nice name, and will sound better,
when he comes to be a lawyer or doctor or minister, than Teddy.
Don't you think so?"
"Ye're right, ma'am: it's a dale the dacenter name uv the two; an'
Taodoor I'll call him iver an' always," said Mrs. Ginniss
complacently.
"I was thinking more of what other people would call him," said Mrs.
Legrange, smiling a little. "Some friends of mine are interested in
a school and college at the West,--somewhere in Ohio, I believe. It
is a very fine school and the West is the place for a young man who
means to rise. So, Theodore, if you would like to go, I shall be
very happy to see to all your expenses until you graduate, and to
help you about settling in a profession, or in trade, as you like."
Teddy's healthy face turned deadly white; and, although his lips
trembled violently, not a word came from between them. But Mrs.
Ginniss, raising hands and eyes to heaven, called down such a shower
of blessings from so many and varied sources, in such an inimitable
brogue, that the pen refuses to transcribe her rhapsody, as Mrs.
Legrange failed to comprehend more than the half of it.
"I am glad you are pleased; and it pleases me as much as it can
you," said she, half frightened at the Celtic vehemence of the
other's manner and language.
"I can't say what I want to, ma'am," spoke a low voice beside her;
"but if you'll believe I'm grateful, and wait till some time when I
can show it better than I can now-that time will come, if we both
live. And when I'm a man, if she isn't found first, I'll go the
world round but I'll find her, and Jovarny too: I'll promise that."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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