CHAPTER XIV.
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 shetelegraphed 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! Andthis 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 uncaredfor, 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.”