A PATHETIC STORY BY PETROLEUM V. NASBY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 461, 10 February 1882, Page 13

A PATHETIC STORY BY PETROLEUM V. NASBY.

. . Ik our party was an American gentleman who wa* biassed with an abundance of boys, but no girl, and he and his wife bad been contemplating the adoption of a girl. Here was an opportunity not only to secure a girl, but just the kind of girl that he would have given half his estate to be the father of. And so he opened negotiations.

An Irishman who knew him, explained to the father and mother that the gentleman was a man of means, that his wife was an excellent, good woman, and that the child would be adopted regularly under the laws of the State in which he lived, and would rank equally with his own children in the matter of inheritance, and all that. In short, she was made to understand that Norah would be reared a lady.

Then the American struck in. She, the mother might select a girl to accompany the child across the Atlantic, and the girl selected should go into his family as the child's nurse, and the child should be reared in the religion of its parents. The father and mother consulted long and anxiously. It was a terrible struggle. On the one hand was the child's advantage, on the other paternal and maternal love. Finally a conclusion was arrived at. " God help me," said the mother, " you shall have her. I know you will be kind to her."

Then the arrangements were pushed very briskly and with regular American business-like vehemence. The girl selected to act as nurse was the mother's sister, a comely girl of twenty. The American took the child and rushed out to a haber-dasher's and purchased an outfit for her. He put shoes and stockings on her, which was a novel experience, and a pretty little dress, and a little hat, with a f ather in it, and a little sash and all that sort of thing, and he procured shoes and stockings for the older girl and a tidy dress and a hat, and shawl, and so forth. And then he brought them back, instructing the mother that he should leave with them for Cork next morning at 11, and that the girl and child should be drsssed and ready to depart.

The next morning came, and the American went for his child. She was dressed, though very awkwardly. The mother had never had any experience in dressing childreu in such clothes, and it wa» a wonder that she did not gut the dress the wrong Bide up. But there she was. The mother wailed as one who was parting with everything that was dear to her, and the father lay and moaned, looking from Norah to the American. Time was up. The mother took the baby in her arms and gave it the final embrace aud the long, loving kiss, the father took her *n his arms and kissed her, the other children looked on astounded, while the girl stood weeping. " Good-bye," said she American. " I will take good care of the baby," and taking her from the mother's arms, he started for the door.

There was a shriek, the woman darted to him just as he was closing the door, and snatched the baby from his arm 9. " Drop the child," said the father. " You can't have her for all the money there is in Ameriky." " No, sor," ejaculated the mother, half way between fainting and hysterics, " I can't part wid her !" And she commenced undressing the baby. '• Take back your beautiful clothes, give me back the rags that was on her, but ye can't have the child."

And the girl, she commenced undressing too, for she did not want to obtain clothes under false pretences, but the American stopped the disrobing.

"It's bad for the child," said he, "but somehow I can't blame you. You are welcome to the clothes, though." And he left as fast as he could, and I noticed that he was busy with his hankerchief about his eyes for some minutes. Toledo Blade.

After the arrest of the Land League leaders in Dublin, an Indian gentleman called at the office of the League asking to be enrolled as a member, and expressing indignation at the conduct of the Government. He added that there were millions of his countrymen who hated the name of England.

The Imperial family of Geimany is quite able to support itself' If the Crown Prince were deprived of his inheritance he could easily win bread and butter by his skill as a turner ; while his eldest son, Prince Wilhelm, is an excellent amateur artisan. On the Emperor'a cabinet are several samples of his dead grandson Waldemar's proficiency as a bookbinder. This acquisition of a trade is in accordance with the traditionary customs in the royal family, which prescribe that every Prince of the blood shall learn some useful handicraft, bo as to strengthen his spirit of independedce and make him wise through actual contact with the material world.