Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks: A Picture of New England Home LifePidgin, Charles Felton
General
Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks: A Picture of New England Home Life
Pidgin, Charles Felton
New England -- Fiction
"I don't think I could escape from you as easily as I did from him," she
said, the first faint sign of a smile showing itself upon her face. "I
went to my bankers in Boston and told them that I had been adopted by a
wealthy French lady named Archimbault. I informed them that we were
going to return to France at once. They made up my account, and I found
I was worth nearly one hundred and forty thousand dollars. I took my
fortune in New York drafts, explaining that madame wished to visit
relatives in New York, and that we should sail for France from that
port. I did this so my bankers could not disclose my whereabouts to any
one. We came here, but I could not remain idle. I always had a natural
taste for millinery work, so I proposed to madame that we should open a
store under her name. We did this late in September, and have had great
success since our opening day. Now you know all about me, Mr. Sawyer.
Give me your promise that you will not tell Lord Hastings where I am."
"Then," said Quincy, "you do not know why I am here."
"To keep your word to Lord Hastings, I presume. What other reason could
you have?"
"Then you have not read the Personal Column in the 'New York Herald?'"
Quincy inquired.
"No," said she. "Why should I?"
Quincy took a copy of the paper from his pocket, laid it upon the table
and pointed with his finger to the word "Linda." She read the
advertisement, then looked up to him with distended eyes, full of
questioning.
"What does the paper say? It could not have disclosed much or you would
not have waited so long to tell me."
Then Quincy related the story of the sealed package, how it had been
given to Alice Pettengill long before Mrs. Putnam died; how Miss
Pettengill had sworn to destroy it, but would not when she learned that
it might possibly contain information relating to her parents. He told
her that Miss Pettengill would not allow any one to read it but herself;
and how he had promised to search for her until he found her. Then he
related the incident at the lawyer's office and the piece of cloth
bearing the name, "Linda Fernborough," "which," said Quincy, "I think
must have been your mother's maiden name." He did not tell her of the
old gentleman only five blocks away, ready and willing to claim her as
his granddaughter without further proof than that little piece of doth.
Quincy looked at his watch. "I have just time," said he, "to get the one
o'clock train for Boston. I will obtain the papers to-morrow morning,
and be in New York again to-morrow night. The next morning early I will
be at your residence with the papers, and let us hope that they will
contain such information as will disclose your parentage and give you a
name that you can rightfully bear."
She wrote her home address on a card and passed it to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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