Detective Bob Bridger — page 50: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

hod DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 43 ‘“<Tt’s a wee Irish darlint—so it is, and ye nade not men- tion it at all.’ ‘“‘As Meg spoke she took the babe into her arms, and kissed it fondly. It opened its blue eyes, and seeing a strange face, began to cry. “*“Ma—ma—mamma!’ the little waif prattled amid its tears. “Meg kissed it, fondled it, danced it, talked baby talk to it, and soon had it smiling in baby glee. “*Yis, ma—ma—mamma it is for ye, me dear little dar- lint!’ she said. ‘If ye’ve lost one mamma ye’ve found another in Meg Bolard. And I’m goin’ to raise the little one for me own, Mike Drugo, and smoke that in your poipe, will you!’ “*Do what you will, and be —— to you, for you’ll do it anyhow,’ muttered Bolard, with a curse, and he bore the form of the dead girl within, as Meg had directed, and placed it upon the bed. “The poor-master’s men removed the corpse and buried it, and a week later it was rumored about that Mrs. Mar- garet Bolard had presented her surly husband with an infant daughter. ‘“Not many months afterward Jean Godot was one day found dead in his room in the stone mansion. It was re- ported and currently believed that he had been in the act of shaving himself, when in a sudden fit of melancholy he had cut his throat. The position of the body when found, and the bloody razor still grasped in the dead man’s hand, pointed to suicide. ‘““‘Upon a table near the body was found a letter ad- dressed “To all concerned,” and which read as follows: «TT, Jean Godot, of sound mind, say that I have grown weary of life since my wife died, and my son deserted his home. ‘«¢Whatever should happen me, and being at this moment better disposed to die than to live, I pen these lines as my will : “<¢«T command that my death be published publicly, and that if my son, Alfonse Godot, appears and proves that he is my son during twenty years subsequent to my death, that all my property, real and personal, shall be his to keep and use forever. «Tl command further that until my son, Alfonse Godot, appears to claim my behest, Pere Videre, my son by adoption, shall hold and con- trol my estate as my executor, and shall possess, in his own right, all revenues therefrom. «And I further command that should my son, Alfonse Godot, fail to appear within the twenty years named, that at the end of that time all my estate above mentioned shall become the property of Pere Videre, my son by adoption, to hold and keep forever,’ Comic ,00 ¢s) mn