Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1870-09-08

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Now let me think"
''Do, in Heavens name!" calculated
S Tom.
Mrs. Primmins placed her arm
akimbo.
Tom fervently prayed for light OIL
ohe meditations.
81 have it." cried Mrs Primmins
"Malvina's got to take it!''
"Bless your dear SOUL" responded
Tom. ".Malv1na's the very one!
What talent you have for managing,
auntie dearl'
There was Tom, his very self! He
had hit on exactly the right compli.
ment to pay the old nurse. He was ac-
tually floating through life on this in
stinct he had for saying the most
pleasant thing to every body. Mrs.
Primmins of all things desired the rep
utation of maneuverer, as it was, OF
course, the one above all others that
she did not deserve.
! "Yes," she cried, chuckling, "I
can manage. Let me alonel And
first thing in the morning I'll go there
with you. Now" said she, seizing
her charge, who was beginning to
squirm, 'now I'll see what's to be got
out of your landlady"
Winking violently with first one eve
and then the other, she started to 90;
then, with sudden solemnity, she re-
inserted her head in the doorway.
eff I'm summoned" she said, tits
above all else. If I'm called, 1 must
go, day or night!''
Certainly" said Tom, much puz-
zled, "but you won't be, Auntie" As
the young man walked abroad to get
his dinner, he felt impressed with an
almost mysterious awe of the old nurse.
"TO think of living always with
death grinning one in the face like
that" he muttered
In the night Toms dream of peace
was again dispelled.
Another knock on his door.
Gam l under ban?" growled Tom;
"what's the matter now?"
"1'm called" said the voice Of Mrs.
Primmins, "my summons has come!''
"Oh, the devil!' cried Tom, lost to
all sense of the importance of conciliat-
ing the nurse. ''Go to bed Hold on
till morning."
In the morning Tom, who, happy
fellow, always slept soundest under a
sense of depression, did not make his
appearance until nine o'clock. He
found that Mrs. Primmins had actual
ly disappeared for parts unknown. In
the arms of his hitherto stern landlady
he found his charge nesting. A new
light-that of love-was beaming in
the solemn woman's eye,-that woman,
thonght Tom, who would see any of
her boarders starve and rot for ten
cents day savedl He looked at his
little responsibility with a feeling of
awe, almost suspicion of witchcraft.--
1t is customary to shake the head and
wonder at the amazing Providence
that sometimes removes a mother and
throws young infant upon the chari-
ty of othersl Why not also reverent-
ly consider the innate instinct of mo-
therhood that rises in every female
heart at sight Of a baby so bereaved |
81 have undertaken" said the land
lady, giving Tom a smile such as he
never dreamed could rest on her fea-
lures, 81 have undertaken to 90 with |
YOU in search of Mrs. Prlmmins' |
niece, Malvina!"
Several hours later, Tom Collins
sprang from light wagon, in which
he had driven to the door of very
pretty cottage.
"We will make one last effort by in,
quiring here" he said to his landlady,
who held the baby.
With his usual impetuosity, he push
ed directly through into the little rear
kitchen. There he forgot his errand,
forgot everything except what he saw
A young girl, plump, neat and rosy,
stood, with round arms barred, before
a table She was assiduously occu-
pied in carressing, with her white
hands, little Jumps of dough into
shape. Then she placed them in rows
in a big black pan. For a moment
she did not see Tom. He unreasoning,
fellow, forgot his errand-
forgot every thing, in short, and began
envying those Jumps of dough. He
felt instinctively that he, too, possessed
a great capacity for being moulded
by some such hands as those.
Suddenly she turned. Such dim
pied smile! such rosy embarrassment!
Tom, great, black haired, jetty-eyed
giant that he was, thought this little
plump blonde an angel. Thought
why, he was sure of it!
After a while he came partially to
his senses, and said: "I'm looking for
one Malvina Barker"
"And that is me, said the rosy lips. ,
"Then I've brought you baby, he
said, abruptly.
a good deal of astonishment can be 1
put into pair of bright blue eyes
Wit hout spelling them--and so there 9
vas. Fortunately at this point the +
appeared, and SO, a moment
ater, did Malvina's mother, ca
rom the cellar by the voices.
Negotiations were soon concluded
Tom, again in his little room, found
t the loneliest, dreariest place he had a
ver in his life looked upon. Il
A couple of days later he concluded t
hat it would be inhuman not to go and
INQUIRE after his little charge. In an
Incredible short space of time he was a
eized with the same impression again. !:
hen he went to take to baby, who had Il
ot yet learned that the moon is more
istant than the door-knob, box of
geographical blocks. Then he went h
o inquire if it needed pocket-money; "
nd he told Malvina that he knew that !,
he was not kept awake nights with it,