The Hickman courier., 1868-06-13
Al never thought Of thatp' / said

sI never thought of thatr' l said
righting the baby, who came head up
permost with a very crimson eounten
ance, and eyes looking defautly int
mine; eyes that said as if they had spo
ken in so many syllables, 81 won't stol
crying I'll die frst!''
The storekeeper looked on sympathet
ically.
+" could sell you nice little pitcher
''' The The yer Interrupted. A
| pitcher of Isk and please take the
change out of thfSporte- monaie, for if
had three hands, l could't more thar
hold this kicking little demon with
EN- !"
* Well, sir, said the storekeeper, 'she
does seem rare un for using his leg.
let alone his lungs. Yes, sir, thank ee
sir p .
Now, | have always since laid it up as
a grudge against human nature that that
unprineipled grocery man took hve
dollar bill out of my porte monaie,
knowing that | should not discover it
autil too late to rectify the error s
tdfszs zssss1fst .i's7z aI7a7y
right hand, still balancing the baby skill
fully against my left arm and side, and
started triumphantly for home.
Now, I'll settle your business, my
fine young friend = | thought q Is it
possible that 6was ever such an incor-
rigible nuisance as this?"
But my triumph was speedily reduc-
ed to the lowest pitch of humiliation!
Dear me, Beverley, is it possible
that this is y
1t was < ilton's self, radiant in
close firing Z, and the daintiest Of
GsR kid q ate Milton, with an
Pof astonis q that served to make
aNr one degree prettier than ever
Ny first instinct was to turn and fee
ignominiously my second was to drop
my nephew and his milk into the gutter
and resolutely deny any conpection with
them; my third prompted me 10 stand my
ground.
+" Yes, it is I, Miss MiltOn-a-a fine
day"
F." Very fine"
Kate eyed me obviously, aud no won
WI NnC SONhg NQtllIE ana tMiFltHS d1
if serpant were inside of it instead of
baby's foot, appeared beneath my coat
skirts, fanked by about a quarter of
yard of Swiss embroidery and tucks, wo-
fully crumpled by the fery ordeal tbro'
which we had both passed-the milk
(confound IT'D had dripped a-down the
full length of NY pearl -colored panta-
looms, and my hat, bent and bruised, was
thrust rakishly on the side of my head
| was gloveless, flushed and disheYelled,
and take me :" for all in all, . must have
appeared considerably like pickpocket
or an old-olothes man ont for a walk
l passed on, followed by the sound of
faint, subdued laughter--a sound that
stung me TO the quick.
So Kate and her companion are laugh
ing at me; this was, indeed, the unkind
est cut of all. | resolved never to dance
the German with Kate Milton again!
The house was qnIet and deserted as
] returned and inserted my night key in
the little circular lock. What could
have become Of Bertha? The cold dew
oozed out upon my brow as /. for one
instant contemplated the horrible posi-
bility of my being left, a sort of Robin
son Crusoe, with the diabolical man lit
tie Friday on my hands.
Nonsense there was no probability Of
that. / sat down on Berthas low rock
ing chair. and planting the baby firmly
on my knee, applied the spout of the
pitcher to his mouth
Would you believe it? He wouldn t
drink drop. He screwed his mouth as
tightly shut as if he never intended to
open it again, and doubled himself over
backward with strength of will that
would have been remarkable in a full
grown man, but was simply marvellous
in a ten-month's old baby. persevered
and he persevered. l poured the milk
over his neck, his embroidered dress
waist, and his coral amulets he would
have been drowned sooner than to open
his mouth half a quarter of an inch.
Probably, of such stuff were our Revo-
lutionary fathers made; and this baby
had, through some inscrutable blunder
of Dame Nature, come into the world
just a century too late
NJ put him back in the cradle, fiat on
Aspinal col Aand looked at him
more in sOrrl in anger.
My 20! | addressed him,
cry away your lungs out-break
Il IlooI 4.~,o a.