Mrs. Moberly was looking forward to the time when she could secure
enough money to take her back to the relatives she had left so many
years before. Little by little she was selling her household goods, the
members securing customers so as to help her. Any new members coming to
the colony were asked to buy of her, if they needed anything. The story
would be told over and over again how that she hadn’t seen her mother
for many years. She had sold everything except the things she needed for
her personal use. The new comers had been told how she rented tents in
the summer by putting her surplus furniture in them, and many bought to
do the same thing. She had now enough to cover all her expenses for
traveling when who should appear but her husband. He was well dressed
and upon asking for her was told at once where to find her. No one
suspected who he was.
“Mira, don’t drive me away. I am sorry that I treated you as I did,” he
said. “I want to see my children. Where are they?”
“Jack Moberly, how dare you even come in my presence after the wrong you
have done me?”
“Mira, I must see the children.”
“They are not here,” she answered, “and neither can you see them until
you have assured me that you will go away after you have seen them.”
“Mira, won’t you live with me again?” he begged. “I love you. I love my
children.”
She looked at him for a moment, and a great longing came to her that it
might be true.
“No,” she said, “a man who could leave a woman to get along the best she
could with his helpless children, has no heart.” As she gazed at him,
all the misery he had caused her seemed to pass before her like a
panorama. She even wondered at herself. Here was the man who turned her
head in her youth and inexperience, who had been the magnet that had
drawn her away from all that she had held most dear. As he stood before
her for the first time in three years, she could think of but one thing
and that was to get him away.
He had only told her that he loved her to hear what she would say. He
laughed to himself at the joke. He had a curiosity to see her and the
children and nothing more. Just as though he would give up Rosy for this
thin, careworn woman, who at any time might upbraid him for his past
life. Then, besides, he thought, “who wants to be tied to a woman? I had
enough of it. Rosy suits me now, and if I get tired of her, there are
others.”
Finally he promised he would leave as soon as he had seen the children.
She took him to the public parlor, not wishing to leave him in her
apartment and then went to the school for them. In about fifteen
minutes, she had them before him, not a little proud to show him how
well she had been able to get along without him. They approached him
rather timidly, as they would a stranger, even Nellie feeling the change
and neglect. His whole attention was given, however, to Freddie, who ran
up to him.
“You know papa, don’t you, my boy?”
“Of course I do,” said the little fellow, as he cuddled up to him.
Mira noticed that he did not look at the others, but that he could not
take his eyes off of Freddie.
“My poor little boy,” he said. Then tears came to his eyes.
It was harder than Mira had anticipated. The man really seemed to have
some feeling for his boy, but the thought came to her, “It is only one
of his outbursts. The man is not all bad, but too vile for me to have
any more of these meetings.” Then he turned to her and asked if she
would not live with him, if she at least would not give him the boy, for
she had the other two.
With one rush, she grabbed the child and ordered him to leave her,
reminding him of his promise.
“Give you my child!” she said in scorn.
“You forget he is mine as well as yours,” he replied, “and the law will
give him to me, so you had better take care.”
Their gestures and loud voices frightened the children and their cries
brought the superintendent of the building.
Mira explained and the superintendent told him that he must not come
there; that Mrs. Moberly was there under their protection.
He turned to her and hissed between his teeth, “I see you have some man
keeping you.”
That was too much.
“You insolent wretch,” she exclaimed, “Go!”
The superintendent touched a button. Two able bodied men appeared and
Jack Moberly left quietly.
After he had gone she decided to get away to her relatives as soon as
possible. Now that he had started to come back he might annoy her in
many ways.
The few shares that she had were transferred to the original society
where Tom and her family were, so she telegraphed them that she was
coming home sooner than she had intended. Then the journey began. Over
two thousand miles were to be covered and they must travel night and
day. “Only eight hundred more,” she said to herself, as they were
changing cars and were walking around the large station, looking at the
many different kinds of people, all waiting for their trains to be
called. Suddenly, she fancied she saw a face that looked like Jack, but
she came to the conclusion that it couldn’t be, that she was mistaken.
So many look alike when you are traveling, she mused, and thought no
more about it.
After they had been on the train some time, a nicely dressed lady made
herself attentive to the children. She gave them candy and showed them
pictures in the book she had until finally Freddie took up his quarters
in the seat with her. All day long she amused him and the others. She
became friendly with Mrs. Moberly also and they chatted about the
children and other things. Mira began to feel a relief at having some
one to help care for the children.
The second evening, this lady proposed that Freddie should sleep with
her as she was alone in her berth and it would give Mrs. Moberly more
room. Freddie was delighted with the idea, so it was arranged. Mira and
the other children had slept well all night and were aroused by the
porter, announcing that she should get off at the next city. She dressed
herself, then the two children and started to find Freddie. She found
that no such persons had been seen since the middle of the night when a
man, woman and child had left the train. From the description of the man
she knew it was Jack. They also said they heard the child call him papa.
Poor Mira! And this was her homecoming, her poor little child at the
mercy of that man!
Just then the name of the city was announced and all left the train.
Everything was changed and strange to her, but there was Tom, dear old
Tom. He would know just what to do about Freddie, and there was her
mother and Scoris. They didn’t know her and were looking in every
direction, but there she was. At last she reached them and tried to
attract their attention but it was too much for her and she fainted at
their feet. All was confusion and even then they could not recognize
her, she had changed so much. Nellie explained, “It is because Freddie
has gone. Papa took him away last night.” She began to cry, for this was
not the introduction she had pictured in meeting her grandma or the
aunts and Uncle Tom. The family then realized that it was Mira and her
family that was before them. They had her carried into the waiting room
until she recovered consciousness; then when she told them what had
occurred Tom promised to find him. She told them about her life in the
six years since she had left them.
They tried to show her it was necessary to keep up her strength so that
at the proper time she could give the information that would be needed
not only in regard to Jack, but the woman who had assisted in stealing
the child.
Detectives were sent out and Mira began to rally, yet no clue amounted
to anything. Disappointments seemed to be the order of the day. Nothing
resulted from any clue they were given. Advertisements also failed, and
she often wondered, “Had he followed, or had he seen them by chance?”
All the misery she had endured was as nothing to this terrible
uncertainty of the child being uncared for, and the longing to see him
once more was intense.
“Freddie, my boy, my boy,” she would cry out in her agony, “I must, I
must see you.”